Newington lead the way in disarming racism

Newington Gunners take their name from a nearby disused armoury but it’s their efforts disarming racism for which the club is being recognised.
“The Australian Human Rights Commission came out with the “Racism. It Stops With Me” campaign and we said we should get behind this”, Club Secretary Benjt Nilsson said.
Nominated for an Australian Migrant and Settlement Award, in Canberra on August 18, for their support and sponsorship of a team made up entirely of asylum seekers, the Gunners say their reward is the friendship and cultural enrichment the new club members have brought.
“The guys wanted to put on a BBQ for us. There were games being played and the food they’d all prepared. Everyone sat down at the tables and ate. It was fantastic”, Nilsson said.
For the team itself, most of whom have had to leave their families behind in troubled countries hoping to be re-united later, their teammates and the football club have become the closest thing they have to family in Australia.
“It is like a family to us so if something happens we are altogether so we share the happiness and the sorrow”, team captain Shabbir Hussain said.
Young men from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Turkey, Tajikistan and Africa hold bridging visas which means they’re prevented from working. With help from Settlement Services International, private sponsors and the community Newington Gunners pay registrations fees, donate equipment and provide transport to games.
“I knew a lot of these people wouldn’t have boots or shin pads. They’d just been practicing in the park so it was then a matter of who can we find to help these guys along. I asked a bloke from the Salvation Army if he can help them get to away games. He said no worries”, Club President Shane McNeill explained.
While the players have an uncertain future, their escape from worry is football in which they’re excelling. Having won the premiership in the Granville District All-Age Men’s Division 6 last year they’ve been promoted to Division 5 in 2015.
With a win and a draw against the competition leaders already this season, Newington Gunners’ league-of-nations outfit is aiming for a second straight premiership.
“We are currently third but hopefully we are going to make the semi-finals and final this year. We just hope for the best we can do”, Shabbir Hussein said.
While trophies and awards are tangible evidence of asylum seekers doing their best in a new land there are still more significant hurdles to be cleared. “I don’t know whether we are making a reunion with our families or not,” the captain said.
As Coach Essa Kahn puts it; “It’s been very hard. We’ve got a lot of tensions worrying about our families back in our homes and thanks to these guys for letting us play for this team. The tension goes away when you play.”