(Comm)Unity through sport
YOUNG Jewish boys and girls have been training for several weeks in preparation for the annual Unity Cup, a one-day football event being held this Sunday co-hosted by the Australian Federal Police and the AFL Multicultural Program to help break down social barriers among Melbourne’s diverse communities.
Teams featuring Indigenous, Afghani, Indian, Pakistani and African players will once again be joined by two Jewish squads –- a male and a female team -– comprised mainly of year 11 and 12 Mount Scopus College students in an AFL 9s tournament.
It is the second consecutive year of the teams’ presence at the Unity Cup, an initiative of Scopus VCE student Ryan Kuperholz, who has recruited and managed the teams for both campaigns.
Kuperholz was previously involved in the Unity Cup for the past four years as a member of the MUJU Peace team, which was a trailblazing Muslim-Jewish team spearheaded by his older brother, Joel, and Newport Islamic Society member Oussama Abou-zied.
Through these experiences, Kuperholz said he realised the importance of a Jewish team in the competition, with the Cup allowing participants to chance to gain exposure to different cultures, spread goodwill and even dispel stereotypes that are harbored in the absence of personal contact.
At the 2014 Cup both the male and female Mount Scopus teams enjoyed successes on and off the field, as the girls finished second overall and boys came in third.
With the unfortunate absence of a MUJU team this year, the 18-year-old Kuperholz said a Jewish presence was even more significant. He managed to recruit both a male and female team and Mount Scopus, while providing the uniforms, has given him autonomy to manage it outside of a school activity.
“There will be entertainment, AFL players, food vans and a kosher sausage sizzle so we would love as much community support as possible on the day,” said Kuperholz.
AJN STAFF
The Unity Cup will be played from 9am to 4pm at JJ Holland Park, Kensington on Sunday, March 29.
Pictured: Members of the Unity Cup’s Jewish teams.
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