Football program named after pioneering Indigenous football star John Moriarty is creating change in remote communities

Nearly 1,000km south of Darwin, on the Stuart Highway, a road train passes through the remote town of Tennant Creek, drowning out the sound of children playing.

Tennant Creek Primary School serves a population of around 3,000 and its oval is a riot of yellow and blue tunics.

“What a save, what a save!” » shouts head coach Abraham Miranda.

It’s Wednesday – John Moriarty Football Day – and students are getting out of the classroom and onto the field to learn about football.

But that’s not all they learn, Miranda explains.

“We want to encourage these fundamental values, not just on the football field, but in life.

“So when difficulties arise in life, they remember these core values.”

The Socceroos are calling

The John Moriarty Football (JMF) program is named after Yanyuwa man John Moriarty, the first Aboriginal player to be selected to represent Australia in football.

He was born in Borroloola in 1938 to Yanyuwa mother, Kathleen Murrmayibinya, and Irish father John Moriarty.

At the age of four, Moriarty was taken from his family as part of the Stolen Generations.

The almost Socceroo – who was denied the chance to take the field for his country due to a canceled tour to Hong Kong before unfortunately suffering a career-ending injury – says football changed the trajectory of his life, helping him realize his full potential.

As a sport enjoyed and played by people all over the world, Moriarty says the cultural diversity of the football community has given it a deep sense of belonging and equality.

He wants indigenous children around the world to experience it too.

“JMF has the capacity to transform lives by creating waves of change that start with ‘one child, one football, one dream’ and ripple outwards to impact families, communities and the nation, creating opportunities and unlocking potential,” he says.

Pathways to Prosper

Nine-year-old Nikolias Hayes is one of around 5,000 children across 18 remote and regional communities who take part in the program each year.

“I learned to pass, score goals and share the ball,” he says.

He could follow in the footsteps of Shadeene Evans from Borroloola, who was part of the pilot program launched with 120 children in her hometown in 2012.

By 2018, Evans had been part of the Young Matildas team and went on to play with the Central Coast Mariners.

But it’s not just about finding the next football star, it’s about creating positive change in the community.

Warunmungu teenagers Ethan Holt and Waikean Kelly work as community coaches.

Six years ago, they were among the first wave of students when the program launched at Tennant Creek.

Kelly started training in 2023, and when he jokingly asked the head coach if he could work there, much to his surprise the answer was “yes”.

“I started an apprenticeship in a school environment at JMF,” he says.

“I go to school two days a week and the rest of the day I go to work.”

For Holt, it’s the children in the community who make it worth it.

“We just go to school, give them something to eat, give them a lesson or two, it’s just fun,” he says.

Before football, there is language and learning

Under a tree in rural Tingkkarli, outside Tennant Creek, with a kangaroo tail cooking on a nearby campfire, Indi Kindi, the Moriarty Foundation playgroup for children under five, is in session.

Here, instead of coaches, there are educators.

Today they include the Warumungu sisters and traditional owners Nadia Foster-Graham and Anthea Graham, who speak to the children in language.

While serving roo tail for lunch, the sisters teach the children about the importance of washing their hands and faces before eating.

They share their knowledge and culture as part of the school curriculum, with Anthea providing her expertise as a former forest ranger.

“She could tell you what this animal is, its common name, its scientific name, and then she also says it in language that I find quite amazing,” said Keara Baker-Storrey, team leader and wife of Warumungu and Wambaya.

Community-led governance

JMF’s football program was launched in 2012 at the request of elderly Aboriginal women in Borroloola who wanted more educational opportunities for their grandchildren.

It now offers football sessions in four centers – Borroloola, Cairns, Dubbo and Tennant Creek – all of which extend into the surrounding country.

Spinning sessions are held regularly with the community, so the program stays true to its roots.

“The community comes together to set the guidelines,” says Chris Andrew, executive managing director of the Moriarty Foundation.

“We are here to be invited and to provide opportunities.”

Impacts of Closing the Gap

Earlier this year, the Moriarty Foundation commissioned a report from auditor Deloitte, which found its football program had impacted 10 of Closing the Gap’s national goals related to health, education, wellbeing and employment.

And the Productivity Commission figures show it costs $3,600 per day to keep a young person in detention, which represents $1.3 million per year.

The foundation’s soccer program costs $1,300 per child each year.

“You can put 1,000 kids on a football field for the same amount of money,” says Andrew.

This year, the federal government granted $5.5 million to JMF to continue delivering the soccer program.

And from what community coaches say, they have no problem finding willing participants.

“They love it.”