AFL Cairns slaps down racist, homophobic slurs at junior football games

A Queensland AFL organisation has taken a hard stance against racism and homophobic slurs after a recent increase in abuse hurled at junior footballers.

NQ AFL Championships at Murray. Junior Male Grand Final. Kirwan (red/black) v St BrendanÕs College.

AFL Cairns says it will not tolerate racism or homophobic slurs after a recent increase in abuse hurled at junior footballers.

General manager Craig Lees confirmed the alarming rise in recent weeks surrounding junior football games.

Lees said the association had been proactive to ensure it was not part of the game.

“Over a number of weeks we have been informed of a recent spike in off field incidents which is really disappointing,” Mr Lees said.

“We are inclusive game, we are an inclusive community no matter what.

“We have been really proactive in trying to stamp this out.”

Mr Lees said AFL Cairns celebrated Indigenous rounds and Pride rounds.

“Clubs are across training and educating members as are we as an association to ensure this is not part of our game,” he said.

AFL Cairns celebrated Pride Round in round 12 with clubs designing a new guernsey to celebrate inclusion within the sport.

The association released a statement on Friday reminding the public what it stood for.

“At AFL Cairns, we are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity within each of our clubs and out of on the field,” the statement said.

“We believe that every individual brings unique perspectives and experiences that enrich our sporting community.

General Manager of AFL Cairns Craig Lees at Cazalys Stadium, Westcourt. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We strive to create and maintain an environment where all voices are heard, valued, respected and where all cultures and identities are welcomed and celebrated.

“Through deliberate efforts in fixturing, such as Indigenous Round and Pride Round, we aim to ensure all our participants have equal opportunities to engage, develop and succeed regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability or backgrounds.

“Embracing diversity is not just a goal but a cornerstone of our identity as a sporting body.

“It guides us as we work to achieve our mission and serve our stakeholders with excellence and equity, ensuring we grown in Australia’s leading community football league.”

Mr Lees said the statement came at the right time.

“We are in Pride Round and it is also NAIDOC week and they’re two of the bigger weeks where we talk about community and connection,” Mr Lees said.

“We felt that there was an opportunity to remind people why we are here.

“We are here to govern the game, we are here to play the game, to build friendships, we are here to create moments that create legacy and I think that has been forgotten a little bit.

“Pride round is important to so many as is NAIDOC week, the sense of celebrating that week and reminding people why we exist in footy for sport and the role we have to play in code of conducts.

“There have been some junior issues but the statement is timed well to connect these two events to remind people of their responsibilities when watching footy.”

One of the Mr Lees’ concerns when he took over as general manager of AFL Cairns was what he was hearing at football games.

“I was disgusted what I used to hear at football game and thought that when I did take over, we needed a way to stamp it out of our game,” Mr Lees said.

“I was almost embarrassed for the first period of time at some of the things you’d hear at a venue.

“So this is just a reminder that we want to be above this behaviour.

“We want to be that standard in Cairns that when people talk about it they say ‘how good do AFL do it’.

“And if there is incidents, then we have really good policies in place to ensure that we weed out that type of behaviour and educate going forward.”

Originally published as AFL Cairns slaps down racist, homophobic slurs at junior football games