‘They’re not just watching an Essendon player anymore. They’re watching someone they know. They’re watching a friend.’
Northern Saints Football Club President Moe El Sheikh understands the impact of seeing Isaac Kako run around in the No.10 on the MCG – most especially the juniors at his local club who idolise the small forward.
As the junior club’s most notable alumni, Kako has never forgotten his roots. Still a frequent attendee of senior games and junior trainings, he’s the first to put his hand up and give back to the young local club that provided his first footy avenue.
The Saints continue to embrace Kako in the same way they’re embracing their local community now, giving kids of all backgrounds and cultures a platform to start their footy journeys.
El Sheikh says the story of the Dons’ livewire is still inspiring local players of diverse, wide-ranging backgrounds to take up the game.
Local legacy
“Isaac making the AFL has been enormous for our club.
“For the juniors around, it’s obvious that they see it and go ‘I can make it just like him’.
“Coming from that sort of background, they look at him and say, ‘that's our role model. Coming from our junior club, we can actually look up to him and we can do what he's done.’
“In that, it's been an asset for the club. Him being around our junior days, coming to watch seniors football, coming to training – those kids just seeing that face, no matter how many times they’ve gotten an autograph off him, every time he comes down, there's a new autograph coming out!”
Inspiring kids from all walks
“100 per cent (he’s inspiring more culturally diverse kids to play here).
“Being a club with so many cultures, it makes sense for them to look at it and know there's an opportunity there to push themselves to the next level.
“You can see it through the club. A lot of juniors represent us through different squads, academies, the NGA through tryouts, it's really stepped up their performances and it goes across both girls and the boys' programs.
“Kids are asking those questions to guys like Isaac and these other players when they make themselves available to these juniors. Them answering it and giving them their time just adds to that sense of hope.
“No matter the background, no matter the heritage, no matter where your parents are from, you can make it if you work hard enough and actually want it.”
Connection to Essendon
“It’s definitely given us a stronger connection to Essendon and the clubs in our region.
“They gave us the first access of having an NGA tryout at our football club through that connection with Isaac and we've got a big, big Essendon fanbase at our club.
“The No.10 is the most popular number at the moment at the football club and it’s no surprise why. Knowing that you've got somebody from your community there, it gives that sense or feeling where you’re connected to him now in that way.
“Knowing Isaac and his family since they were young, it’s just a given that you want to see him succeed.
“For our juniors in particular, they're not just watching an Essendon player anymore. They're watching someone they know. They’re watching a friend.
“As he’s someone who's still involved in our club and shows a continued interest, it gives them someone they can relate to, I guess. It gives the kids a powerful connection to the club, and it just creates a little bit of excitement around the AFL.
“It gives our younger kids especially another reason to dream about where the game could potentially take them.”
The Northern Saints way
“The Northern Saints are about more than just footy. We're more of a family. We're a club built around that. You come down on a Thursday night, there are meals going off left and right.
“We're a football club trying to build for the community. We're trying to create a club where kids and families from the local community have somewhere they actually belong.
“Football is just a vehicle but the bigger picture is providing a positive environment for them to build friendships, memories, and to teach them discipline and respect.
“It keeps the younger generation engaged and it helps the wider community.
“We've got families from every background here. We’re multicultural at our club, we've got a big base of different religions, cultures, backgrounds and we celebrate all of them.
“Seeing our junior program continue to grow is probably the biggest indication that we're actually having an impact at the Northern Saints Football Club.
“Every kid that puts on the jumper is another person that's involved in some sort of sport and as a result they're connected to their community and will hopefully continue to develop friendships and carry memories for life.
“Ultimately, we want the Northern Saints to be a destination club and something for this community to feel pride in. We’re a young club but we do what we can - we're one big, happy family at the Northern Saints, I guess you can say.”
To learn more about the Northern Saints Juniors, head to their website and get in touch.
Essendon’s Community Game takes place against Sydney at the MCG this Sunday as part of the AFL’s Cultural Heritage Series.
