YOUNG Australian Rules football talent Ba Na Say represented the state at the National Diversity Championships in Sydney this month, pulling on a guernsey for the South Australian All Nations team.
Say was among 200 players from different cultural backgrounds who came together for a week of football and personal development to learn about and from each other.
The five-day tournament for 15 year old players promotes unity, celebrates diversity and is an opportunity for selected players to advance their physical, leadership and interpersonal skills.
“It was the best week – South Australia had two teams, the multicultural team and the indigenous side and I was selected for the multicultural team,” Say said.
“I was in the back line to start off with, which was a learning curve – I have never played much in defence.
“Later they threw me in the mid and I played alright there.
“I kicked four goals, so that was good.”
In the round-robin tournament teams played against other indigenous and multicultural state teams and attended educational seminars.
“We played six games but lost in the semi-final against Tassie,” Say said.
“They were just too strong in the end but we were proud to make it so far.”
Mount Gambier High School football program coordinator Stephen Day said Say had been on the Adelaide Crows radar since the 2016 SAPSASA championships.
“The club has been working hard to get Ba Na involved in their multicultural program,” Day said.
“I worked closely with the Crows and Ba Na to help make it happen – the All Nations Cup is an invaluable experience.”
The side was coached by SANFL development officer Danijel Herbut and included players from as many as 13 different backgrounds including Vietnam, Afghanistan, New Zealand and the Phillipines.
Say was named among the best players in two matches, including the semi-final loss to Tasmania.
