UP TO 36 players will make their debuts at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
No, Port Adelaide and Collingwood haven’t made mass changes to their line-ups, but rather four SA Aboriginal teams will take to AAMI Stadium, in the curtain raiser to the AFL clash, with the aim of taking out the inaugural Aboriginal Power Cup.
The Aboriginal Power Cup, a joint-initiative of the Port Adelaide Football Club and the SA Attorney-General’s Department, is a two-day carnival involving six schools, Para West Adult Campus, Kaurna Plains School, John Pirie Secondary School, Ceduna Area School, Port Lincoln High School and the Wiltja Program (Woodville High School), from the local indigenous community.
The carnival was designed in response to Monsignor David Cappo’s report, ‘To Break the Cycle’, which suggested that sport could play a vital role in turning at-risk youth away from crime and anti-social behaviour.
Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said the concept for the Aboriginal Power Cup had come from the English Premier League.
“I visited the Charlton Athletic Football club in London and saw the good work they were doing in the South London community in getting people engaged in sport and taking their attention away from crime and onto sport,” Mr Atkinson said.
“Monsignor David Cappo, in his report ‘To Break the Cycle’, also knew sport was very important in including young Aboriginal people in society and giving them positive goals, introducing them to great mentors like the Aboriginal men that have succeeded so outstandingly in Australian football.
“Aboriginal people have been some of the most marvellous exponents of football over the years and I think there will be more than one champion here today that will emerge in the AFL. It’s important for the young people to appreciate the culture, history of their clan, the pride of wearing the guernsey and the pride of their school.”
The winner of the Aboriginal Power Cup will be decided, not only on the footy field, but also off it, in areas like organisation, leadership and teamwork.
The four teams (two boys and two girls teams) adjudged to be the best overall will then fight it out for the title at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
Port Adelaide champion Gavin Wanganeen, who was the first indigenous player to reach 300 AFL games, was hopeful the carnival would help develop good life skills.
“It’s great to see so many Aboriginal kids from all over the state here at Alberton. Each team designed their own jumper and it’s been a huge effort from some of these guys in terms of how far they travelled to get here. Hopefully, they’ll remember this experience for some time and there will be some talent out here,” Wanganeen said.
“The Aboriginal Power Cup is all about encouraging the kids to participate and to become leaders in their own communities. The kids that you see here have had to maintain good attendance records this year to be able to come here to Adelaide.
“It’s not only about footy, it’s about life in general and trying to get these kids committed to being great leaders.”
