Over 100 newly arrived refugees and migrants from secondary schools across the Western region participated in the 5th annual English as a Second Language (ESL) Cup at the Whitten Oval last week.

The ESL Cup provides a unique opportunity for students who have arrived in Australia no more than seven years ago, from a non-English speaking country, to learn valuable skills such as teamwork, leadership and physical activity through Australian Rules Football. 

The tournament also provides a platform for these talented athletes to be exposed to local football pathways including the Western Jets and to an elite football club environment at the Western Bulldogs.

For many of the students it is their first opportunity to participate in a football competition having recently been introduced to our great game.  

The Western English Language School (WELS) based in Braybrook took out the Cup - their third title in five years.

The WELS team consisted of students who have arrived in Australia in the past six months from Sudan, Ethiopia, Burma, Thailand and Eritrea including Most Valuable Player six foot five ruckman Wal Aketh from Sudan.

This year the team also had a very successful secret weapon in Bulldogs forward Justin Sherman who ran training sessions with the students in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

Sherman praised the team’s efforts today and congratulated them on their victory.

“It was great to see the boys take home the Cup - especially given all the hard work and effort they have put in over the previous weeks.”

“Having the opportunity to work with the team personally was a great experience and I am looking forward to continuing to work with local kids and getting them actively engaged in footy and other sport.” 

WELS teacher Kevin Pozniak also praised the competition.

“The ESL Cup was an invaluable experience for our players. Being part of a footy team and taking part in the footy program has made a big difference to their lives,” Pozniak said.

“It’s given them an opportunity that they would otherwise never have had and a real sense of pride and belonging that does not come easily for newly arrived students. 

“Winning the ESL Cup is certainly the icing on the cake for these boys and will be an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

The 12-a-side lightning premiership was tightly contested between the seven schools with only four percentage points separating the premiers WELS and runners-up Mackillop College Werribee whose team featured Anthony Daw, younger brother of Kangaroos rookie Majak Daw. 

This year’s tournament featured a record number of participants and teams, and was facilitated by the Western Bulldogs’ VU SportWest VCAL students. 

The schools involved this year were WELS, WELS Wyndham, Werribee Secondary College, Galvin Park Secondary College, Sunshine College, St Albans Secondary College and Mackillop College.  

The ESL Cup is sponsored by the Western Bulldogs’ Multicultural Partner Integrated and is made possible through the assistance of AFL Multicultural Programs and Department of Immigration & Citizenship’s Settlement Grants Program.