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Hi, I'm Michael Long and I've played for Essamon for 12 years.
I captained the team in 1999 and was named All-Australian side twice.
Hi, I'm Eloise Southey and I have played netball with Melbourne Phoenix for 10 years.
And I've played 30 test matches for Australia and last year won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Hi, I'm Eden Hewitt and I've played cricket with the Richmond Courier Club for 6 years
and been a member of the Victorian Bush Rangers squad for 8 years.
Sport is very important to Australians.
We learn skills, we become fitter, we learn to compete and in many sports we learn to be a team player.
But most importantly, we enjoy it.
But what if your enjoyment is spoiled because your skin is a different colour,
or you speak a different language, or you have a different religion?
This happened to me, but it shouldn't happen to anyone.
Players often make comments because they want to make you mad,
so that you'll miss a mark, bowl a bad ball or miss shoot a goal.
Sometimes it's supposed to be a joke, but they just want to let off some steam.
Let's look at a few typical incidents and see whether either of the players could have been you.
The opposition was kicking it down from the centre and I mean him scruffling all day,
like getting into each other and I could tell he didn't like me from the start.
And he was just on me back, like trying to hurt me, elbow me and that.
And we started scruffling like, and when the ball come we ran for it and then,
I don't know what happened to him, he must have tripped and I was clear and I had the ball and I took off.
So yeah, that's all that happened and then I heard him in the background.
What bastard did you for that?
Well, I was in the goal square attempting to make the mark.
Sub-sledging went on.
Shouldn't you wogs be playing soccer?
Yeah right mate.
Which put me off my game and incident has it that I dropped the mark and,
and as a result we didn't get the goal, we got the point.
You wogs can't mark you too bloody greasy.
Those kinds of incidents also happen in netball.
I'll give you a situation which happened recently.
We were positioning ourselves for a pass from the wing and I just felt this hand on the middle of my back
and then all of a sudden I was pushed and I was trying to defend again.
I couldn't let the other team get that goal because we were neck and neck
and she just come out of nowhere and just pushed me right out of the way and it was just really unfair.
The ball was coming my way and I was trying to get the goal and we were on each other,
you know, just pushing and chubbing a little bit and the ball came and I went to go get it
and then suddenly she just fell or something.
I don't know what happened.
She's accusing me of pushing her and I got the ball and then I shot a goal
and then she turned around and she started calling me stupid wog
and so I just started calling her names back and I call her an abo.
You pushed me you stupid wog, what's your problem?
What's your problem?
I'm sick of you people pushing me around all the time.
Bloody black coconut.
Green thing.
Wog.
Abo.
In cricket, sledging unfortunately is often seen as part of the game
and so-called jokes are quite common like this situation.
I was batting and the ball I was about to bowl and the wicket keeper was pretty close to the stumps
and he came up to me and said to me that it's about time for you to go and pray.
Come on mate, get out.
It's time for you to pray the R again.
Which it kind of put off me in the game because I was concentrating on him
and did not concentrate on the ball as much.
Oh yes, got him.
Quack, quack.
Which ended in me getting stumped.
And this doesn't just happen on the field, often supporters vilify players.
You know I felt real frightened.
I started shouting out you black bastard and stuff like that, you boong, you better go home and all this.
And I just felt real, I could feel the hostility in the crowd.
You useless boong.
Be drunk at you white maggots.
What are you doing on the ground looking for witching and grubs?
They just sing out, you know, go back and play your didgeridoo.
Where's your didgeridoo?
Hey mate, go back to boomerang throwing.
Don't worry about it mate, you black guys have got more skill than they'll ever have.
Yeah, that's right.
Look at the scoreboard mate, your blunts are useless.
I was trying to walk off and I got real scared and I just wanted to give me a break.
Those incidents are examples of racial and religious vilification.
I had similar incidents happen to me and I didn't like it.
How do you think you would feel?
Let's talk to the players and the incidents and see how they felt.
Black bastard!
Pretty bad. I got blamed for pushing that bloke over and I didn't even touch him.
When he fell over I heard him in the background calling me a black bastard.
That kind of stuff happens all the time.
But it doesn't give him the right to be racist just because he looks like the idiot falling over.
What it does to me when I'm playing just makes me feel hurt and upset and kind of takes my mind off the game.
Because I'm out there doing a job for the team and they get the ball and concentrate on the game.
But when you hear people sledging or putting you down in your culture you just can't concentrate.
And all you're worried about is him saying stuff.
Oh look, I am fed up with it mate. It happens all the time.
Like every game we play it always happens. There's always racist people out there.
I think there's no need for going out there to play football.
You shouldn't be worried what colour you are or who you are.
You, my two bloodied bums.
Well he was calling me a wog.
I've been Australian all my life.
I come from an ethnic background which I'm proud of.
And I guess once comments are made emotionally you find it hard to come to grips with.
Because it's not just a personal attack but an attack on your family, your culture, your beliefs.
If you hear it enough in a game it can affect you emotionally.
But you can't let it get you down because you're proud of who you are.
Green for green.
Abo.
She came up to me, she was in my face and she started calling me a wog and a greasy wog.
And she was calling me everything that I didn't want to be called.
And so I started retaliating and calling her an abo.
I feel very upset after an incident like this happens.
And yeah I find I do carry it off court with me because it's a very personal, personal thing.
And again it not only affects myself but it affects my people.
You slander me and you slander my people as well.
I know I called her an abo in the heat of the moment.
And I didn't mean it but I said it because I was angry.
In a game it's supposed to be clean cut and then she just goes around calling people names.
That's not right.
Come on mate, get out.
It's time for you to pray to Allah.
You know we're out there to perform a job for me and him, for our coaches.
I mean it's not funny having a joke on other people's religion or how many times they pray.
Saying Allah in that sense that the weak keeper said it, I'd said that it's someone that I worship.
And you're not supposed to say it in a sarcastic or in a funny way.
I belong to the Australian society. I've brought up here, I've finished school here, I'm going to university here.
Just because I'm a different religion that does not mean that I cannot play in the sporting field,
go out to the cinemas, go shopping as a normal person.
What are you doing on the ground looking for witching clubs?
Yeah they're supporters, they're family members, dads and you just think there's nothing that you can do.
If it's going to be happening around kids' sports games you think it's where you come to have fun.
How come you're not black, you're coconut and all this?
It makes me feel like not playing anymore. It just shows the side of football that shouldn't be in anything in life or in sport.
It just hits your heart and you think and then your game goes off track.
How do you think you would feel if a similar incident happened to you? I know how I felt.
Sure you play the game hard, you want to win, but is it really winning when you insult someone because of their race?
Religion or colour? So that they will miss a mark?
Is it winning to insult and threaten someone because of their race, religion or colour?
Because you were tackling for the ball and missed?
Often it's in the heat of the moment or you're mad with your own play,
but there is no excuse for insulting or vilifying another player.
You will often hear the comment that what happens on the field stays on the field.
Don't be fooled. Football Victoria and your local league and club do not agree with this.
In Victoria there is the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, the Equal Opportunity Act and the Federal Racial Discrimination Act.
All of these prohibit such behaviour.
Football Victoria and your local league and club have a policy based on these acts,
which prohibit such behaviour on the field, in the dressing rooms or in any of your involvement with clubs at home or away.
Any player breaking this policy will result in you being notified that you have allegedly broken the policy and you'll be asked to respond,
you being requested to take part in a conciliation with an independent conciliator with both yourself and the person who complained about your alleged breach of the policy,
you and the person who complained about your alleged breach of the policy being asked to keep the matter totally confidential.
This means do not talk about it with anyone.
Further action being taken by your local league and club if the conciliation is not successful.
So what should you do now? Firstly, read your club's policy.
Like any rule of the game, you need to know this policy so that you know what you have to do.
Secondly, replay this video and look at the incidents again and talk about these or any other incidents which you think might happen with your coach
and come up with strategies to deal with these situations.
You do this and then we can all enjoy playing this great game of football.
Music
Hi, I'm Michael Long and I've played for Essamon for 12 years.
I kept my team in 1999 and was named All-Australian side twice.
Hi, I'm Eloise Southby and I have played netball with Melbourne Phoenix for 10 years.
I've played 30 test matches for Australia and last year won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Hi, I'm Ian Hewitt and I've played cricket with the Richmond Courier Club for six years and been a member of the Victorian Bush Rangers squad for eight years.
Sport is very important to Australians. We learn skills, we become fitter, we learn to compete and in many sports we learn to be a team player.
But most importantly, we enjoy it.
But what if your enjoyment is spoiled because your skin is a different colour, or you speak a different language, or you have a different religion?
This happened to me, but it shouldn't happen to anyone.
Australians often make comments because they want to make you mad, so that you'll miss a mark, bowl a bad ball or miss shoot a goal.
Sometimes it's supposed to be a joke, but they just want to let us some steam.
Let's look at a few typical incidents and see whether either of the players could have been you.
The opposition was kicking it down from the centre and I mean him scuffling all day, like getting into each other.
He didn't like me from the start and he was just on me back trying to hurt me, elbow me and that.
We started scuffling and when the ball came we ran for it and I don't know what happened to him, he must have tripped.
I was clear and I had the ball and I took off.
That's all that happened and then I heard him in the background.
What bastard did you for that?
I was in the goal square attempting to make the mark, sub-sledging went on.
Shouldn't you wogs be playing soccer?
Yeah right mate.
Which put me off my game and incident has it that I dropped the mark and as a result we didn't get the goal, we got the point.
This can't mark you too bloody greasy.
Those kinds of incidents also happen in netball.
I'll give you a situation which happened recently.
We were positioning ourselves for a pass from the wing and I just felt this hand on the middle of my back and then all of a sudden I was pushed
and I was trying to defend again, I couldn't let the other team get that goal because we were neck and neck
and she just came out of nowhere and pushed me right out of the way and it was just really unfair.
I was coming my way and I was trying to get the goal and we were on each other, pushing each other a little bit
and the ball came and I went to go get it and then suddenly she just fell or something, I don't know what happened.
She accused me of pushing her and I got the ball and then I shot a goal and then she turned around and started calling me stupid wog
and so I just started calling her names back and I called her an abo.
You pushed me you stupid wog, what's your problem?
What's your problem?
I'm sick of you people pushing me around all the time.
Bloody black coconut.
Green thing.
Wog.
Abo.
In cricket, sledging unfortunately is often seen as part of the game and so called jokes are quite common like this situation.
I was batting and the ball I was about to bowl and the wicket keeper was pretty close to the stumps
and he came up to me and said to me that it's about time for you to go and pray.
Come on mate, get out, it's time for you to pray the ahhh again.
Which it kind of put off me in the game because I was concentrating on him and did not concentrate on the ball as much.
I just got him.
Which ended in me getting stumped.
And this doesn't just happen on the field, often supporters vilify players.
It just felt real frightening.
They started shouting out you black bastard and stuff like that, you're boom, you better go home and all this.
And I just felt real, I could feel the hostility in the crowd.
Yeah yes Les, boom.
Be drunk at you white maggots.
What are you doing on the ground looking for witchy grubs?
I was just seeing out, go back and play your didgeridoo.
Where's your didgeridoo?
Go back to boomer and throw it.
Don't worry about it mate, you black guys have got more skill than they'll ever have.
Look at the scoreboard mate, your blunts are useless.
I was trying to walk off and I got real scared and I just wanted to give me a break.
Those incidents are examples of racial and religious vilification.
I had similar incidents happen to me and I didn't like it.
How do you think you would feel?
Let's talk to the players in the incidents and see how they felt.
Black bastard!
Pretty bad, I got blamed for pushing that bloke over and I didn't even touch him.
When he fell over I heard him in the background calling me a black bastard.
That kind of stuff happens all the time.
But it doesn't give him a right to be racist just because he looks like the idiot falling over.
What it does to me when I'm playing, it just makes me feel hurt and upset and it kind of takes my mind off the game.
Because I'm out there to do a job for the team and they get the ball and concentrate on the game.
But when you hear people sledging or putting you down in your culture you just can't concentrate and all you're worried about is him saying stuff.
Oh look, I am fed up with it mate, it happens all the time.
Like every game we play it always happens, there's always racist people out there.
I think there's no need for going out there to play football.
You shouldn't be worried what colour you are or who you are.
You, Mark, two, three.
Well he was calling me a wog.
I'm Australian, I've been Australian all my life.
I come from an ethnic background, which I'm proud of.
And I guess once comments are made emotionally you find it hard to come to grips with because it's not just a personal attack but an attack on your family, your culture, your beliefs.
If you hear it enough in a game it can affect you emotionally, that you can't let it get you down because you're proud of who you are.
Green, green, wog, abo, abo.
She came up to me, she was in my face and she started calling me a wog, a greasy wog and she was calling me everything that I didn't like to be called.
And so I started retaliating and calling her an abo.
I feel very upset after an incident like this happens and yeah I find I do carry it off court with me because it's a very personal, personal thing and again it not only affects myself but it affects my people.
You slander me and you slander my people as well.
I know I called her an abo in the heat of the moment and I didn't mean it but I said it because I was angry.
In a game it's supposed to be clean cut and then she just goes around calling people names, that's not right.
Come on mate, get out.
You know we're out there to perform a job for me and him, for our coaches. I mean it's not funny having a joke on other people's religion or how many times they pray.
Saying Allah in that sense that the Wicked Keeper said it, I'd said that it's someone that I worship and you're not supposed to say it in a sarcastic or in a funny way.
I belong to the Australian society, I've brought up here, I've finished school here, I'm going to university here just because I'm a different religion that does not mean that I cannot play in the sporting field, go out to the cinemas, go shopping as a normal person.
What are you doing on the ground looking for Wicked Keepers?
Yeah they're supporters, they're family members, dads and you just think there's nothing that you can do if it's going to be happening around kids' sports games.
You think it's where you come to have fun. How come you're not black, you're coconut and all this. It makes me feel like not playing anymore.
It just shows a side of football that shouldn't be in anything in life or in sport.
It just hits your heart and you think and then your game goes off track.
How do you think you would feel if a similar incident happened to you? I know how I felt.
Sure your club plays the game hard, you want to win, but is it really winning when your players and supporters insult someone because of their race, religion or colour so that they will miss a mark?
Is it winning to insult or threaten someone because of their race, religion or colour, because the player was tackling for the ball and missed?
Okay, often it's in the heat of the moment or they're mad because they've made the wrong player.
But there's no excuse for insulting or vilifying another player.
The comment, what happens on the field stays on the field, is not acceptable in your league and club.
In Victoria there is the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, the Equal Opportunity Act and the Federal Racial Discrimination Act.
All of these prohibit such behaviour. Your league and the club need to have a policy based on these acts,
which prohibit such behaviour on the field, in the dressing rooms or in any of your associations with the club at home or away.
So, what must your league and club do? Firstly, adopt a policy. Make sure all league and club officials actively support the policy.
Train all players, league and club officials, coaches and supporters. Take action quickly should any incident arise.
Make sure that the confidentiality is maintained regarding any incidents, conciliation process and resolution.
Look after your club and your players, then we can all enjoy this great game at home.
The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act
The Equal Opportunity Act