Swans boss says AFL is still fighting the Goodes fight on racism

Swans boss says AFL is still fighting the Goodes fight on racism

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham believes the AFL has made progress in its handling of racism in football since the "appalling" treatment of Adam Goodes four years ago but claims the game still has a problem.

A documentary into the booing saga that marred the final years of Goodes' career has prompted reflection across the football industry on the game's attitudes towards issues relating to race.

A film, The Final Quarter, has been made exploring the finals years of Adam Goodes' career.

A film, The Final Quarter, has been made exploring the finals years of Adam Goodes' career.Credit:Rohan Thomson

AFL chief Gillon McLachlan and club chief executives were this week shown a preview screening of The Final Quarter, which will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on June 7.

Producers Shark Island Institute say the film "holds a mirror to Australia and is an opportunity to reconsider what happened on and off the football field".


The film does not editorialise on the issue but senior figures in the game and high-profile media commentators are in the spotlight over their comments during the saga.

The AFL Commission, the game's Indigenous players and Swans players are among those who have seen the 75-minute film, which does not feature new interviews but uses media and game footage to detail the story.

Goodes became a voice against racism in the game after being racially vilified by a young Collingwood fan in 2013.

The AFL was widely criticised for their slow reaction to condemn the booing of Goodes by fans in 2015, which culminated in a game in Perth against West Coast. The dual Brownlow Medallist did not play the following week and retired at the end of that season.

Liam Ryan, Paddy Ryder and Eddie Betts are among stars who have been racially vilified on social media this year, while Collingwood's Travis Varcoe revealed he considered not playing after his wife discovered a racist page on Facebook directed at him.


Clubs have condemned those responsible for the abuse by suspending their memberships.

"The way in which the game of AFL officially deals with it today has materially improved from when Adam was playing," Pridham told the Herald. "It doesn't mean it's not still there.

"All clubs have reasonably high-profile Indigenous players. They see it, and we all see it.

"The lesson for the clubs and the AFL has been more how to deal with it. Not going turtle, as they say, and pretending it's not happening and it's not there. It's not an adequate way of responding when it does occur."

The Swans believed the jeers directed at Goodes were racially motivated - and still do. The film will be distributed to schools for primary and secondary students.

"The number one message will be how appalling that period was as a nation and as Australia's major sport, appalling how many people were drawn into it. I think its embarrassing frankly," Pridham said.

"I think it's really good it will be taught in school, I think that's really good ... (it will) make a big difference. It's an appropriate time for it to come out.

"The general mood and public opinion is very much of the view there was clearly evident racism involved in the whole thing. The two years when people were denying it ... the most common thing (they said was) it's all Adam's fault.

"Public opinion has changed dramatically in that respect. People see how bad it was but I think you'd be foolish to think there's not still problems with racism in the community and the game - it's still there. It'll take a long, long time to slowly improve."

Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald

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