The Sydney Swans arrive in the Northern Territory this week for community clinics and a football carnival aimed at delivering an important health message.
The Kick the Habit campaign will encourage communities to maintain strong lungs and a strong body by saying ‘no’ to smoking. It’s part of the Australian Government’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking program.
The Swans will visit Jabiru and Maningrida in West Arnhem Land – a region that has among the highest rates of smoking in Australia. The Swans aim to promote healthy lifestyles through a series of community football clinics, school visits and a three-day smoke free football festival in Maningrida.
The festival, which will run from November 15-17, will feature a youth carnival on the Friday, followed by a tournament for men’s and women’s teams over the weekend. As part of the festival, program partners including Mala'la Aboriginal Health Service will deliver workshops and health checks to help discourage the uptake of smoking.
Sydney Swans players participating in the visit include Maddy Collier, Robbie Fox, Tanya Kennedy, Patrick Snell, Matt Roberts, Eliza Vale, and Sam Wicks.
Sydney Swans First Nations Strategy Manager Jarred Hodges says it’s the first stage of a three-year commitment to the region.
“We visited Maningrida two years ago and formed some really strong bonds with the community, so we are grateful for the opportunity to return and strengthen those connections, as well as hopefully have a meaningful impact on health outcomes,” Hodges said.
“As part of the government’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking program we will run the Maningrida Football Festival for at least three years, in partnership with the Mala'la Aboriginal Health Service. We’re also extremely grateful to the Australian Defence Force for supporting the festival with some key operational needs, including tents to house those coming from nearby communities.
“West Arnhem Land is one of the most culturally diverse Aboriginal communities in Australia, with around 15 different languages spoken. We will be delivering the Kick the Habit campaign in three different languages this year – English, Burrara and Ndjebbana – and will increase the number of local languages each year of the festival.
“We’re incredibly excited about the week ahead and look forward getting amongst the community.”
David Freier, who works on the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program at the Mala'la Aboriginal Health Service, said the Swans’ visit has Maningrida buzzing with excitement
“Like most Territorian's the community is footy mad and the opportunity to have the Sydney Swans visit is a major highlight,” Freier said.
“Having the Swans here provides Mala'la a great hook to engage with people about the benefits of not smoking and to encourage a healthy lifestyle. We are very excited about the relationship that has developed with the Swans and look forward to it continuing.”
