More Than A Game

‘More than a Game’ is a sport-based youth mentoring program developed by Western Bulldogs in partnership with Newport Islamic Society, the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Hobsons Bay City Council.

The program aimed to develop a community-based resilience model that uses team-based sports to address issues of identity, a sense of belonging and cultural isolation among young men of Islamic faith. These issues have all been identified as promoting forms of violent extremism.

Key takeaways

An evaluation of the program found:

• Participants experienced strong personal transformation through their involvement in the program, particularly in relation to building self-confidence and leadership skills.
• The debilitating effects of racial and religious stereotypes were raised by participants as a significant barrier to feelings of confidence, well-being and belonging to the community. More than a Game helped participants break down such stereotypes.
• Relationships between young people and police were strengthened through program mentoring activities, allowing sensitive issues such as violence and terrorism to be discussed directly.
• The program generated strong media interest with impacts in projecting positive role models and messages about young Muslim men in the community and countering negative media stereotypes.
• Participants experienced team sport as a level playing field where people of all cultural backgrounds were bound by the same rules and expectations. This was experienced as a model of ‘lived justice’.
• Participants provided evidence that attitudes towards different cultural groups, particularly Jewish people, significantly improved over the course of the program.
• The program developed open and trusting relationships not only between participants and stakeholders but also between local communities, government and non-government agencies. This provided opportunities for knowledge sharing, breaking down stereotypes and engaging young people at-risk.