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Hard work on and off the field leads to AFL victory

23 March 2018
Community Galiwin'ku
Culture and Capability
Two young Aboriginal women sit at a picnic table, holding an AFL football in their hands. One wears a blue and pink football jumper, the other wears a blue and white striped football jumper. In the background is a grassed area, trees and buildings.

The Galiwin’ku women’s AFL team won the 2017 NT Chief Minister’s Cup because of their hard work, sacrifice and the efforts of 4 determined young women.

This weekend’s AFLW final reminds us of the dedication and sacrifice made by many young female AFL footballers around the country. This includes those in the small community of Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island, Northern Territory.

After weeks of consistent training, on 21 October 2017, the Galiwin’ku women’s football team won the Chief Minister’s Cup, at the Yirrkala oval. The cup carnival involved 3 other teams from Yirrkala, Gapuwiyak and Angurugu.

The Galiwin’ku team included 8 women from the neighbouring communities of Milingimbi and Ramingining.

Team captain Millie Wanambi (aged 20) led the girls in warm-up runs and drills prior to the game.

‘I wasn’t sure that we would win,’ a surprised but joyful Millie said.

Millie is a valuable staff member of the Galiwin’ku Youth, Sport and Recreation (YSR) team. She organised training sessions and games to help prepare her team for the Cup,  all while being on maternity leave with her first child.

Three other YSR staff members, Esther Burrarrawanga (19), Sasha Yumbulul (19) and Lynette Ganambarr (21), joined Millie off and on the field, putting enormous effort into preparing a team for the carnival.

They worked through the sweltering heat of the build-up season and the heavy weight of ongoing ‘sorry business’, all the while balancing their many cultural and family obligations.

They encouraged girls in the broader community to get involved, selected the team, organised training, and arranged for the charter plane trips to the games.

Winning the cup was proof of the hard work of these young community leaders. It also revealed the high level of talent and energy in some of our most remote communities.

Their victory has since inspired many local young women to play AFL. Working alongside local AFLNT remote development manager Danyon Smilie, the YSR girls have created a regular local competition that now has 5 teams and over 100 women registered to play.

‘We just have so many girls that want to play,’ Esther said.

The future of women’s football is bright in Galiwin’ku, with the young women of Youth, Sport and Recreation leading the way.

Find out more

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, funds the East Arnhem Regional Council (servicing their whole local government area) with just over $3.2 million for 18 months until 30 June 2019 for Youth, Sports & Recreation activities. The focus of the activity is to improve the health, social and emotional wellbeing of communities through a range of culturally appropriate prevention and intervention activities.