The Australian First Nations Mariya, also known as Mariya (meaning 'Emu' in the

Dhurga language The Dhurga language, also written Thurga, is an Australian Aboriginal language of New South Wales. It is a language of the Yuin people, specifically the Wandandian and Walbunja groups, but there have been no fluent speakers officially recorded ...

), are an international association football team that represents the first nations peoples of Australia. They are associated with

CONIFA The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Competitions Women's football All members of CONIFA are encouraged to inv ...

History

Mariya made their debut on 20 January 2018 against NZ Māori, losing 3–2 in a 'Clash of the Cultures' match at McLennan Park,

Papakura Papakura is a southern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres south of the Auckland CBD. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. Papakura is a M� ...

. The following year they competed again at the 'Clash of the Cultures', this time held in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

, where they beat the South Coast Police Force 8–1 and an African Nations FA team 6–2 but fell to defeat against semi-pro team

Wollongong Wolves Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wat ...

2–0. The senior men's NZ Māori team did not compete. On 18 January 2020, at the third iteration of 'Clash of the Cultures', Mariya drew 1–1 with NZ Māori after a 90th-minute equaliser following a Mariya goal in the 73rd minute. Mariya would have competed at the

2020 CONIFA World Football Cup The 2020 CONIFA World Football Cup would have been the fourth edition of the CONIFA World Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organized by CONIFA. Somalila ...

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

, North Macedonia had it not been cancelled for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

reasons. They are coached by

Jade North Jade Bronson North (born 7 January 1982) is an Aboriginal Australian former professional footballer who played as a centre back or right back. He was a member of the Australian national team, and is co-chair of Football Australia's inaugural ...

, the first indigenous Australian to captain the

Socceroos The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...

External links

References

{{Confederation of Independent Football Associations members Oceanian national and official selection-teams not affiliated to FIFA CONIFA member associations Australian football clubs