Sport is proving to be a great social adhesive – bringing people from different cultures together. Whatever the actual score, an important goal for everyone is good relationships.

The benefits are becoming evident across Australia.

In Perth, Banksia United, a soccer team of mainly Aboriginal boys and girls, played their first match against players from Burma and Africa, for example.

Banksia didn’t win, but when they eventually scored the smiles were as wide as the pitch at Butterworth Park, Koondoola.

The coach, Joe Moniodis, was delighted to report that in the next match Banksia did much better.

“We scored twice against Tapping Primary School, where soccer is the main sport. Quite apart from the matches, it’s a great opportunity for the young people to train every week,” he says. “We arrange to pick them up . . . some are ready and waiting at the door as we arrive.”

The soccer project is a partnership of Relationships Australia’s Moorditj Yarning program for Aboriginal people, and the Edmund Rice Centre at Mirrabooka, where Joe is Youth Programs Coordinator.

In Victoria, Relationships Australia and Carlton Football Club have taken a “premier” role in not only spreading the word but also hosting a “Game On!” forum for more than 60 people from elite professional sporting clubs and community sports organisations who work hard to cross boundaries.

Among the wonderful stories the forum heard was the success of Kamal Ibrahim. Five years ago he migrated to Melbourne from Ethiopia with his mother and five siblings. He now plays for A-League soccer team Melbourne Heart.

“I knew no English and nothing about Australia when I arrived,” he told participants. “Football has helped me feel part of the community and I am very grateful for all the support I have been given.”

Forum discussions sent several important messages, including the fact that “multicultural sports are moving from niche to core business across a number of sports.”