Multicultural Gala Day a great successWednesday, May 21, 2014 - 3:12 PM

The West Australian Football Commission hosted an AFL Multicultural Gala Day on Monday, May 19 with special guests from the West Coast Eagles including AFL Multicultural Ambassador Nic Naitanui.

The day featured carnivals north and south of the river that included round robin football matches and skills stations for approximately 800 multicultural students from Years 4-7.

West Coast players attend both carnivals to meet students and help run skills and drills stations before signing autographs.

All attendees had a great time, with many experiencing Australian Rules Football for the very first time.

The WA Football Commission, in partnership with the AFL clubs, WAFL clubs and Districts, runs over 70 community programs across WA

Community programs include ‘Footy Plus’ initiatives such as suicide prevention, youth leadership, multicultural and Aboriginal community engagement and cultural awareness training.

Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Minister Mike Nahan said that sport was an excellent way for community members to increase their participation in WA’s society.

“Australian football is a vehicle that encourages community strengthening and inclusion within the wider Australian community,” Dr Nahan said.

“The WAFC is an important ambassador for the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse communities as players, coaches, supporters and fans in football.”

The Minister said the State Government, through the Office of Multicultural Interests, was proud to assist with the funding towards today’s football gala, part of the commission’s multicultural ‘Learn, Play and Connect Project’.

“The WAFC's multicultural programs are enabling more young talent to be identified and giving more opportunities to aspiring young AFL players,” he said.

“The WAFC is demonstrating an outstanding leadership model for all Australian sporting codes.”