Football is the name of the game in Borroloola, even ruling over Australian rules football

Australian rules football is the lifeblood of Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

But in the Gulf community of Borroloola, the iconic goal posts synonymous with the local sport are nowhere to be found.

Football is the word here, and Jorja Miller has been playing football since she was little.

“Football has been in our community for a very long time,” she says.

Today, Jorja and her teammates are making history as members of the isolated indigenous community’s recently revived women’s football team, the Borroloola Strikers.

Barefoot games and big dreams

After years in the wilderness, as what looks like a converted school bus wanders the community’s worn roads and red dirt paths, the newly minted Strikers pile into the back.

The players range in age from 14 to 30 and their bonds extend beyond the football field, with many taking to the field alongside members of their immediate and extended family.

Denise Lalara says playing with her cousins ​​and sisters makes the whole team better.

“I like to play football to make my family happy and proud,” she says.

Like many of her teammates, Denise wants to reach the big leagues.

“I want to pursue my dream,” she says.

But for now, it’s a bumpy hour-long ride to the team’s training ground at the Macarthur River Mines outside the city.

As the women and girls run onto the field, their cleats remain on the sidelines: the Borroloola Strikers do their best barefoot.

Players move quickly, manipulating the ball around each other with practiced speed and skill.

The goals may not have nets, but the celebrations are still loud when the ball goes through the metal frame.

For many girls, these weekly workouts are an opportunity to leave their problems behind and focus on their greatest passion.

“I like being with friends, making new friends, just getting out and doing more sports,” says Tonita Cooper.

Ready to participate in the First Nations Football Festival

Earlier this year, the Strikers played their first match against established Darwin club the Mindil Aces.

And despite their burgeoning status, not only did the Borroloola team win, they kept the other team scoreless.

But their biggest challenge so far will come next week, when the Strikers take on teams from across the country at the NSW First Nations Football Festival in Dubbo.

This will be the first time competing in a registered competition and the first time traveling interstate for many players.

After one of their coaches gathers them after practice in the middle of the field, smiles and laughter ring out as each name is called to collect their new jersey, ready for the competition ahead.

“They’re all connected in one way or another, but I think to bring them together and have something to look forward to like a competition and representing Borroloola but also the Northern Territory, I think it’s a great opportunity for them,” coach Steve McAllan said.

Local A-League icon inspires young players

For many women and girls, the dream of becoming a professional doesn’t seem so out of reach.

When asked who their football hero is, only one name comes up: Shadeene “Shay” Evans.

The A-League star and former member of the Young Matildas began his career on the same pitch, with some of that team’s players.

“There is no other young person in our community who has inspired us like Shadeene Evans,” Jorja says.

Evans is a family member of some of the current Borroloola Strikers and encouraged them to restart the team, with many now keen to follow in his footsteps.

Football NT chief executive Jamie Monteith said in the past there weren’t enough pathways for remote players to succeed, but he says that is changing.

“The reality is they love what they do. We have 15 girls here, but we have a rich history of community playing this game,” he says.

“It’s all about making sure they still love the game and, through that, identifying who can reach the next level.

“Using role models like Shay and many other athletes that came before them to basically give them the platform to aspire and be the best they can be.”