Storer’s Mission For Kids
Two months ago James Storer took a delivery of more than 800 footy boots from Wollongong to Fiji. The longterm impact could very well help the Pacific island nation play in a rugby league World Cup final in the coming two decades. But the mission isn’t to turn these kids into football stars.
The mission is to give them a “way out”.
CYCLONE WINSTON
The idea was born in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston. The tropical cyclone devastated the islands in February 2016. It demolished homes and ruined farms.
Storer was visiting family in Fiji at the time the cyclone hit, but was lucky to be further south than the worst parts of the storm. He wanted to do something to help his native country in its hour of need.
The nation he had represented at two World Cups was now on its knees, and Storer knew it was time to give something back.
“I’ve been blessed being able to represent Fiji, and being accepted by the Fijians to be able to represent the country,” Storer explained to foxsports.com.au.
“It’s just my thank you to them, I want to put something back into the country. I’m very grateful and that’s why I want to do this.” So Storer wanted to help. He just didn’t know exactly what that looked like. It wasn’t until a few months later he realised how he could be of service. He was on a trip to Samoa in October to represent Fiji in a one-off international, when the idea came to him. A boot drive.
Storer’s idea was simple. He would use rugby league as a vehicle to lift the spirits of Fijians devastated by Cyclone Winston. As captain-coach of Port Kembla in the Group Seven league competition, Storer has a bit of a profile in the Illawarra sporting community. He issued a tentative call-out to local groups and associations, explaining his idea.
He wanted any and all footy boots people had no use for, to take and distribute among young Fijians. He received 65 pairs of boots. In February he took the boots and travelled to Fiji’s Ra Province, where Winston had done the most damage, and distributed them among two villages. While there he shot a video of the trip, and used it to promote the mission further upon return to Australia. All of a sudden Storer’s mission gained overwhelming traction.
His second call-out to Illawarra connections came back with an incredible response. More than 400 pairs of footy boots were dumped on Storer’s doorstep. Along with the boots was an assortment of other football gear. It was a level of success he hadn’t dared to dream of.
So as soon as Port Kembla had a bye weekend late in the season, Storer packaged up the gifts and shipped them in a container to Fiji. This time the delivery spread much wider, across more schools and more villages. The reaction of the children when Storer arrived with the boots proved his idea was a success.
“They were pretty happy with it, they said no one has ever done that for them,” Storer said. “Two weeks after we left the schools had a gala day ... they said it was just amazing, it was like the Olympics. All these little schools came in and had their little flags and it was like the Olympics. They had 47 teams of boys and girls. That was like the biggest thing they’ve ever had. The best thing was all those kids weren’t running around in just their shoes, they were running around in the latest footy boots.”
Storer has seen a shift in Fiji over the years, as the nation leans towards adopting rugby league as its sport of choice.
Stars like Semi Radradra and Suliasi Vunivalu are carrying the torch for Fiji in the NRL, and inspiring kids back home to follow in their footsteps.
The governing body in Australia would love to see more of these “little athletes”, as Storer describes them, join the system and play at the elite level. But Storer’s mission was never about turning the youngsters into football stars.
POSITIVE SEEDS
Storer’s boot drive is more about broadening the horizons of Fiji’s young people than it is about rugby league.
He doesn’t care so much about how many of the children go on to play footy. He just wants to give them the opportunity to get off the islands if they want to. “Rugby league is a way out. Living over there in the conditions that they’re in ... they are happy, and they’re healthy ... but it’s very limited,” Storer said.
“These young kids, rugby league is a way out, to get off (the islands) and follow Semi and Suli and all those boys who have come from the island.
“They’re not only doing well for themselves, but they’re able to support their families. “All I’m doing is trying to plant some positive seeds, use this time that I’ve got.” Aside from the boots, Storer is using his skills and knowledge as a professional fitness trainer to teach the Fijians simple workouts using the bare minimum.
While in Fiji he will spend time with the locals running through strength and fitness drills.
He wants the Fijians to have “no excuses”. They’ve got the gear, they know how to train. Now it’s up to them to follow the dream. “More or less taking the excuses out of not being able to make it ... so they can’t say ‘well I don’t have the equipment to make it’,” he said.
Storer’s job isn’t done when the World Cup ends, either. He plans to continue his work in Fiji as long as he’s allowed to.
In between his work and commitments in Australia, Storer plans to travel to Fiji a couple of times a year to keep the mission alive. “They’ll be sick of me by the time I’m done here.” – Fox Sports