Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This past weekend, I attended the Albanian Cup tournament held by a local club in my electorate, the North Sunshine Eagles Football Club. Celebrating its 15th year, the Albanian Cup is a four-day celebration of Albanian culture, community and football. The event brought over 6,500 people over the four days, and 20 teams participated, from as far away as Cairns and Western Australia. They were brought to More Park Pavilion in Ardeer.

Football is a huge part of my electorate, and multiculturalism is a bedrock of football in Australia. The bulk of soccer clubs in my area were started in the mid-20th century by European migrants, who did so to celebrate their culture and bring people together. Tournaments like the Albanian Cup enable communities to celebrate and preserve their culture.

Beyond the Albanian Cup, the North Sunshine Eagles are a successful team whose senior men's team will be promoted to VPL1 in 2025. The club was also recently awarded a $75,000 grant, under the Play Our Way program, to continue their commitment to remove barriers for women and girls participating in football. This commitment extends to supporting families from a low-socioeconomic background by covering fees so that kids can continue playing the sport they love.

Congratulations to the North Sunshine Eagles on a successful Albanian Cup, with special mention to committee members Julie, Adam, Emmanuela, Ves, Lipo, Lana and George, without whom the event would not have been possible. Of course, congratulations to the Adelaide Eagles Soccer Club, who won the tournament.