In episode one of Shifting Subjects, Lisa explores her love/hate fascination with Australian Rules Football by speaking with three Asian Australians who live and breathe it.

What drew them in? What keeps them coming back? As racialised people, how do they find space within sporting cultures that have a well-documented history of racism?

In this episode you’ll meet Geelong Cats superfan Shamsiya Hussainpoor; Collingwood AFLW midfielder Joanna Lin; and player manager Jamie Pi, who once personally commentated a game for Xi Jinping.

Download a copy of the transcript here:

Credits

Written, cut and hosted by Lisa DivissiSupervising production and mixing by Jon TjhiaFact checking by Mell ChunTheme music by Marcus WhaleAdditional music, including original compositions by AnSoPublished by Leah Jing McIntoshExecutive production by Lisa DivissiSpecial thanks this episode to Joe Sullivan and Timothy Miller

Shifting Subjects is a LIMINAL podcast and a proud member of the Broadwave podcast network. It is supported by City of Melbourne Arts Grants and Creative Victoria.

Links and further reading, listening and watching…

Podcasts

* The Outer Sanctum has sadly hung up its boots, but it doesn’t take away from the amazing achievement of its contributors in delivering warm, thoughtful, smart and passionate analysis of footy, both on an industry and spectator level. The back issues are worth combing through

* To continue your sports + audio journey, Pink Card is part memoir, sports drama, social history and caper tracing the role of women and soccer in Iranian history; told by Shima Oliaee (Dolly Parton’s America, RadioLab) I’m on episode three so far and it’s sooo good

Film and TV

* The Australian Dream (2019) tells the story of Indigenous AFL legend Adam Goodes. This is a great place to start when learning about race relations in Australia’s history and sporting cultures

Reading

* Lin Jong speaks with Robert Wood for an interview in Liminal magazine (2021)

* Rana Hussain on her role as a diversity consultant for the AFL by Marnie Vinall in the Saturday Paper (2021)