FOOTBALL
By TOM HAYES
RECLINK football returned in a big way last week, as Round 1 of the Reclink Australia Victorian Football League came and went.
Reclink Australia caters for and supports people with disability and people with mental health struggles, or those at risk of poor mental health. Reclink’s aim is to provide moments of joy, human connection, opportunity, and a sense of purpose for its participants.
Latrobe Valley is one of many regions across the country that has a Reclink support group, providing free sport, art, and recreation activities for participants in the region.
Reclink football was back on the menu as of Wednesday, April 16, when the Gippsland Wellways Panthers hosted Cardinia Tigers at Morwell Recreation Reserve.
The match counted toward the league’s ANZAC Round, with ‘The Last Post’ played on the bugle pre-match and medals awarded to deserved players on either team, making the day more meaningful and giving participants some extra incentive.
Both sides were able to begin the match with 15 players, but as the game dragged on, more fill-ins were understandably required as the autumn heat started to set in.
Reclink has had a long history playing football, dating back to 1989 when the first Reclink match occurred. Back then, the Sacred Heart Missions Saints played Ozanam House in the inaugural homelessness match.
Mitchell Stewart, the assistant coach of the Gippsland Wellways Panthers and Reclink participant, spoke on how the sporting leagues is important to participants.
“I absolutely love the team, every player is like a family member which is a good thing. Reclink is a family thing, so it’s a good way of being included,” he told the Express.
“Shaun (Johnson, Reclink Senior Sports Co-ordinator) treats us like human beings, not like we’re just another problem.”
Stewart is now in his second year with the Panthers and said he was “absolutely enjoying it”.
“We definitely need more of it, we need more recognition, we need a lot more of ‘hey, this is what disability is all about’,” he said.
“Trying to find work when you’ve got a disability, it’s like ‘yeah, you’ve got a disability, we don’t want you’, which is tough, but with Shaun, it helps us because you’re included, you’re part of the team.”
For participants with social struggles, sport helps them break the barrier to socialise with people with the same interests.
“Trying to get out and be more social is sometimes a barrier, but with Shaun, he just breaks down the barrier and goes ‘hey, let’s be friends, let’s go play footy’. And all the other players are the same,” Stewart added.
Wellways jumped on board with Reclink to help the two form one team, aptly named the Gippsland Wellways Panthers.
Wellways Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner, Mike Needham spoke to the Express about the partnership between Reclink and Wellways.
“We started bringing some of our participants down here in Morwell a few years ago, and found it was really helpful for them to build their confidence,” he said.
“The really supportive environment wasn’t as stressful as a mainstream club.”
When Reclink was having some trouble getting funding, Needham spoke to his manager which prompted the start of the partnership, as Wellways started sponsoring the football team to enable its weekly participation.
After living with mental health issues himself, Needham knows first-hand what this participation can mean to players.
“I was involved with Salvo Hawks about 15 years ago as a part of my recovery. It was just (about) being supported, having mates who had your back when you were really struggling to encourage you and come along and participate on and off the ground,” he said.
“It led to me getting well and encouraged me to get support, not be afraid to talk about what was going on off the field. But also, it gave me something to do on the field.”
The Gippsland Wellways Panthers play games every second Wednesday, and when they’re not playing, they’re training.
The Panthers next game sees them travel up to Chadstone on Wednesday, April 30 to play Monash Demons at Jordan Reserve.
