Soccer becomes community cornerstone for Shepparton's Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan, and Pakistani youth

Three years ago an impromptu soccer game among Afghan girls and boys kicked off on a dusty, disused piece of land next to a playground in Shepparton.

Today, the regular games at Ducat Reserve have become a community meeting place where players of various ages and ethnicities bond over a shared love of the game.

Fazela Abbasi and Rezwana Baqiri are part of the group of women who initiated the mini soccer matches, and both want to see young people from migrant communities in the Goulburn Valley thrive.

«We had a bunch of younger kids, a mix of girls and boys, get together,» said Ms Abbasi, a former Greater Shepparton City Council Youth Volunteer of the Year.

«Normally parents bring their kids to this park anyway to play, and most of us live around this area.

»So they usually peek through their windows or walk past and see kids playing, and we just thought that it was probably the perfect area to start a mini game. The numbers started to grow from there."

The ages of attendees vary, with toddlers, teens, and adults alike congregating to play soccer and socialise most afternoons.

«We weren't selective — everyone was welcome, anyone from any community,» Ms Abbasi said.

«We had the Syrian community, Iraqis, Afghans, and some Pakistani kids get involved as well.»

Although they had plenty of enthusiasm, the Ducat Reserve players lacked proper equipment.

For more than a year they made do with plastic water bottles for goalposts until, in 2021, the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District helped secure a donation of goals, balls, shirts, and shorts from Melbourne City Football Club.

«It was really nice to see all the kids come to the park one day and see all this equipment. They were so happy,» Ms Abbasi said.

«We saw the boys pop on the