Adam Goodes has returned to an official sporting role, but not one his legion of fans may have expected.
The former Sydney Swans utility will take a position on an advisory council supervising the development of Indigenous football (soccer) in Australia.
Indigenous Football Australia was set up to manage and broaden the work of John Moriarty Football, which encourages the involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in the sport.
It is a return to a childhood love for the Adnyamathanha and Narungga man, who has said he did not like playing football growing up, much preferring its round-ball counterpart.
Adam Goodes of the Swans reacts during the first AFL semi-final between the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. Source: AAP Image/Dean Lewins
“I am looking forward to learning from other experts who are on the council. But most of all it is about the young people and giving them the best opportunity to achieve their dreams.”
Yanyuwa man John Moriarty first division football for South Australian teams in the 1960s, and was the first Aboriginal man to play for the national team. The initiative he helped set up and which bears his name is the longest running scholarship program for Indigenous soccer players.
“Each member is more than a symbolic appointment,” Moriarty said.
“They all bring unique, lived experience plus skills, aligned values and goals for Indigenous football in Australia. Each member is committed to creating tangible, equitable and lasting change.”
Goodes has eschewed involvement with the AFL since 2015, when he infamously departed the sport he had so successfully represented due to racial vilification from spectators.
