SWFL 2022: Players and staff across league unite against racism

The South West football community has united against racism after a sickening slur was used against a player, while league officials begin plans to create an Indigenous officer role and establish a concrete racial vilification policy. On Friday, the South West Football League sent out an email to all clubs which instructed players to stand side-by-side against racism before the bounce of every match across the round. The stance follows the South Bunbury Football Club being fined $200 after being found guilty of racial vilification during the club’s league match against Carey Park on May 14. Hayden Yarran said he was lining up for goal late in the first quarter when he said he heard two opposing players from South Bunbury call him a “yowie” — a mythical creature from Aboriginal folklore resembling a monkey. “When that happened, it made me feel like the shell I was in is worthless for that split second,” Yarran said. The incident prompted three-time South Bunbury women’s premiership coach Maxwell Jetta to resign from his club, a decision he hoped would bring awareness to the incident and stress that more needed to be done by South Bunbury and the SWFL. “With comments like that, we have a long way to go,” he said. “I thought we didn’t, but looking at what is happening now, we haven’t moved anywhere, and that is a real shame and it is embarrassing.” The South Bunbury women’s team made a number of bold statements before and during their women’s clash against Bunbury on Sunday morning at Payne Park. A majority of players took the field wearing Indigenous face paint, and the team also collectively took a knee in the centre square before the match. The players also posed for a photo sporting black T-Shirts with the initials MJ and a crown — which was a message of support to outgoing coach Maxwell Jetta, who resigned earlier in the week for personal reasons. SWFL president Barry Tate said the league instructed players to stand arm-in-arm at the weekend after a young Indigenous player suggested it. “It was his suggestion to want to link arms before every match on the weekend, which was great that we had someone come forward,” Mr Tate said. “We are all on board with this . . . the South West Football League is against racism, and we won’t tolerate it.” Mr Tate said the league was now in the process of obtaining funding to employ an Indigenous officer and create a racial vilification policy in the coming months alongside Indigenous players from the competition. “We are trying to obtain funding at this stage for an Indigenous officer to come on board, talk to young Indigenous players and make people more aware of what issues are out there and how we can improve,” he said. “This policy we will be starting to work on could be a twelve-month journey for all of us, and we want to get it right and it is going have to cover not just Indigenous people.” The SWFL president encouraged anyone with any suggestions for stamping out racism, or any concerns, to contact the league. “If anyone has any concerns, our door is always open,” he said. “Jason Crowe is a great example of that as the general manager of the South West Football League, he would like to engage with (people) if there is any issues that may arise. “I can’t sit here and say we are going to stop it all, but when it does occur we will be reacting to it in a fairly aggressive manner.” Mr Tate, who is also on the WA Country Football League board, said he had mentioned on “more than one occasion” to the WACFL that there needed to be more power for the umpires to give on the spot penalties for racism.