The John Moriarty Foundation - which showcased its leading First Nations youth footballers during the recent Indigenous Football Week First Nations talent is continuing to be overlooked in the world game.
The latest generation of soccer stars appeared in Sydney; 26 of the most promising male and female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players aspiring towards Socceroos and Matildas caps.
The 12-16-year-olds were handpicked to join the inaugural JMF National Talent Showcase from across Australia for their "elite potential", according to the 87-year-old founder, My Moriarty.
The Yanyuwa man, who was the country's first Indigenous footballer to be selected to represent Australia before its international against Hong Kong and its 1960 subsequent tour of Southeast Asia was cancelled, felt that the showcase was an overwhelming success and a life-changing experience.
"The talent we saw on display was exceptional," Mr Moriarty said after the event.
"This showcase demonstrates just how deep the pure talent pool of gifted Indigenous footballers is across Australia."
He noted that "football has the power to unlock doors and create opportunities, just like it did for me".
"But for many Indigenous players, especially those in the bush, they are locked out of the game as the barriers are just too high," Mr Moriarty said.
"We want more talented Indigenous footballers to reach for the stars and aspire to be the next Socceroo or Matilda.
"This showcase could be the catalyst to kickstart the careers of these talented young players."
Despite the work of Moriarity's foundation, Indigenous figures in the game have continued to be concerned by Football Australia's approach to First Nations players.
This comes after Football Australia announced in 2021 the formation of its National Indigenous Advisory Group to bring a breadth and depth of knowledge and insight into the emerging goals of the code across the country's Indigenous communities.
The prominent Indigenous group names included ex-Australian internationals, Jade North, Kyah Simon and Dr Karen Menzies, and player-coaches Frank Farina, the one-time Socceroos gaffer who is Torres Strait Islander and Italian, and Tanya Oxtoby, who plies her mentoring trade away in England.
Phil Dotti had briefly made his name - in mid-1980s rugby league - with stints at Eastern Suburbs and Cronulla, but has been speaking out loudly on the round-ball scene this century. The Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti man, who has dedicated his post-sporting time to mentoring Indigenous youth, has been scathing of Football Australia.
Dotti initiated one of the sport's first recognised Indigenous tournaments in the Harry Williams Cup, named after the first Aboriginal man to debut for the Socceroos back in 1970, a decade on from Moriarity's initial selection.
Williams did appear at the 1974 World Cup - the Socceroos maiden appearance at the men's tournament - but no other Indigenous men have appeared in Australia's last five consecutive World Cup berths since its return in 2006, including this year's tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Only North and Travis Dodd, who scored Australia's only Indigenous goal, have represented the mob for a Socceroos international, but both outside of the country's World Cup appearances.
"That tells you everything you need to know about the system," Dotti told CODE Sports during Indigenous Football Week.
"It's just not working."
Australia's Indigenous women have fared slightly better in Matildas' representation comprising of not only Menzies and Simon, but Kyah's sister Gema Simon, Kayleen Jansen, Bridgette Starr and recently retired goalkeeper, Lydia Williams.
Despite an improvement in the Indigenous women's presence at the national level, Dotti said more needs to be done for a greater inclusiveness in elite programs that does not further burden the John Moriarity Foundation.
"I think it needs government intervention because the FA aren't supporting our people the way they should," he said.
The federal government currently contributes $3.8 million a year for Football Australia, which does not include a cent towards boosting greater participation in First Nations communities.
The John Moriarity Foundation is funded separately while being arm's length away from Football Australia.
John Moriarity Foundation ambassador Allira Toby said that its inaugural showcase was integral for the 26 Indigenous youngsters "getting a snapshot of what some environments look like" towards providing the aspirational talent an array of workshops, interviews and meetings towards stepping into professionalism.
"I think it's invaluable," Toby said.
"I wish when I was their age coming up playing soccer, I had opportunities that they have these days.
"I'm a broken record that representation matters, and I think the more that they're given these opportunities and pathways, and they're able to visualise and experience this, it can only bode well for them towards their future, knowing that they can do whatever they want and that they can break the cycles if they have to."
The 31-year-old was something of a late bloomer to the elite level, saying she had "never went through any academy - never even a part of any rep teams" growing up.
She was 21 years of age when Toby signed her first A-League women's - then the W-League - rookie contract for the 2015-16 season.
Toby has gone onto make 78 appearances in Australia's top competition for Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Sydney FC and Canberra United across seven seasons.
The Ipswich product agreed with the criticism, adding that Indigenous remote communities are isolated from the top echelon of the game.
"I am believer we are behind the times in that sense in providing those opportunities and having that representation at the high levels with Indigenous athletes - it is something we need to do a lot better," she said.
"It was part of the reason for this showcase that these things can provide opportunities and that is what a lot of the other codes do well in different ways and how they do it that soccer, here in Australia, don't actually provide things like this for our mob."
