Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last weekend I faced one of those awkward no-win political conundrums that those of us in this place are sometimes forced to confront. For the first time in living memory, two VFL teams within my own electorate, the Footscray Bulldogs, newly returned to the VFL this year, and the Williamstown Seagulls, playing in their first year as a stand-alone club in the VFL since 2001, battled it out at the VU Whitten Oval in the VFL qualifying final. 2014 has been a great year for both clubs, with Footscray and Williamstown finishing second and third on the VFL ladder, respectively, and Williamstown taking out the Foxtel Cup League Championship earlier in the year. So anticipation for this game in Melbourne's west was high.

Unsurprisingly, the community turned out in force, with over 7,000 spectators attending on the day, including a number of proud local Labor MPs. On a very blustery day and with the wind at their backs, the Seagulls at one stage were up by 20 points, but the Dogs managed to turn the tide and won at the end of the day by 95 to 75. As a result, I understand that the state election campaign for the member for Williamstown, Wade Noonan, has taken a blow this week as he will be forced to wear a Dogs scarf in the Victorian parliament as a result of a lost bet with the member for Footscray, Marsha Thomson. As for me, while I confess that as a Footscray resident I was wearing a Dogs scarf on the day, I did have a Willy scarf in my back pocket, and the Seagulls will have my full support when they fight to keep their premiership hopes alive in their second-chance final against Werribee at North Port Oval on Sunday.

On a personal note, it has been fantastic to see footy back at Whitten Oval, which is just down the road from my new electorate office on Geelong Road. It has been great to see the match-day vibe in Footscray as people walk up to the ground. It has been special for me to be able to give my young daughter her first taste of live footy, sitting on the hill at a true suburban footy match. It has been particularly pleasing to see a big family presence at all the games at VU Whitten Oval this year. It has been a great advertisement for the young men and women from all over Melbourne's west to join their local footy clubs.

It is important to understand that in Melbourne's west footy clubs are more than just sporting organisations; they are community institutions. Footy is the great leveller in our community. It does not matter whether you are from the wealthiest suburb in the west or you are someone that is doing it tough, whether your great-great-grandfather was born here or you just migrated to Australia last week: when you are out on the footy field you are the equal of everyone else out there with you. This inherent egalitarianism is expressed through the major role that our footy clubs play in the broader community. I have already spoken about the important Sons of the West Men's Health Program that has been undertaken in my electorate this year by the Western Bulldogs. But footy clubs across the west also routinely engage in voluntary school clinics, leadership workshops and guest coaching for smaller clubs.

Our footy clubs help us to feel like we are part of something bigger. They remind us that we are not just individuals but part of a community with shared values and aspirations, a community that comes together to celebrate, to commiserate and to make the area that we live in that little bit better for us all. So I say to everyone in Melbourne's west: 'Do not be shy—get down to your local footy club and be a part of it.' And, at the end of the day, 'Carn the Scrays!'