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When the "golden generation" of Australian footballers begins its campaign for the World Cup in France on Sunday, veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams will raise the flag not only for her country, but also for her native heritage.
Williams' mother, one of Australia's most successful players, was a United States missionary and her father, an Aboriginal elder.
Williams grew up playing sports in the red dust of the Australian hinterland and even had pet kangaroos.
"When I started playing (elite football), I wanted to leave football better than during my first participation," said the 31-year-old athlete before his fourth Cup campaign of the world with the Matildas. way, shape or form that is possible.
"I hope that the youngest generations – whether it's goalkeepers, players or natives, come to play football – that's my biggest goal."
However, football lags behind other Australian sports in terms of recognition of indigenous peoples, with tracks in isolated areas slow to emerge.
He stands out among the top sports in Australia by the absence of a dedicated native tour in the main competitions of his A-League Men's and Women's W-League.
Defenders believe that the lack of indigenous art works in Matildas World Cup equipment is a missed opportunity, the recognition of Australian culture dating back to thousands of years ago. years taking more and more scale in other sports.
The rugby league and Australian rules have targeted grbadroots programs in remote areas and have unearthed some of the country's greatest talents, with Aboriginal representation in these sports representing approximately 10% of the leading male competitions. .
Footballers of Aboriginal ancestry make up less than two percent of the A-League and W-League teams; Indigenous Australians make up about 3% of the national population of 25 million.
"Many kids love our football, but do not have the same opportunities as modern football programs," said AFP John Moriarty, the first aboriginal selected for Australia. .
– Models –
The FFA Hall of Fame comes from Borroloola, a small town in the Northern Territories with about 900 inhabitants and more than 3,000 kilometers (Sydney) in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
He created a football foundation to tackle health and education issues that affect isolated communities.
"These are the types of obstacles we hope to help children reach this level, where we think they can improve their lives," he said.
Borroloola is also the hometown of Shadeene Evans, an under-20 international, who, at the age of 13, swapped barefoot futsal for concrete basketball courts against Sydney's lush boots and fields.
The teenage girl Evans is a star of the Moriarty Foundation. She began her career in the W-League at Sydney's first club last season, and arouses enthusiasm every time she returns home.
"Even young people respect me, it's great to see the community get behind me," the 17-year-old told AFP.
Moriarty said models such as Evans and Williams will "give our kids the inspiration they need to come true," although more is needed.
The Australian Football Federation (FFA), however, has been criticized for failing to provide an important platform for its indigenous stars, while several initiatives launched over the past decade to stimulate indigenous participation have become bogged down.
"We had a sporadic commitment that did not live up to the rhetoric or the responsibility and we have to do more," the Socceroos legend and long-time indigenous football advocate told La Presse. Craig Foster.
– Grbad roots –
Foster highlights community-led initiatives, such as the annual Australian Indigenous Football Championships – which this year have helped form national men's and women's teams – as important areas for growth.
"As in many other areas of Australian society, what is extremely important is that Australian natives have their own participation in the game," he said.
The governing bodies should provide "institutional support" and "government relations" to help develop national football, Foster said.
The Wallabies National Rugby Union recently hosted a highly publicized launch of a set of Aboriginal-themed material to be worn at the World Cup in Japan later this year.
Foster stated that it was "a blatant oblivion" that the Matildas had not adopted a royal costume demonstrating "respect and pride" of Aboriginal culture on the stage World.
"Football can not only make that connection in Australia, but also around the world," he said.
Ros Moriarty, president of the FFA Women's Council, which has just been created, said that football was an "excellent leveler" to embrace diversity, but that many levels of "equality" care "were to be addressed in the Down Under women's match.
"I think France will show us where Australia is," she told AFP.
"And part of that is on the ground and probably more of that is how we compare with opportunities and care that have not yet been evident in world football."
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