Broadmeadows storytellers show why racism has no place in sport
Photos by Harjono Djoyobisono
What does it take to make sport a place where everyone belongs? For community leaders, club presidents and campaign storytellers gathered in Broadmeadows on 28 October, the answer was clear: listen to lived experience, share responsibility and have the confidence to call out racism.
The Racism Doesn’t Belong In Our Game roadshow, hosted by the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) and Centre for Multicultural Sport (CMSport) in partnership with Hume City Council, brought together four storytellers to explore how racism affects people in sport and what clubs and communities can do differently.
For Victorian First Nations Netball Team Head Coach Lee Bevan-Woodley, meaningful inclusion starts with who gets a say in decisions.
“If these people are not in the rooms making these decisions, all these athletes coming through pathways, then how do you know what is best for those athletes?” Lee said. “Bring them in to the decision being made for them so that it’s authentic and it’s true to who they are.”
The youngest storyteller in the campaign, Chloe Ene spoke about the significance of sharing her experience and representing others who may not yet feel able to speak out.
“To be a part of this campaign means a lot. To be a voice as someone who has experienced racism, and to learn that I’m speaking on behalf of many people, means a lot to me,” Chloe said. “It’s not an easy topic to speak about.”
For Hume Cricket Club President and father, Avtar Singh, the motivation to act is personal as well as practical.
“What I want for my team, for my son, I should be able to do it for everyone,” Avtar said.
Dallas Football Club President Nabil Yassine highlighted the importance of giving people the confidence to challenge racism when they see it.
“Be really confident to say, ‘Hey, this is not right. We need to make sure that people are aware about this, how we can actually move forward.’”
Hume City Council Mayor Cr Carly Moore reinforced sport’s power to create connection and belonging, saying:
“On the sporting field, our differences should be celebrated. They can never be used as a reason to exclude or to dominate.”
CMY and CMSport CEO Carmel Guerra OAM thanked the storytellers for sharing their experiences and emphasised the importance of First Nations and multicultural communities working together to tackle racism, alongside allies.
Event MC TAMM Kingi reminded attendees that people experiencing racism should not carry the burden of educating others. Parliamentary Secretary for Community Sport Sheena Watt MP echoed the call for collective action, celebrating those willing to stand up and say that “racism stops with me”.
The message from Broadmeadows was not simply to recognise racism, but to act: include people in decisions, listen to lived experience and build the confidence to challenge behaviour that has no place in sport.
Learn more about the campaign and access resources: sport.vic.gov.au/anti-racism
The campaign is delivered by CMSport and CMY in partnership with AFL Victoria, Basketball Victoria, Cricket Victoria, Football Victoria, Netball Victoria, NRL Victoria, Tennis Victoria, VACSAL, Vicsport and VicHealth, and is proudly supported by the Victorian Government. We’re stronger together against racism.