MUJU girls in starring role as boys fall short
JEWISH male and female footballers joined players from Muslim and other cultural backgrounds for the second edition of the Unity Cup on the weekend.
JEWISH male and female footballers joined players from Muslim and other cultural backgrounds for the second edition of the Unity Cup on the weekend.
For the first time, the MUJU peace team fielded a female side, which saw several Jewish girls hit the park with both Muslim teammates and those from other denominations.
Click here to buy photos of the MUJU teams
The girls took part in an exhibition match, which they convincingly won.
“This year we were really keen to have a girls component after the success of last year with the boys,” Western Bulldogs community engagement manager and MUJU coach Kiemi Lai told The AJN.
“We didn’t really know how it would go. For a lot of the girls, it was just about having fun and giving them the experience of playing football. “And hopefully from here, other girls will see these girls play and be inspired to try it.”
The MUJU girls took the opportunity to show the football world that it’s not just a sport for men and joined together to form a formidable team.
“I think it was so nice, because we don’t normally mix with different cultures and meet people other than Jews,” Jewish player Ashlee Poswell said.
Teammate Daniella Maserow added: “We’ve already become really good friends and joking around with our team and we’re going to go home and stay in contact with them.”
The Jewish players in the male MUJU team, who attend Mount Scopus Memorial and Bialik colleges, joined Muslim teammates to take on sides from all over Australia that represented several cultural backgrounds.
“It’s [great] that we can get all these kids together that are from all different backgrounds and in another situation, we would never have got this opportunity,” AFL ambassador and Melbourne Demons footballer David Rodan told The AJN.
“We’re pretty lucky that Aussie Rules is that big that we can use this as a vehicle to [do that].
“And through that, hopefully they feel a bit more comfortable, especially with the new rivalries that have come across, and branch out closer to their community.”
The MUJU male team, which won its way into the national championships after finishing runners-up at a recent state event, continued its strong form, winning three out of four round-robin matches.
But the side was sent packing in the semifinal by the same team that beat them in the state final and failed to defend its title win from last year’s Unity Cup.
Click here to buy photos of the MUJU teams
Ashley Shenker
Photo: Peter Haskin
comments