Perth, WA, Australia
Mr Rudd, in Perth for the Boao Forum for Asia business conference, praised the work of Mirrabooka's Edmund Rice Centre, which formed the team of multicultural footballers aged between 14 and 21 years.
"The good thing about what Edmund Rice is doing is bringing together all these kids who have come to Australia as refugees and what they are doing with them is teaching them team skills, teaching them to love an Australian game and above all that to be made to feel welcome and part of the Australian family.
"These kids will be leaders in the Australian community in the future and this will be part of their formation."
The Edmund Rice Centre Lions' coach 18-year-old Peter Ajang is a recent convert to the game after moving to Perth from Sudan in 2006. Mr Ajang said before coming to Australia he only knew about basketball and soccer and AFL had been important in allowing him assimilate into the community.
"It's a great game, it should not just be Australia it should be all around the world like soccer," Mr Ajang said. "Maybe one day there will be an AFL World Cup."
