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Fremantle have been at work in the community with its newly created Multicultural Schools program, held at the Australian Islamic College over the past few months. 

The We are Freo program was established to ensure that AFL and the Fremantle Dockers served as a vehicle to encourage and strengthen community inclusion.

The key focus area of the program aims to make AFL accessible to students by building an understanding of the primary skills, rules and terminology used in the game, whilst also transitioning students into a player or fan of the sport and the Club.

Delivered by Fremantle’s AFLW players Roxy Roux and Aine Tighe, the free pilot program was run with year five and six students at the College over six weeks.

A mix of interactive classroom-based sessions and fun practical skill sessions were designed to build the student’s knowledge and understanding of AFL fundamentals.

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This is 'We are Freo' | A Multicultural Schools Program

Fremantle have been hard at work in the community with its newly created Multicultural Schools program, held at the Australian Islamic College over the past few months.This is 'We are Freo', check it out!

Participants also researched some of Fremantle’s own multicultural players such as Michael Frederick and Ange Stannett, completing worksheets on their own personal football journeys – as well as designing guernseys based on their schools values, culture and history.

The final session of the program culminated in modified games of AFL, where students were able to showcase the skills they had acquired over the previous five weeks.

Teams were coached by Roux and Tighe, alongside Fremantle young guns Brandon Walker, Joel Western and Mim Strom who were all left impressed by the skills on display.

“It was really great, and such a highly skilled game,” Western said.

“It was super enjoyable for me, my highlight was definitely their enthusiasm to keep learning and contribute to the game and keep continuing to grow, it was great to see.

“I loved seeing the kids get involved in the games with their mates,” Walker said.

“There was a little kid that took a mark and kicked a goal from about 25 metres out to tie the game, it was great!”

Roux said watching the growth of the students over the program was rewarding.

“The students have really embraced it and taken on AFL,” Roux said.

“At the start, a lot of them hadn’t played or watched AFL before, a lot of the students have now watched a game on TV and some have even attended a live game now.

“It’s so awesome to see that interest and growth in the kids.

A look at 'We are Freo': Fremantle's Multicultural Schools Program

Fremantle have been hard at work in the community with its newly created Multicultural Schools program called 'We are Freo'. Held at the Australian Islamic College over the past few months, the program ensures AFL football and the Fremantle Dockers serve as a vehicle to encourage and strengthen community inclusion.
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Sports specialist and student wellbeing coordinator at the College, Nuria Ushoroff, said the students got a lot out of the program.

“We have students here from 56 nationalities and are one of the largest multicultural schools in WA,” Ushoroff said.

“There are students here that have come from Somalia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and so on.”

“It’s been an amazing program, the educative sessions inside the classroom and the activities outside the classroom has been wonderful for the children.

“A personal highlight for me would be that each week the kids have taken something from the last week and you can see the knowledge has been filtered through…the program has been really well thought of.”

The program will be delivered in terms two and three in 2022. For more information, please contact Fans and Community Coordinator Mitch Harvey at mitchell.harvey@fremantlefc.com.au