One important aspect to my Australian identity is my love for sport, more specifically, AFL and my beloved Carlton Football Club.

My passion for Carlton was indoctrinated in me since I was born, as my grandfather played for the club from 1946-1952 as a hard-working defender.

As a child my father proudly told me about my grandfather’s football career. The story I remember the most is the one where my grandfather, a defender, followed his opponent down the field and ended up kicking his only career goal. Only to be yelled at after the match by his coach for leaving his position.

My grandfather is no longer with us, but I think of him when I am at a game, watching the mighty blues play. Heading to the games has now become a significant part of my relationship with my father. We love going to the games together, wearing our Carlton caps, eating meat pies and drinking beer; and we get annoyed with my sister when she’s attends the games with us and doesn’t partake in our footy ritual.

What I also love about going to the footy is looking around the crowd and seeing how the game brings people together.

Likewise, it is amazing when meeting new people how you can feel instantly connected with them when you find out they barrack for the same team as you. Sport can therefore help shape people’s sense of identity and provides them with a sense of belonging, becoming so much more than just a game but a community.

Another community that I am proud to be a part of and another team I keenly support each week is the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) Soccer Team – a team that I proudly manage. Our team consists of young men (and one woman) who come from a range of countries; Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Benin and Ghana just to name a few.

The program has been a great success in bringing together asylum seekers who come from different backgrounds but share a mutual love of soccer.

One player stated after participating in the ASRC Soccer Program, “I have found new friends and a new community. New culture, new people together, it is good”. Whilst another said, “To participate and to do something that includes different people from different backgrounds and different experiences is really good”. The program worked to connect asylum seekers by not only giving them a sense of purpose and belonging but also in connecting them to the broader soccer community in Melbourne.

Social connectedness is one of the most important components to increasing the wellbeing of those we work with at the ASRC. People whom we work with are disconnected from their country, their culture, their language, their community, their family and friends, and therefore can lose their sense of identity. Sport becomes a vehicle for creating social connectedness and community, which is why sport is an important part of my Australian identity.