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- 11 June 2002
Sydney Swans Stadium Australia Game
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Page: 2967
The Hon. CHARLIE LYNN [10.25 p.m.]: Tonight I pay tribute to the Sydney Swans and the success of their first game at Stadium Australia on Saturday 25 May. The game attracted the largest ever crowd to an Australian Football League [AFL] game outside Victoria. I congratulate them on their vision in dedicating this inaugural game towards a celebration of indigenous culture. AFL is Australia's indigenous football game. Indeed, it is thought that the spirit of the game preceded white settlement. This game was called marn grook, which translates to game ball. It involved two teams competing with a ball, most probably formed from a stuffed possum. It was therefore appropriate that the trophy for the inaugural match between Essendon and the Sydney Swans was named the marn grook trophy. It will become an annual fixture between these two teams at Stadium Australia.
The theme of the game was a celebration of indigenous culture and the recognition of the contribution indigenous players have made to the development of the code. This was more than a football match, and the outstanding success of the game was due to the calibre of the members of the advisory board drawn together by the Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Swans, Kelvin Templeton. The advisory group was chaired by Senator Aden Ridgeway and included leaders such as Geoff Clark, Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Commission; Linda Burney, Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs; Beverly Knight, Director of the Essendon Football Club; Graham John, Chief Executive Officer of Australia Post; Hetti Perkins, Director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre and Art Gallery; and two outstanding Swans footballers, Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin.
The group was supported by the Sydney Swans marketing staff, and I pay tribute to Rachel Schofield for her role in co-ordinating all aspects of the planning. The calibre of the advisory group and the professionalism of the Sydney Swans marketing staff were a guarantee of success, but it still took a lot of hard nuts and bolts work to make it happen. As I have already said, this event was much more than a football match. For example, some 4,000 indigenous kids from around New South Wales attended the game as guests of the Sydney Swans. Indigenous sporting greats including past football champions Barry Cable, Steven Michael and Michael Long, together with other champions such as Nova Peris-Kneebone, Cliff Lyons, Rugby Union legends the Ella Brothers, and Tony and Anthony Mundine participated in the pre-match parade. The Bangarra Dance Theatre, together with Leah Purcell, provided spectacular pre-match entertainment.
The curtain-raiser match was played between the Northern Territory and the New South Wales Rams. This was an outstanding opportunity for young indigenous footballers to play in the electric atmosphere of Stadium Australia. As the crowd moved towards the stadium prior to the game they were met with a spectacular "sea of hands" display in the shape of a football by Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation. The display was interspersed with entertainment hubs featuring concerts and dance by indigenous artists and fun activities for kids which included storytelling, traditional face painting and didgeridoo clinics. A multi-themed photographic exhibition was staged in the Southern Pavilion, near the Olympic Cauldron, which included "Marn Grook—100 years of indigenous football". There was a black and white photographic essay on grassroots football in the outback and portraits of leading Swans and Essendon indigenous players.
The Swans hosted a grand dinner for 900 people immediately prior to the game. This function brought together representatives from across the political spectrum, business leaders, indigenous leaders and sporting champions from all disciplines. It bridged divides as only sport can do. The highlight of the evening was a display of Australian Rules footballs painted by famous indigenous artists. The sale of these footballs is expected to raise between $150,000 and $200,000, which will go towards a Sydney Swans-Bangarra scholarship, which will support one indigenous dancer and one indigenous footballer each year. The game was a blockbuster, with the Sydney Swans going into the match as underdogs. Essendon took an early lead, as expected, but the Swans staged a gallant fightback, to forge ahead early in the final quarter. Unfortunately, Essendon rallied and was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the final stages of the game. It was a disappointing defeat for the Sydney Swans but a great win for the spirit of the game and an outstanding tribute to indigenous culture. I congratulate all those who contributed to the success of the event.
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