For the second year, Australia’s favourite sport, Australian Football league (AFL), or Footy as it’s better known, will make its presence felt in a big way at the 32nd Australian Sikh Games to be held in Melbourne from April 19 to 21.
But this year, considering the scope and scheme of things, it’s different.
For starters, Avtar Singh, the founder of Australia’s first AFL-recognised footy club with a truly Indian and largely Punjabi team, told SBS Punjabi that the participation will be “bigger and better” than last year.
The significant addition this year is that six footy clubs are participating in the Australian Sikh Games to be held in Melbourne. This is a first.
“Six AFL clubs, namely, Melbourne, Essendon, North Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney Giants, Adelaide and St. Kilda are participating in the 32nd Australian Sikh Games. This year, AFL’s participation in Sikh Games is more significant than last year as the games are being held in Melbourne this year. And Victoria is the home of footy,” says Mr Singh, who has been honoured with the AFL Community Multicultural Ambassador Award in 2018.
Mr Singh has been tasked by AFL to promote footy on a grander scale this year at the Sikh Games.
AFL had also sought participation from the Indian community via the Sikh Games, for which they ran a registration programme till April 1.
According to Mr Singh, Sikh Games and AFL had entered into a three-year agreement in 2018 (when they were held in Sydney), for mutual promotion on their platforms.
The Australian Sikh Games, in its 32nd year, is an annual tournament of Australia which promotes sports within the country’s Punjabi community, a large part of which adheres to the Sikh faith – and also, the community in the larger sporting arena of Australia. The tournament is held every year over the Easter weekend in cities with a large Indian population.
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to this interview in Punjabi.
