The Gold Coast SUNS have left a lasting reminder of the club’s appreciation of Indigenous football in Cairns.

The club wore an Indigenous jumper for the first time in the round 11 clash with Adelaide earlier this year, and one of the guernseys created for that match was donated to AFL Cape York House when injured forward Josh Hall visited the facility recently.

AFL Cape York House was opened in 2013 and provides educational, employment and training opportunities for young Indigenous men from far north Queensland’s remote communities. The students live in a small, personalised residential facility where they are individually case-managed so they can develop career and life pathways, while also pursuing success in sport.

The guernsey will hopefully inspire the teenagers to reach their goals, whether that involves reaching the AFL or not.

One of the boarders, Malachi Songoro, played in the GC SUNS Academy intra-club match last Saturday at Cazalys Stadium, which acted as a curtain raiser to the main event when the SUNS and the Western Bulldogs clashed.

He only watched his first live game of AFL last year and said he learnt a lot from the experience.

“I was surprised with just the movement and how quick the game goes,” Songoro told The Cairns Post.

AFL Cape York House will take in another 12 boarders next year as it moves towards capacity.

The centre’s general manager, Richard Stewart, said football was a great vehicle to help the students develop in to upstanding young men.

“For us, footy is a great hook to get them in to school,” he said.