Indigenous students star with Welcome to Country at FIFA Women’s World Cup

11 Indigenous students from Western Sydney participated in the delivery of the Welcome to Country at the Australia v Ireland match on Thursday.

Indigenous students from schools in Western Sydney enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience after delivering a Welcome to Country at Australia's opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Hailing from St Agnes Catholic High School Rooty Hill, Caroline Chisholm College Glenmore Park and Catherine McAuley Westmead, the 11 students were invited to perform with Jannawi Dance Clan, which led the moving ceremony in front of the record 75,784 crowd at Stadium Australia on Thursday.

Students found out about their involvement during the school holidays and took part in a series of rehearsals under the guidance of the Jannawi dance leaders, Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese's (CSPD) CAPTIVATE performing and creative arts team and CSPD's Jarara Cultural Centre.

St Agnes student Jewell Osborn said participating in the event was incredible.

"I've still got chills from how amazing an experience that was," Ms Osbourn said.

"As a little girl, I dreamt of doing something like this and now it's a dream come true.

"I'm just 16, it's crazy and I'm so proud to be representing St Agnes and my people."

Caroline Chisholm student Milo Smith said the adrenaline she felt whilst delivering the Welcome to Country was amazing.

Jannawi Dance Clan assisted students in preparing for the performance.

"I was beyond proud to be showing off where I'm from and my culture. It was such a moving experience," Ms Smith said.

Whilst Catherine McAuley Westmead student Jordan Bindley said it felt like her ancestors were watching her from the Dreamtime.

"I felt a really powerful connection to my family and ancestors all the way through the rehearsals and especially tonight," Ms Bindley said.

Jannawi Dance Clan, an Aboriginal dance company that centres on Indigenous storytelling through dance and performance helped prepare the students for the performance.

Jannawi artistic director Pete Strachan was thrilled to involve the students for the event after developing a strong relationship with Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese, CAPTIVATE and Jarara in recent years.

"I'm always looking for opportunities to involve the girls that I work with in the Catholic schools," Ms Strachan said.

"The schools, including Aunty Julie and the Jarara team, have been so supportive of me and I just love the CAPTIVATE team and the professionalism that they have in the arts.

"This really inspires me to do more with them and the students and it really enhances our company as well."

Jarara Cultural Centre lead Julie Waddell said the relationship between Jarara and the Jannawi Dance Clan has has lasting cultural impacts on students.

Participating students outside Stadium Australia.

"We've developed a beautiful relationship with Peta and Aunty Julie through Jannawi over the last four years," Ms Waddell said.

"The opportunities for our girls to connect to country, connect to each other from many different schools, to share culture and be part of a community that is supportive and culturally safe."

CAPTIVATE Manager Arts Learning Francoise Marrier d'Unienville said participating students were blown away by the size of the event.

"It was a real eye-opener for the students to see the magnitude of putting on an event like this," Ms D'Unienville said.

"This is what we seek to do in CAPTIVATE. To give students real life opportunities and it doesn't get much better or bigger than this."

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup officials have made a concerted effort to celebrate Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori culture in the lead up to and throughout the tournament, with the Welcome to Country before both nations' opening games being crucial to welcoming the world to the event.

Australia won their opening fixture of the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Ireland.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup runs from July 20 to August 20, with Australia's next match against Nigeria to be played on Thursday at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.