When Reuben William was delisted by the Brisbane Lions at the end of the 2017 season he was not lacking for suitors.

There were multiple VFL clubs that reached out, and as he tells it, a pretty compelling offer came from Central Districts in the SANFL.

But there was something pulling him toward the Western Bulldogs’ VFL side, Footscray, that had little to do with football, and something that most 18-year-olds wouldn’t give much thought to with their sporting dream on the line. 

But Reuben William is not your average athlete.

Born in South Sudan and arriving in Australia via a Kenya refugee camp, William’s heart was always with his community, and when what’s become known as the ‘African Gangs Crisis’ began dominating the nightly news bulletins, the young Queenslander knew his place was in the western suburbs of Melbourne where he could, hopefully, make his mark.

“When I did say I was moving to Melbourne, Mum was pretty concerned because that’s all she saw.  She watches a lot of Sky News, so all she saw was the ‘African Gangs Crisis’,” he told westernbulldogs.com.au in a Real Strength feature that was released on Thursday.

“The reason I chose the Dogs over the other VFL clubs was purely because of that western suburbs element, and I was able to have an impact.”

Having signed with the Bulldogs, and through connections in the Club’s Community Foundation, William connected with African athletes from a variety of sporting codes, and wrote a response to the ‘crisis’ in the form of a letter that he put out via social media. 

“We used the platform that I had and the platform several other African athletes had, not just Sudanese athletes because in the end, they really don’t differentiate from South Sudanese young people, they just see the skin colour and go from there,” William explained.  

“I was able to pen together a letter on behalf of all of us that brought light to the situation because at the time it was getting pretty ugly.

“We didn’t really provoke anything we just said this is how it is, and this is what it should be like, we’re representing the majority of the community.”

The way Reuben saw it, yes there were people doing the wrong thing, but the way it was being portrayed in the media saw the bad behaviour of a small group of young people was unfairly tarnishing a whole community.

“I don’t think it’s very fair, especially on the young people,” he said.  

“I know a lot of young groups like to hang out together and for them to be branded as a gang purely because they’re doing what every young person likes to do and that’s hang out with their friends, I just don’t think it’s acceptable.

“I’m sure there are people doing the wrong thing but you can’t really use that as a stigma against the rest of them.  I just don’t think it’s fair.”

Now, still just 20-years-old, William has become a role model on and off the field.

“Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking I’m not big enough to make a change but a collective voice is very strong.  Now I see myself as a role model for these young kids.”

The Western Bulldogs take on North Melbourne on Saturday night as part of the AFL’s first ever Harmony Game on Saturday night.  Click here for match and ticketing information.