UPFIELD Soccer Club is still celebrating promotion after rising to the club's highest rank in its history as a member of Football Federation Victoria's provisional grades.
Even though a large fine hangs over the club, the on and off-field success at Upfield has been undeniable this season. Upfield is a social hub for most of its players - Iraqi refugees of the north-western suburbs.Hume Weekly reporter TEO PELLIZZERI went to Gibb Reserve to hear about the football and culture that makes the Upfield club what it is.
Promotion
Upfield played Sunday amateur-league soccer prior to a switch to the metro north-west division in the past decade.Previously there was Greek influence, but the influx of Iraqi refugees changed the demographic of the club significantly.As more and more Iraqis arrived in Australia, more footballing talent was unearthed.All of a sudden, Upfield had the players to not just earn promotion from the metropolitan league but earn promotion from provisional division 3 north-west after just two seasons.
All backgrounds
Walid Hanna, 29, fled Baghdad and came to Australia in 1998 to settle in the Broadmeadows area. "From the year 2000, when we were in high school, everyone from Iraq said, 'Come to Upfield, come down, come down'."There were people from all backgrounds here. This club helped a lot to learn the Australian culture; [it's where] I picked up my English."Most of the players feel comfortable when they are here. They can play decent soccer and this is what they look forward to."Hosam Al-Kaisi, 23, came to Australia in 2006 from Iraq via Jordan where he spent six years.
"I love to play soccer and I couldn't stop playing. When I came here I found a fully-Iraqi club [Reservoir Strikers] and played with them for two years."Al-Kaisi came to Upfield in 2008 and credits both the club and the game with helping to grow his support and friendship network.The teammates of Al-Kaisi, a Sunni Muslim, include Shi'a Muslims, Assyrians, Christians and Kurds.
"These are parties that are fighting in Iraq. Here in Australia we have Muslim majority teams, but Upfield is diverse. Football, whatever background you are from, has united these people."Belal Azez is also from Baghdad and is Upfield's only player of Kurdish background. He came to Australia in 2002.
The coach
Rob Ottone does not speak Arabic but can claim to be the most important communicator at the club.Having switched from the Moreland Wolves to Upfield to play and coach, Ottone is the disciplinarian at the top of the club.He sees discipline as the key to harnessing the natural ability in his playing group.
Even though a large fine hangs over the club, the on and off-field success at Upfield has been undeniable this season. Upfield is a social hub for most of its players - Iraqi refugees of the north-western suburbs.Hume Weekly reporter TEO PELLIZZERI went to Gibb Reserve to hear about the football and culture that makes the Upfield club what it is.
Promotion
Upfield played Sunday amateur-league soccer prior to a switch to the metro north-west division in the past decade.Previously there was Greek influence, but the influx of Iraqi refugees changed the demographic of the club significantly.As more and more Iraqis arrived in Australia, more footballing talent was unearthed.All of a sudden, Upfield had the players to not just earn promotion from the metropolitan league but earn promotion from provisional division 3 north-west after just two seasons.
All backgrounds
Walid Hanna, 29, fled Baghdad and came to Australia in 1998 to settle in the Broadmeadows area. "From the year 2000, when we were in high school, everyone from Iraq said, 'Come to Upfield, come down, come down'."There were people from all backgrounds here. This club helped a lot to learn the Australian culture; [it's where] I picked up my English."Most of the players feel comfortable when they are here. They can play decent soccer and this is what they look forward to."Hosam Al-Kaisi, 23, came to Australia in 2006 from Iraq via Jordan where he spent six years.
"I love to play soccer and I couldn't stop playing. When I came here I found a fully-Iraqi club [Reservoir Strikers] and played with them for two years."Al-Kaisi came to Upfield in 2008 and credits both the club and the game with helping to grow his support and friendship network.The teammates of Al-Kaisi, a Sunni Muslim, include Shi'a Muslims, Assyrians, Christians and Kurds.
"These are parties that are fighting in Iraq. Here in Australia we have Muslim majority teams, but Upfield is diverse. Football, whatever background you are from, has united these people."Belal Azez is also from Baghdad and is Upfield's only player of Kurdish background. He came to Australia in 2002.
The coach
Rob Ottone does not speak Arabic but can claim to be the most important communicator at the club.Having switched from the Moreland Wolves to Upfield to play and coach, Ottone is the disciplinarian at the top of the club.He sees discipline as the key to harnessing the natural ability in his playing group.
"We were confident of promotion right from the start. There's a spirit within the group, but it took a lot of discipline."We were a lot quicker than any other team and the opposition would always rise to the occasion to play us. Every year there's more people coming from overseas, players these guys know around the traps."
Ottone says that, more than any coaching drill or tactical move, keeping aggression under control is his main coaching tool."They've got a short fuse, which is easy to set off. Once you get that aggression under control the rest is easy."
The next challenge
Upfield's immediate concern is settling a $3000 fine issued by FFV's independent tribunal.A hotly contested match against arch-rival Watsonia ended with the club's associates causing property damage, threatening the officiating team and opposition fans, among other charges of which it was found guilty.Hanna says the club is doing everything in its power to raise the money to settle the fine.
Ottone says that, more than any coaching drill or tactical move, keeping aggression under control is his main coaching tool."They've got a short fuse, which is easy to set off. Once you get that aggression under control the rest is easy."
The next challenge
Upfield's immediate concern is settling a $3000 fine issued by FFV's independent tribunal.A hotly contested match against arch-rival Watsonia ended with the club's associates causing property damage, threatening the officiating team and opposition fans, among other charges of which it was found guilty.Hanna says the club is doing everything in its power to raise the money to settle the fine.
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