00:00In the remote outback town of Tennant Creek, the beautiful game is catching on.
00:09Everyone's out there having fun, you know, just trying this new sport.
00:15I learned by passing and kicking goals.
00:18I get to play with my friends.
00:20You get exercise at the same time as having fun.
00:23Australia's first indigenous Socceroo, John Moriarty and his wife Roz, established the John Moriarty Foundation in his birthplace Boralula more than a decade ago, creating pathways for indigenous kids to pursue their sporting and career goals.
00:41They love soccer. Every time we go out there just to see a smile on their face, you know.
00:45All the kids improve, you know, like kids from two years ago, they're all growing up and they're like superstars now, you know.
00:50I want to go to a big city and play soccer.
00:54A young Shea Evans had that same dream when the program launched in Boralula.
00:59She's since been selected in the Young Matildas and played for the Central Coast Mariners.
01:04But it's not all about finding the elite athlete.
01:07It's about finding your best self.
01:10We're looking at teamwork, resilience, respect, leadership.
01:13Those sort of core elements, those values, we want to encourage them not just in the football field but in life.
01:19Tennant Creek students, Ethan and Joaquin, were amongst the first wave of participants when the program was launched here in 2019.
01:27They're now coaches.
01:28I just thought one day, you know, why not get a job there, you know.
01:31That's something I would like to do, this soccer.
01:34Start working in it.
01:35I love it.
01:36I started a school-based apprenticeship.
01:39I go school two days a week.
01:44The rest of the days, from Thursday to Friday, I usually go to work.
01:48During the years, I'd say I've gotten better at it.
01:51It's a platform for, like, a generational thing.
01:56So you're not only helping, you know, this generation where we're talking about Joaquin
02:00and Ethan, but, you know, we're looking at the next generation and they can look up to
02:03Ethan and Joaquin and think, oh, I want to be just like them.
02:06And that's, I think that's what creates change.
02:09And for the next generation, there's Indie Kindie, an early learning program on country.
02:15Our kids range from zero to five.
02:18I was born here.
02:19Our team are local Aboriginal women.
02:22They have that language and they teach the kids the language at our sessions.
02:28We love to call Kangaroo Tail.
02:30We teach them, you know, before we eat, we wash our hands, we keep our face clean.
02:37My daughter, actually, she just did a little JMF soccer session this morning.
02:42Let's go!
02:44So it was really nice for me seeing her go from Indie Kindie to JMF.
02:51It's a holistic program.
02:53So it's not just about health and fitness and the importance of exercise,
02:56but we also look into their nutrition, you know, the importance of staying hydrated,
03:00the importance of breathing exercises, clench and release, you know, mental health,
03:04well-being, so being mindful.
03:10You get, like, some kind of encouragement that you're doing good.
03:13You're doing good.
03:14If you use Team Mapper, you can score more goals and teamwork makes the dream work.
03:20Having a kick about on country, gaining ground in communities in more ways than one.
03:26I want to take your kids.
03:27I want to get them.
03:28I want to take them to the end of the day, and waters to the end of the day.
03:30Let's go, let's go.
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