Growing up in the high-rise commission flats of Melbourne’s inner north, one thing was certain for Abdul Abdurahman.
Despite being a football devotee since grade six, he knew there was no way he could join a club.
Children train on Atherton Reserve in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy.
“I tried out for a team and as soon as they asked for the registration I walked away,” Abdurahman says.
Without even asking I just assumed that my parents couldn’t pay for it.
So the teenager started his own club, the Fitzroy Lions. He was in year 10 and at first it was more of a “get together” for the children living in Fitzroy’s Atherton Gardens housing estate to have a kickaround.
But their ranks grew, and eventually they began entering summer competitions.
This year the Lions registered girls and boys teams with Football Victoria, becoming a fully fledged club.
As Abdurahman, now 21, puts it, “anything to do with the club is for free”.
Even from a young age, fees can cost several hundred dollars a season, while some elite youth clubs charge up to $2,000 a season to register a player.
Without the Lions most of the players would not be able to play competitively.
(Top) Fitzroy Lions soccer club player Sarah Raad. (Above) Club founder Abdul Abdurahman gives guidance to members.
“That’s just the reality for the kids that live here,” he says.
The club plays a vital role for a diverse, low-income community living in one of Melbourne’s most gentrified suburbs. Local business sponsorships and some council funding mean there are no fees, and the club can hire buses to ferry the players to away games.
Abdurahman acknowledges that many of the young players have had difficult lives. Many are refugees and a sizeable proportion are African Australian, including Abdurahman, who came to Australia from Ethiopia in the mid-2000s. Others come from Asian, Arab and Indigenous backgrounds, he says.
Fitzroy Lions player Roma Bahmoud competes against Watsonia Heights football club.
To help the older players into employment, Abdurahman has created a work experience program with a local Coles supermarket.
And the club’s first competitive season has been a success so far.
“Just last week, we won 18-0 with one of the teams,” Abdurahman says.
That’s the thing, these kids are talented. The talent is just too much to handle, but they don’t have the opportunity. It just makes me happy to see them on the field.
Making a run for the ball.
