- Australian netball team’s dance went viral last October
- Team captain revealed the vile abuse players endured
Aussie men’s netball team captain Liam Forcadilla has opened up about the shocking extent of abuse his side endured after their viral dance routine at the World FAST5 Championships in New Zealand last October.
The Aussie side, known as the Kelpies, got the crowd on their feet at the tournament with moves staged to NSync’s Bye Bye Bye, which quickly went viral with millions of views.
The crowd in Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena responded well to the choreographed moves – and commentators also lapped it up.
Forcadilla says it was the next day that the team realised that they were copping shocking abuse online.
‘We had the two games on the Saturday, and we did the dance in the morning, so there wasn’t much time to look on our phones,’ Forcadilla told News Corp.
‘After, it had been posted by many news outlets and had really gone viral, and there were some really great and positive comments.
The Aussie side got the crowd on their feet at the World FAST5 Championships with their dance routine to NSync’s Bye Bye Bye – but the backlash they received was shocking
‘We saw a few negative ones here and there, but we had that after doing the Nutbush the year before, so we were expecting it.’
The team coach called Forcadilla the following day and informed him of the extent of the backlash.
Abuse included homophobic slurs, threats, personal attacks and some racism across different social media platforms.
It was decided that the side would avoid their phones until they had played South Africa.
‘It was never about a dance and going viral. We’ve had a job to do and that was to win a gold medal for our country,’ he said.
‘But it wasn’t just about like protecting our space and making sure that we had a job to focus on. It was also the fact that we had a 15-year-old in our team.
‘We had a boy who was 18 who was doing his HSC in between our games. It was about protecting them.’
Forcadilla explained that many viewers wouldn’t have understood that the FAST5 series is meant to be fast and fun, unlike regular netball.
Team captain Liam Forcadilla (pictured) says it was the next day that the team realised that they were copping torrents of abuse
Abuse included homophobic slurs, threats, personal attacks and some racism across different social media platforms
Forcadilla says players avoided looking at their phones during the tournament
The hateful abuse the team received marred the occasion for the entire squad.
‘It definitely got to a point where it was a little bit overwhelming,’ Forcadilla said.
‘It’s something that I wasn’t quite used to. And I think that it was more that I felt like I had a responsibility to do and say the right thing and to educate people on what it is that we do and who we are.
‘And I think that’s the thing that was maybe the heaviest.’
The Aussie skipper has challenged detractors to educate themselves on the sport and to come and watch a game.
‘I’d love for them to come down and watch a game,’ he said.
‘I guarantee you will be impressed by our athleticism, how we interpret netball, and we will show you that it’s not just a game for women, it’s a game for men as well.’
