Central Land Council

Football the great teacher

Young men from all over the Northern Territory are making great advances in their study thanks to a football program based in Alice Springs.

The Clontarf Foundation is an organisation established by former Fremantle coach in the AFL, Gerard Neesham, which uses football as a means of improving attendance by Aboriginal boys and young men at schools in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Football is used as the carrot that encourages them to attend school, meet their study requirements and manage their behaviour in and outside school.

A coach with the Yirara Football Academy in Alice Springs, Joe Clarke, says there are now about 90 involved in the Clontarf program in Alice Springs.

They’re involved in juniors, intermediate and senior levels.

He said they’d come from as far afield as Ngukurr on the Gulf of Carpentaria, Ernabella in South Australia and Warburton in Western Australia to be involved.

“They have to be good blokes off the field, be good at the boarding house, not get into fights,” Clarke said. “They can’t play if they’re not training.

“It’s a great program and you can really see the difference in the blokes from when they first started.

“It’s not just about football, there’s a heavy emphasis on schooling.”

Christopher Munur has travelled down from Ngukurr to be involved in the Clontarf program and is enrolled in year eight at Yirara College.

“It’s tough coming down. You miss family, the water,” he said. “But I’m having good fun playing footy.

“Made some new friends. I like school. Footy helps me enjoy it more.”

Each week, the Clontarf academy teams play football matches against local schools in Alice Springs and players who meet or surpass expectations at school, the boarding house and during football training, are rewarded with football trips outside Alice Springs.