On Sunday 21 June, Australian football will unite Melbourne’s culturally diverse communities, the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Essendon Football Club when they combine into teams for the second Unity Cup Family Day round robin competition.

AFP Melbourne Office Manager Alan Scott said: “The Unity Cup provides an excellent opportunity for people to see that police are also part of the communities in which they live and work. This event goes some way towards developing a greater understanding of the role of law enforcement officers”.

Essendon General Manager of Community and Media, Simon Matthews, hoped Essendon and AFP’s Community Liaison Team could develop the Unity Cup into an integral event for the club’s and community’s social calendars.

“Sport has the ability to communicate across cultures and break down language barriers, which makes it a powerful tool to support the development of a stronger, more resilient and unified society. When applied effectively, sports programs promote social inclusion and mutual understanding which helps to reduce tension and generate dialogue. The club believes the Unity Cup does exactly that and we are very excited to once again be involved,” Mr Matthews said.

Essendon player and Multicultural Program Ambassador Andrew Welsh was impressed with the skills and ability of each of the four community teams last year and hoped to see more individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds playing Australian football.

“Having guys like Bachar Houli and Michael Quinn playing at Essendon is important for the multicultural community as AFL players are role models for many young people. You can learn a lot about individuals and communities just by playing and participating in sport,” Welsh said.

Commander Scott said the event builds on the work the AFP Community Liaison Team and the community have been doing over the past 12 months, working together to build a relationship between the community and the AFP.

“This event is about fostering mutual understanding and respect and highlighting the positive ways in which police and culturally diverse communities are working together” Scott said.

The Unity Cup is supported by the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the Australian Multicultural Foundation, Sports Without Borders, the AFL Multicultural Program and Channel Seven.