IFW18: Football Dreaming

Indigenous Football Week (IFW) 3-9 November 2018 drove awareness of Indigenous participation and a shared Australian future through football with the campaign Football Dreaming. The week started a digital conversation about the current state of play for Indigenous football in Australia, including the disparity in participation and support compared with other sports.

#IFW18JMF was used to undertake a national consensus of stakeholders on what Indigenous participation is and means to them for this great game. Sharing the power of football for Indigenous Australians through storytelling, podcasts and articles provided a platform for stakeholders to actively participate in #IFW18JMF, joining together to develop a vision of Indigenous football and a voice for Indigenous Australia in football.

In 2018, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) produced a State of Play report, on behalf of John Moriarty Football, that in JMF’s view paints a dismal picture of Indigenous inclusion in football, in comparison with AFL and NRL. Download the report here.

The report stated:

• 3.3% of total football participants identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• There are 40,493 football participants in Australia
• 63.8% of club-based Indigenous participants play in NSW
• 426 registered coaches identify as Indigenous
• 143 referees identify as Indigenous