A first for the AFL, the team of 22 was announced at a special event held at Crown in Melbourne on Tuesday, attended by AFL Deputy CEO Gillon McLachlan and Australia Post Managing Director and CEO Ahmed Fahour.
The team comprises the period 1896 – 2013 and in order to be considered for selection, players must have been born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas.
Bell was born on Cheju Island, South Korea, the son of a Korean mother and an American father.
He said he was proud to be selected in the forward pocket of the Multicultural Team of Champions.
“As is the case with any representative team, it’s usually a high-calibre team, so it’s a great honour to be included,” Bell said.
“Australia is a very multicultural society and we’ve had many people from different backgrounds make a huge impact in Australian Rules football.
“For me to be recognised is indeed a huge honour and very humbling also.”
Bell praised the AFL for its Multicultural Round and labelled it an important initiative for the game.
“First and foremost, it’s great to recognise the contribution of people from different backgrounds who have already made a contribution in the AFL and in sport,” he said.
But Bell said, more importantly, promoting multiculturalism in the game helped pave the way in the future for the AFL to continue to be an inclusive sport in this country.
“Each time someone from a different cultural background makes it all the way to the AFL, that can only inspire children from that culture and many other cultures to have a go as well,” he said.
“I think that’s an important part of the fabric of Australian society.”
The Australia Post AFL Multicultural Team of Champions:
B: J. Worsfold (England) S. Silvagni (Italy) M. Scarlett (England)
HB: W. Schwass (New Zealand) G. Jakovich (Croatia) A. Koutoufides (Italy, Greece)
C: R.DiPierdomenico (Italy) I. Stewart (Italy) P. Matera (Italy)
HF: A. Jesaulenko (Ukraine, Russia) N. Riewoldt (Germany) D. Brereton (Ireland)
F: P. Bell (Korea) A. Lynch (England) P. Daicos (Macedonia)
Foll: R. Cazaly (England, Scotland) S. Black (New Zealand) D. Kerr (India)
I/C: A. LA Fontaine (France) C.H. Pannam (Greece) S. Rocca (Italy) J. Stynes (Ireland)
Coach: Jock McHale
Captain: Alex Jesaulenko
McLachlan said the Australia Post AFL Multicultural Team of Champions has been chosen to recognise the achievement of players from multicultural backgrounds.
"Congratulations to the past and present players who have been selected in the first ever Multicultural Team of Champions,” he said.
"Multicultural players have made an enormous contribution to the history of Australia's game and this team importantly celebrates multicultural talent and diversity in the AFL.”
A member of the inaugural Fremantle Dockers team in 1995, Bell was delisted after one year at the club and joined North Melbourne.
It was at the Kangaroos that Bell won premierships in 1996 and 1999, and was named the club’s best and fairest in 2000.
He re-joined Fremantle in 2001 and was appointed captain in his second year at the club, a position he held until giving it up to Matthew Pavlich in 2007.
Bell won three Doig Medals at Freo in 2001, 2003 and 2004, and gained All Australian selection in 2003, adding to the 1999 selection he gained at North Melbourne.
He retired from the AFL in 2008 with 286 games, 250 goals and the unofficial mantle of the greatest player in Fremantle Dockers’ history – an honour only the great Pavlich rivals him for.
