AFL International Peace Team

Friday 3 July

Recently Martin Doulton, Director of Sport at Monash University, attended the world premier of the documentary showcasing the journey of the AFL Peace Team to the 2008 International Rules World Cup.

The film is being broadcast on Network Ten tomorrow night and is a must watch. It is the story of how sport - and an obscurely neutral one at that - created the opportunity for individuals from two combating cultures to play together towards achieving that ultimate prize - Peace.

Mr Doulton went on to say -

“What the documentary shows is the fact that in a team where nationality and religion doesn’t necessarily fit side by side the ability for players to communicate through the actions and behaviours they display surmounts any conventional language and cultural barrier that they might have. Monash University was proud to support the Peres Centre for Peace and the AFL in bringing the AFL Peace Team to Australia and now in extending to supporting the games development in Hebron and the Gaza strip.”

“One of the most telling moments in the journey that was retold in the documentary was when a young Israeli ruckman was competing for a throw in and was surrounded by burly opponents. In steps a small Palestinian rover who uses his body as a shield for his ruckman to get the ball saying at the same time ‘don’t worry my friend I have your back’.”

Sport truly is an international language.