Essendon Football Club played host to a group of international students last week as part of RMIT International students MATE mentoring program.

The 15 RMIT International students were given an ‘inside’ view of the football club including a tour of the Hall of Fame, an introduction to Australian Rules football and the history of the club.

The Club’s engagement with the international students stems from the EFC GLoBALL Program. The purpose of the program is to break down misconceptions and strengthen cross-cultural ties between the wider community and international students.

 “International students play a huge part in maintaining our cultural diversity and engagement with the world. They bring with them diverse cultures and experiences that enriches Australia’s social identity that we can all learn from,” said Jieh-Yung Lo, Multicultural Development Officer at the Club.

 “There’s nothing more culturally iconic than Footy in Melbourne. Programs such as the GLoBALL Program have the potential to break down cultural barriers and add further value to the Australian experience for our international students. We are looking forward to their participation and involvement.”

Essendon player, Darcy Daniher, who is also a RMIT student, spoke with the students about life as a professional footballer and how he juggles studying and football.

Club staff also spoke with the visiting students about their personal career paths.  The outcome of these presentations aimed to provide the students with a clearer direction of their goals after studies and to introduce sporting associations as more than just players and coaches.

The program is open for 100 international students with activities including game visits, football clinics and games, career and health seminars and participation in EFC community events and activities. The GLoBALL program was jointly launched by Essendon’s Multicultural Ambassador Andrew Welsh, the City of Melbourne and the Australian Federation of International Students on 1 March at Federation Square.

Registrations for the GLoBALL Program will close on Friday 27 March.

On April 5, the 100 participants of the program will be involved in an introductory football session at Windy Hill at 10.30am before travelling to the Dome to watch the Round Two clash between Essendon and Fremantle.