To mark Impetus’ charity partners John Moriarty Football’s Indigenous Football Week, Kieran Yap spoke to former A-League Women striker Allira Toby about her work with the organisation (31/10/23).
Above: Allira Toby (middle) with Shay Evans and Jada Whyman at the Moriarty Cup Charity Football Tournament. Photo: John Moriarty Football.
She’s an A-League premiership winner, one of Australia’s best forwards, and has played in Europe, but Allira Toby’s contributions to the sport do not end on the field.
The former Canberra United, Brisbane Roar, Adelaide United and Sydney FC striker is also an Indigenous Football Australia Council Member which oversees John Moriarty Football (JMF.) She spoke to Impetus about her work at the JMF for Indigenous Football Week.
Toby is a Kanolu/Gangulu woman who has been working with JMF for many years now. During Covid lockdowns, she helped deliver online workshops for young players alongside Gema Simon and Jada Whyman. She also participated in an online discussion with John Moriarty, Shadeene Evans, and Whyman about gender equality in football. Her legacy off the pitch is matching her talents on it, and JMF allows her to help Australia’s young First Nation footballers forge a pathway into the sport and through life.
“My role at JMF is essentially to provide support for all of our scholarship holders in Sydney and to provide support to the JMF team wherever they need me,” Toby told Impetus. Being there for whatever they need and whatever we need to do for them. “I’ve gained about three kids in the past few months. On a day-to-day basis, it’s checking in when we need and speaking to host families. At the moment it’s been a lot of planning for school holidays and going home.”
During the football season, Toby works closely with the elite players to ensure a smooth transition from their often remote communities to the realities of Sydney life.
“At the minute a lot of my time is organizing their life and what’s happening next, that’s pretty much what a lot of the day-to-day stuff is. I think for First Nations people, being on Country and community, being with your people is so important.
“I think for them it’s just a struggle being away from family. Two of our scholars are 14 so for them it’s just a big life adjustment in general. Some of them do come from rural or smaller communities.
“The biggest challenge is making them feel like they are comfortable here and providing support because they do miss their families and being back home.”
Toby is an ideal person to help guide the members of the scholarship program. She was discovered almost by chance playing in a high school game in Ipswich, Queensland, and was eventually signed to Adelaide United by the age of 19.
“I always wanted to play football. My dad used to play and I literally grew up around football. There was the A-league at that time. I knew that The Matildas were there, I knew there was a league in Australia.
“Back when I first started to where it is now, its wild how much it has grown and improved. it’s nice to know, looking back to when I started my career to now there is actually the proper chance to make a living out of football in Australia.”
Football is a sport that is played in almost every corner of the world and in all parts of Australia, but at the top domestic level, there are still few Indigenous footballers.
“First Nations peoples definitely are underrepresented at all levels within football.” agrees Toby.
“It’s always hard to pinpoint one issue, but in a way, I do believe it is just the lack of opportunity within Australia. Wanting to play football in Australia is wildly expensive, and half the time First Nations people really can’t afford to be paying a couple of grand out of pocket to play a season of football.
“It’s a mix of everything so I think it comes back to how expensive football is to play at grassroots level and just the lack of opportunity and funding given to First Nations people.
“It is hard in a sense because the exposure and funding here is nowhere near the funding that other sports have in Australia. It just makes it harder all round when there’s a number of things that can be and should be improved for football here in Australia.
“I can’t speak any higher of what JMF does for our First Nations people. We work in 19 different rural and remote communities within Australia. We provide that support. We give them football clinics and provide a hot meal and all of that … I don’t think there is another foundation that does what JMF does.”
The grassroots and elite work done by John Moriarty Football helps ensure that young players do not fall through the cracks, and provides opportunity where it is most needed.
At the very top level, The Matildas are having an impact. At the Tokyo Olympics, Australia’s most beloved sporting team carried the First Nations flag onto the pitch and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup allowed the whole world to experience the Welcome to Country.
“I think there’s a massive impact,” say Toby of the public stance of the national team.
“I think it goes to show that the game has come a long way here in Australia. It also goes to show that people like The Matildas, they do have that respect, and they want to have the awareness for First Nations culture. I think it has a great impact because it does go to show that our little kids and the children are wanting to grow up and make a life out of sport or just in general.”
Allira Toby and John Moriarty Football are doing the work every day, but the rest of Australia’s football community can help too. It is in the national and sporting interest to give everyone a chance to succeed.
At the elite level, there could be untold numbers of undiscovered footballing jewels. On a social level, football can build community and give young players a sense of commitment and fun. Currently, more than 2200 children in 20 schools and 18 remote communities receive JMF coaching. The program has a documented track record of improving school behaviour and attendance. Beyond that, it offers the chance for kids as young as two, to fall in love with the world game.
Toby says that there are numerous ways for the larger football community to help. “Having the investment in First Nations football and having the awareness of culture, respecting it and becoming aware of all foundations like JMF.
“Giving them funding in order to do what we want to do which is provide a better life for remote communities and provide opportunities for kids that can break into football and take it to the next level.”
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