AFL Victoria and Essendon Football club are trying to engage multicultural communities for few years, however, this time, they have appointed a new community engagement officer Sudip Chakraborty. Sudip Chakraborty himself is hardcore fan an outstanding player of footy.
He explains to Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj how his new role will bring AFL Victoria and Essendon Football Club closer to multicultural communities.
A few years back a young boy Sudip Chakraborty from India came in contact with Footy. Since then his love towards footy been so contagious that because of his efforts almost 8,000 Indian footy players are actively participating in arguably most loved outdoor game of Australia.
Seeing the effort, enthusiasm, and dedication in expanding the base of the game in India, AFL Victoria and Essendon Football Club have now roped him as Community engagement officer.
In his new role, Sudip Chakraborty will strengthen the support base of AFL among multicultural communities and especially keeping a curious eye on Indian Australians.
Sudip argues that footy is such an interesting game that it can not only teach you a healthy way of life but also refines positive can do attitude.
Sudip Chakraborty, Community Engagement Officer with AFL Victoria and Essendon Football Club.
Sudip Chakraborty with Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell.
Essendon’s commitment to growing the game within the local Indian community has been strengthened by the appointment of Sudip Chakraborty to the role of Community Officer.
The announcement coincides with India’s Independence Day.
Chakraborty has relocated from India to take on the job and will look to further expand the Club’s presence within the large Indian community based in Melbourne’s north-west.
“If you don’t know footy here in Victoria you can feel out of place,” Chakraborty said.
“When, for example, International students know more about the game they can feel more comfortable around their Aussie mates.
“Footy for Australians is just like cricket is for Indians.
“I’m looking forward to connecting with as many Indians as I can, but also introducing other non-Australians to the sport.”
Chakraborty played cricket and soccer when he was growing up in Kolkata.
But a promotional tour from Ricky Ponting introduced him to Aussie Rules and since then he’s been hooked.
He’s spent the last five years playing and promoting the game in India and under his leadership the game has grown from having about 100 players less than a decade ago, to today boasting 7,000 across the country.
Two years ago, Chakraborty helped guide young Essendon leaders Zach Merrett, Joe Daniher, David Zaharakis and Dyson Heppell around his home state as part of their two week visit to the country.
The trip took in several clinics and school visits as well as providing the players with an insight into the Indian culture.
“For all of the hard work done by AFL India, that was the greatest reward,” Chakraborty said.
“Essendon has been a leader in this area and to have the players visit the country did so much for the game in India.
“To have me over here now means we have 7,000 players back in India who can get direct access to information and knowledge.”
Chakraborty will play a key role in next year’s International Cup where the Indian team is set to adopt the ‘Bombers’ moniker and wear the red and black.
Essendon players Joe Daniher, David Zaharakis, Dyson Heppell and Zach Merrett with Sudip Chakraborty during their trip to India.
Bruce Claridge
Posted on Sunday, July 3, 2016 by ARFAI,
Bruce Claridge is a well known former footy player and coach in the Bendigo area of Victoria and currently works in a player welfare role in the country areas of his state. His connection and passion for AFL India came from his vision to provide players and officials in his area with a positive alternative to the traditional “end of footy season trip”. He now annually leads teams to India to assist promote Aussie Rules .
Saurav Ganguly playing Footy
Posted on Friday, June 24, 2016 by ARFAI,
Our founder and Captain Sudip Chakraborty was recently on a worldwide popular Bengali TV show named ‘Dadagiri Unlimited’, hosted by the former Indian cricket legend Saurav Ganguly, where he introduced the sport to Saurav ‘Dada’ Ganguly and also the work put in by ARFAI to grow the game in India
Inaugural Footy Tournament in Odisha – ARFAI-KISS Cup 2016
Posted on Monday, April 4, 2016 by ARFAI,
Simon O’connor at the toss of the Girls’ Grand Finals – Kangaroos vs Tigers
The inaugural Australian Rules Football tournament in Odisha christened ARFAI – KISS Cup 2016 was held at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) campus in Bhubaneshwar on 19th and 20th of March, 2016. This tournament was the showcase of a year-long Footy training imparted under the Direct Aid Program of the Australian High Commission in India, delivered by ARFAI in collaboration with KISS.
The tournament comprised both boys and girls where 8 boys teams named after the AFL clubs like Tigers, Crows, Bombers, Swans, Giants, Kangaroos, Dockers and Eagles, and 4 girls teams namely Tigers, Swans, Bombers and Kangaroos participated.
Tournament on the way
This time of the year being the start of summer with the weather being pretty hot and the sun right up there could not dampen the spirits of the players and everyone was up for the challenge. The matches were played in two parts, one during the start of the day and then again in the late afternoon to avoid the scorching sun. The tournament started with the national anthem of India which got the players excited to showcase their willingness to win the coveted inaugural trophy at Odisha.
Footy skills on offer were of very high quality and it was very evident that the kids practiced hard during the year and took the game very seriously. A huge share of this achievement goes to the ARFAI coaches who travelled to Bhubaneswar thrice to update the kids on skills and knowledge about the game. Marking and kicking was top notch from most of the players which made almost all the matches very competitive and all the teams were fighting for a place in the semi-finals.
The Director of KISS addressing the players
In the end the Crows, Bombers, Swans and Kangaroos made to the semi-finals for the boys and the girls fought directly for a place in the Grand Final. The Crows and the Bombers made it to the Grand Final for the boys by defeating Swans and Kangaroos respectively in close fought encounters. Simon O’connor, Third Secretary at Australian High Commission and in charge of DAP program, Dr. P.K.Das, Director of KISS, Mr. N.M. Mohanty, the Principal of KISS, Indian Footy team Captain and Secretary General of ARFAI Sudip
The Champion Crows team for the boys
Chakraborty, ARFAI Treasurer Mona Kalra and ARFAI board member Sudhasil Mitra were present to grace both the Grand Finals which started with the girls match. In a very closely contested game between the Kangaroos and the Tigers, Pupren Oram led the Kangaroos to a well-deserved win over the Tigers to lift the trophy for the girls. For the boys, the Crows led by their all-star captain Rama Chandra Murmu defeated the Bombers convincingly to be crowned as the first champions of Australian Football in the state of Odisha.
The presentation was a celebration of footy in the state where all the teams were presented with medallions and certificates while the ‘Runners’ and the ‘Champions’ were also awarded trophies for brilliant display of skills and teamwork on the field. Individual prizes were also awarded with a host of goodies (AFL and ARFAI merchandise) which will surely encourage the players at KISS
The Champion Kangaroos Captain for the girls
to continue playing the game and develop their skills and knowledge of the “greatest sport on earth”.
Lastly but surely not the least a big acknowledgement for the ARFAI officials who worked tirelessly both during two days of the tournament and also before it to get everything in place for the grand success
Cheers to many more tournaments in Odisha as Simon O’connor signed off saying “Hope to be back here next year for a bigger tournament of Footy!”
Essendon FC – “Embracing India” documentary
Posted on Saturday, August 22, 2015 by ARFAI,
A documentary made by the Essendon Football Club on its journey around India in October 2014 by four of it top players Dyson Heppell, Joe Danniher, David Zaharakis and Zach Merrett to embrace India, its culture and yes of course, its growing love for Footy.
This documentary premiered on Australian TV channel ‘Fox Footy’ across the nation in August 2015.
Mahesh Tirkey – Indian Footy sensation from Ranchi
Posted on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 by ARFAI,
19-year-old Mahesh Tirkey has scripted many firsts. Currently in his third year at a local college, Mahesh is one of the first-generation learners from his community, the Hatma slum of Ranchi, Jharkhand. He is also the first and only one till date from the state of Jharkhand to have been selected to play for India in the Australian Rules Football tournament.
“My father was a pitman in the railways with an income of around Rs 10,000 a month. Back then, we lived at the railway staff quarters at Jainagar skirting the Nepal border. It was tough for us, living on so little for the family of 5. He passed away suddenly in 2005, so the entire family moved to the Hatma slums” recalls Mahesh.
“The months following his death were very difficult for us. We had lost our father and with him the only earning member of the family. None of us had a job. For a few months, all of us, brothers [Mahesh has two elder brothers] did odd jobs to run the family. I dropped out of school to work in a factory in Hatma. Almost after two years, my elder brother joined the railways as a gateman” he recollects. After that, Mahesh rejoined school after a break of four years. “It’s not difficult if one has the will” he shares when asked about the challenges he faced on re-joining school after a gap of four years. It is this will that sustained his love for sports despite all adversities.
Mahesh’s next breakthrough came in April 2014, when Magic Bus, a sports NGO, joined hands with the Australian Rules Football Association of India (ARFAI) to collaborate around spreading popularity for the unique Australian Rules Football.This collaboration was about teaching this new kind of football to 1,000 underprivileged children in each of the states of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. For Mahesh, it was a new sport and he wasn’t sure he could play it at all. “What worked for the children was the fact that one could use the entire body to play the game. It was not only the feet. For me, it is a mixture of dodge ball, kabaddi, and football” he explains.
Mahesh was a part of a group of 20 Magic Bus volunteers who took the training in Australian Rules Football. His performance impressed the ARFAI coaches right from Day-2 and soon Mahesh was off to Kolkata to receive special training to be a part of the national team. “I could not believe that I have managed to secure a place for myself in the national squad. I was playing along people who had 10-20 years experience of playing the game. I was nervous but I knew that this was my opportunity”.
At the prestigious AFL International Cup 2014 in Melbourne, Australia, Mahesh played for the Indian Tigers against teams from Pakistan, Finland, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, within two months from the first time he heard about the sport. To add to his achievement, he ended up being one of the best five players from the Indian Tigers team.
Upon returning, Mahesh helped train the senior and junior state teams of Jharkhand to participate in the ARFAI National Championship 2015 and to everyone’s surprise, the juniors won the championship whereas the seniors finished runners up, both making their debut in the national competition. ‘I know how big this opportunity was for me; and I feel there’re more children with similar potential” he signs off.
Ranchi has come in limelight only in recent years when it produced its very first international player in M.S. Dhoni, India’s World Cup winning cricket captain, and now the city has its second international player in the list for hopefully more to come.
According to ARFAI’s Sudip Chakraborty, Mahesh is one of the few young Footy talents in India who hold the ability to play in junior division football leagues in Australia if provided with the right training and is waiting for the opportunity and support required from the Australian end.
Large rocks must be removed from the ground before play can commence
The day is hot and fairly humid, and all teams are checked in, wearing their respective team jumpers. But before play can start, a massive amount of work is to be done to get the field safe, relatively speaking, for action.
Apart from the ground being very uneven, there are a number of large rocks breaking the surface which are a definite threat. One such rock is the size of a bath tub, and takes a superhuman effort on the part of several players to loosen and eventually heave out of and off the ground.
After which, they must now go out and play footy!!
For a short time, I am team nurse, bandaging and applying bandaids, until a young physio arrives, thankfully, as the state of this ground definitely spells ‘injuries’!
Three hours late, the games begin and despite the heat and ground conditions, each match is fiercely fought out; the physio is being kept very busy.
Represented in the finals are the Tigers, Cats, Giants, Bombers, Crows and Eagles, and by the end of the semi-finals, both Crows and Tigers (juniors) were clear contenders, while in the seniors the same two teams would battle it out for the cup.
Sadly, the Eagles did not finish as well, and did not make it into the final round, but they played their hearts out anyway, and made me very proud of them.
Both games were again played out every bit as seriously as if they were on the MCG on the ‘last day in September’. In the end, the juniors’ glory went to the Crows, beating the Tigers 29 points to 12, while the seniors reversed the result, with the Tigers finishing with 14 points against nine for the Crows.
The most inspirational thing is just how strong the desire these youngsters have to play, and play well. In some cases under incredibly poor conditions, and without any of the facilities our Aussie players have available to them as a matter of course.
And the spirit of enjoyment is so overwhelming; at the end of the tournament no matter where a team finished, they all joined in celebrations as if each and every player had won a million dollars! So much fun and enjoyment!
The huge surprise was the Crows. For teams established only a couple of months ago, they were outstanding. A big future for them in AFL India. If only these kids had better facilities available.
Helen Mell is an avid West Coast Eagles fan and member, whose other passion in life is India. She takes great pride in taking Australian football to the sub-continent and was pivotal in helping to establish a relationship with the Rajasthan Eagles.
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