Football is set to put Indigenous culture on the world stage. Australia's First Nations people have been granted membership to the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) - the global body for countries, regions, minorities and stateless or dispossessed communities who aren't recognised by FIFA.
What's more, their national team of sorts will be coached by the only Indigenous player to have ever captained the Socceroos, retired A-League stalwart Jade North.
Trailblazers: Australia's First Nations team - the Mariyas - performing a corroboree before their clash with a New Zealand Maori selection earlier this year.Credit:JLS Photograph
It means the 'Mariyas' - which translates to emu in the Dhurga language - could be taking on teams like Tibet, Iraqi Kurdistan, Somaliland, Catalonia and Cascadia when CONIFA stage their next World Football Cup in 2020.
The news caps off a big couple of weeks for Indigenous football, following the $4.5 million grant from the federal government to the John Moriarty Foundation. Joining CONIFA is another jigsaw piece in the pathway puzzle.
The Mariyas played their first international match in January, losing 3-2 to a New Zealand Maori side in the first instalment of a new trans-Tasman series that will be held every year. Wollongong will host a rematch in January, as well as a women's fixture and under-14 boys and girls clashes.
In charge: New Mariyas coach Jade North with Bernie McLeod.
The man behind it all is Bernie McLeod, who has organised the National Indigenous Football Championships for the last couple of years and helped set up the Mariyas. CONIFA's general secretary in Asia, Oscar Mussons, got in touch with McLeod after moving to Australia and learning of his endeavours. Mussons encouraged him to apply on behalf his people to become part of CONIFA and rocked up at this year's national titles with good news: they were in.
"When I sat down and reflected on what it meant, it was very overwhelming and surreal," McLeod told the Hairdryer. "We're not getting the numbers into the Socceroos and Matildas yet but this way, we're able to put 100 per cent of Indigenous players on the paddock. We've got to start somewhere, to build our team infrastructure so other coaches around Australia can see Indigenous people do have that X-factor."
For North, who played for Brisbane Roar last season, it's a unique first step into the coaching realm. "There's a lot of talent out there that people don't really know about," North said. "It doesn't get exposed, but there's a lot coming through. The more I think about this, the more excited I get by it."
End of the gravy train
Football Federation Australia will be able to put a tangible figure on the true cost of Steven Lowy's departure as chairman of the organisation. Lowy stepped down from his role on Monday, replaced by former board member and lawyer Chris Nikou as chairman after a historic vote for a new board. Fairfax Media understands the changing of the guard will have implications for the organisation's travel budget aa Lowy frequently footed the bill of the game's previous travel costs. It is understood that Lowy's lush private jet was frequently used by FFA staff to attend overseas events, such as FIFA and AFC meetings that saved the FFA a small fortune in flights each year. Sources suggest that, in one year alone, Lowy's resources saved the FFA close to $1 million in travel costs.
Thinking cap
Tarek Elrich received his Socceroos' cap on Tuesday night before the friendly against Lebanon, but the manner it was handed to him has caused a bit of a stir within football circles. Privately, players and some staff members were unhappy Elrich was given his cap by Football Federation Australia chief executive, David Gallop, instead of a former player. While the FFA has made efforts to recognise former international players by publicly handing them their caps, there has been some discomfort with that passed from administrators in recent times rather than past stars. Instead of Gallop handing Tarek his cap before the match against Lebanon - the country of his ancestry - he perhaps could have received it from his older brother and former Socceroo, Ahmad. Just a thought.
Red and Black's Book
Anyone who's ever met Ian Crook knows he's one of the best storytellers in the game and the Western Sydney Wanderers' academy director has decided to collate all of his yarns and put them into one read. "Chippy" is writing an autobiography on a career that has taken him from the English Premier League to Japan, the NSL, American Samoa and the A-League.
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
Dominic Bossi is a football reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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