Aboriginal people make a great contribution to Australian sport in conditions of considerable adversity, and yet their contribution goes largely unacknowledged. This study investigates the experiences of one Aboriginal family with an extensive history of involvement with Australian Rules Football using methodologies which seek, and value, Aboriginal perspectives on their involvement. It privileges Indigenous knowledge. The study focuses particularly on the involvement of the Hayward family in Australian Rules Football - the game they love - and in which they have been intensely involved for many generations. The study describes how the Haywards of southwest Western Australia, like most Aboriginal families, experienced an extensive period of colonisation in which their social and cultural autonomy and power were eroded. The historical experience of Aboriginal Australians is vastly different to that of mainstream Australians, and grossly inequitable, not only in terms of economic and educational opportunity, but also in terms of access to sporting opportunities. In many ways, the story of the Hayward family is representative of the experiences of many Black sportsmen and women over the past hundred years. It is suggested that, in order to understand Aboriginal participation and foster the development of Aboriginal sportspeople of all ages, an understanding of the context of their lives is crucial. This study then, explores my extended family's experiences as participants in mainstream sport. It describes how the Haywards, like their community contemporaries, have confronted the limited opportunities afforded to them in their ambitions to gain access, equity of participation, and appropriate reward for effort in their sporting endeavours. / Over many generations of Aboriginal participation in the game, there has been considerable inequality of opportunity to enter and participate. In their efforts to participate, members of the Hayward family faced many obstacles unacknowledged by non-Aboriginal players, administrators and spectators. The study shows that many of these obstacles had little to do with the sporting prowess of the Haywards. Every past and present player interviewed as part of this research told of circumstances where they felt that they had not been given a fair go - be it by an umpire, a team official, opposing players, players from their own team, or the crowd. For every case of acceptance of Aboriginal players by a football club, there are many stories of rejection by other clubs. Despite these obstacles, the study found that the Haywards (like many Aboriginal people) see sport (and particularly football) as significant in their lives. They love the game but, equally importantly, they believe that sporting prowess can open a path of entry to mainstream society, provide important economic advantages and offer opportunities for broader social participation while maintaining strong traditions of Aboriginal virtuosity and relationships. The study concludes by suggesting that, despite the adversities encountered by this family in their desire to participate in football, there has been much in the game that has brought pleasure, a sense of success, satisfaction and achievement to them. While this is the story of one family, I believe it provides important insights into experiences common to many Aboriginal families and sportspersons, and that this research deepens our understanding of Australian social history. Football has been, and continues to be, a valued part of the lives of many Aboriginal people.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/223006 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Hayward, Eric H. |
| Publisher | Curtin University of Technology, Centre for Aboriginal Studies. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | unrestricted |
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