Key Points
- Dynamo Victoria FC is a multicultural soccer club founded in Melbourne by Colombian Alejandro Ramirez in 2018.
- In 2023, the women's and men's teams won five trophies.
- The players and its founder explain why they consider the club as a 'family' and a support network with an emphasis on mental health and community work.
Dynamo Victoria FC evolved from a group of friends who used to get together to play football on Wednesday nights on a rented court in Kensington, inner-city Melbourne.
Today, it features two men's and one women's teams that are already winning titles in the amateur leagues in Victoria.
The club now has 60 men and 40 women players from more than 20 countries including Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Australia, Qatar, China, United States and Mexico.
Tania Barcelona, from Spain, said the club offered her a "sense of belonging and camaraderie".
“I started playing for Dynamo because Alejandro (Ramirez) is one of my best friends, but I continued because of the community that we are creating while playing soccer," Barcelona told SBS Spanish.
"There is nothing better than playing sports with friends from different parts of the world and also helping to promote women's sport."
Isabella Franco, a Brazilian, has been part of the team for three years. Initially joining alongside the founding members, she plays as a defender, citing her boyfriend's participation in the men's team as her reason for joining.
The Dynamo Victoria FC women's team were champions of their division in 2023. Credit: Dynamo Victoria FC
It gave me a lot of motivation to take care of myself, to take care of my health. I feel that this motivation to be better and do my best, in addition to being part of a community, has helped me a lot.Isabella Franco
According to the team's technical director, Daniel Ramirez, it's not just about football.
"We are a lot of international people and it's very difficult for you at first to arrive in a city where you don't speak English well and you don't know anyone, so the club has created a network not only for Spanish speakers, but for people of all nationalities," Ramirez said.
The Dynamo Victoria FC men's team has enjoyed success on and off the pitch. Credit: Dynamo Victoria FC
"Both in the women's club and men's club, it gives you the opportunity to learn English, to practise it, to play sports, to meet people," he said.
"We try to do social things around the games. We try to get together, to make lunches, things like that that involve not only football but that social fabric of feeling that you are part of the city because sometimes it's difficult to integrate."
Funding for the club comes from local sponsors, government contributions and community events such as the "Kicknic" - a kind of picnic party.
'The human part is the priority'
Club founder, Alejandro Ramirez, is also a psychotherapist and has a masters degree in sports management.
"From the beginning, we set out to treat the people who came very well, to always seek the interest of the community and not personal interest, to strive to take care of the details and tell the community about the project," he said.
Founder, Alejandro Ramirez, says the club has transcended its purely sporting function. Credit: Dynamo Victoria FC
Ramirez said that 2023 had been a year of sporting success.
"One of the men's teams was champion of their division and the other runner-up," he said.
"The women were champions of their division. It was a total of five trophies for the club in 2023, which has been very special for us and we are very pleased about that."
He said the club had transcended its purely sporting function, becoming an essential support network for many migrants.
He said he believed that sport and social connection were a way to take care of mental health.
All the initiatives and policies are created with the mental and physical health of the community in mind. The soccer part is super important to us, but the human part is always the priority.Alejandro Ramirez
Monash University psychotherapist, Alejandro Ochoa, points out that playing sports is key to the mental and physical well-being of all people.
"It brings two things to mental health: an environment where people can create communication, verbal and non-verbal, and thus build a space for growth and learning in the new country, even in the midst of the competitiveness of a sport," Ochoa, who also competes in elite-level sport, told SBS Spanish.
According to Ochoa, community sport gives migrants the chance to adapt more easily to life in a new country.
Through football, communities come together. These activities, and these teams, allow people, especially migrants, to (integrate into) a new country like Australia. Sport turns out to be a vehicle for inclusion.Alejandro Ochoa
Ochoa, who received the 2021 award for "Best Trainer" from Triathlon Victoria, said that, "sport is an emotional support, a vehicle for bringing the body and mind to calm".
Promoting socialisation through sport
(MSS) is another example of the way in which sporting activity becomes a social support network.
The non-profit organisation, registered in 2018, promotes socialisation and cultural exchange through football, in a friendly space open to anyone who is interested.
It has more than 8,000 members through the Meetup social network and around 150 men and women who actively participate every week.
Alejandro Ramirez (C) with players, Tania Barcelona (L) and Sebastián Lugo (R). Credit: Dynamo Victoria FC
"Since our parties are social and it's not necessary to have a monthly or annual commitment, many people who have just arrived in Melbourne find an opportunity to go out to meet other people, and even make new friends while enjoying sports," Pena said.
"We highly encourage off-court encounters. We do 'afters', picnics, we even get together during the week to eat or go out for a drink,” the Argentinian migrant told SBS Spanish.
During these years at MSS, I saw first-hand how beautiful friendships were formed on and off the court (or field), and how many people who migrated to Melbourne found a place of belonging and welcome.Maggie Garcia Pena
She added that outdoor and team exercise improved mood, provided a sense of freedom and connected people.
“The possibility of being physically active, being outdoors and also socialising with other people brings a lot of benefits to the well-being and mental health of players who come to MSS," she said.
"I think that's why a lot of them keep coming week after week.”
For many newcomers to the country, there are factors that can contribute to anxiety, stress or nerves, and having a space to play soccer, meet other people and forget about their worries for a while is very valuable.Maggie Garcia Pena
Looking to the future, Dynamo Victoria FC aspires to join the National Premier League.
