David Williams appointed to Indigenous Football Australia Council

As part of Indigenous Football Week® 2023, the Indigenous Football Australia™ Council has appointed Indigenous footballer David Williams.

Former Socceroo and current A-Leagues Men Perth Glory player, David Williams joins 15 other eminent Australians to oversee the strategy and national expansion of John Moriarty Football (JMF), Australia’s most successful and longest-running Indigenous football initiative.

“I’ve been a long time admirer of the impact John Moriarty Football (JMF)  is having in remote and regional communities with Indigenous kids and families. As a member of the Indigenous Football Australia Council, I look forward to sharing my unique insights and experience to help JMF reach even more kids and communities and continue to change lives for the better,” said Williams.

Established in 2022, the IFA’s goal is to create exponential social change through football, expand JMF and ensure more equitable access to the great game of football for grassroots and elite Indigenous players.

IFA Council Member, JMF Co-Founder/Co-Chair, and the first Indigenous footballer to be selected for Australia, Yanyuwa man John Moriarty AM, said, “We are honoured to have David join the IFA Council. As an experienced player and a role model, he will bring his own unique experiences, skills and goals for Indigenous football in Australia.

“It is an important time for Indigenous football in Australia. Indigenous-led programs, like JMF, receive little to no funding from the national and international football community, and the pipeline of Indigenous talent in the game is minimal and unsupported.

“This is why the IFA Council is so important. Through JMF, we are empowering Indigenous communities in remote and regional Australia to overcome the extreme social disadvantage and barriers to football opportunity faced by Indigenous players,” said Moriarty.

John Moriarty Football (JMF) is Australia’s longest-running and most successful Indigenous Football initiative for 2 to 18 year olds. JMF’s transformational skills program uses football (soccer) for talent and positive change, improving school attendance and achieving resilient, healthier outcomes in Indigenous communities.

Each week JMF delivers to over 2,200 primary and secondary school Indigenous children in 18 remote and regional communities, with equal participation of boys and girls, through in-school and after-school sessions, school holiday clinics and tournaments.