SINCE Stephen Coniglio landed at Greater Western Sydney in its inaugural year, the club has maintained a real sense of community. Showcasing its diversity and celebrating the different cultural backgrounds of its players, staff, and fans remains central to its identity.

Being a Giants player means serving as an authentic role model who reflects and connects with the multicultural Western Sydney community, while fostering an environment where teammates can proudly share their own backgrounds.

Ahead of GWS hosting its annual Cultural Heritage Series game this Saturday against Carlton at Engie Stadium, Coniglio was joined by five teammates representing the cultural diversity of the 2026 playing group. He noted that while the club has always prioritised diversity, players now use their platforms to build deep community connections, share their heritage, and inspire the next generation.

"It's obviously the vehicle around being a professional athlete and being an AFL player here for the Giants," Coniglio told AFL.com.au.

"It's incredible that we can have that platform and build a connection with our community.

"Through the multicultural space that I've been involved in over my 15-year journey, it's taken me to some amazing places, experiences, and friendships that will last a lifetime. We're very grateful to be in Western Sydney, which is just the multicultural capital of Australia."

Coniglio is of Italian heritage. His grandfather emigrated from Italy to Perth in the late 1950s to establish the family's new home. His father, born in Italy, subsequently migrated to Australia as a young child in the 1960s, while his mother also emigrated from England around the same time.

For several years, Coniglio served as an AFL Multicultural Ambassador, sharing his cultural traditions and mentoring young footballers across Western Sydney's diverse communities. While no longer in the official role, he remains highly active at a club level – mentoring younger, diverse teammates and working closely with local multicultural community leaders.

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To Coniglio, spotlighting stories like his family's is essential.

"Ultimately, we want to see a playing group reflecting Western Sydney and the rest of society," he said.

"The Western Sydney community is multicultural. A majority of our fans are multicultural. It's imperative for our club to showcase, celebrate and be proud of the different backgrounds that we represent – more so, I reckon, than any other side in the competition."

There is ongoing discussion around cultural diversity in the AFL, with the League heavily prioritising multicultural inclusion to make the sport more accessible by lowering barriers to participation. 

Asked where he sees the League's next major steps, Coniglio said the competition does not yet fully reflect everyday Australian society and wants to see that change.

"We need to find more multicultural players, particularly in the Western Sydney region, from a Giants perspective," he said.

"When I watch the competition now, does it reflect what society probably looks like on a day-to-day basis? Probably not yet.

"But exposing kids from overseas and different cultural backgrounds to our game, bringing their different skill sets, is only going to make the competition better for everyone. So, my hope is we see more multicultural players, and Indigenous players, coming into our game in the years to come."

Growing up as a footy-loving kid in Perth, Coniglio idolised former West Coast star Nic Naitanui, who shared his hometown. 

Seeing a local player succeed made his own goals feel achievable, reinforcing how powerful it is for children to believe, "He's from Perth, I'm from Perth – why can't I?"

Coniglio uses this childhood experience to emphasise why today's youth need visible role models who share similarities with them.

"I was a kid once and had AFL players as my idols… so I try to do the right things and make sure I'm authentic in that people know I'm proud of my culture," he said.

"With the amount of work we do out in Western Sydney, so many kids of colour look at Leek Aleer and Connor Idun and immediately make them their favourite players – and then, naturally, they start supporting the Giants. I know plenty of kids from African backgrounds who say, 'I want to play AFL and be like them one day.' Those little things are incredibly important for kids aspiring to be athletes.

"You've seen the impact with Josaia Delana – he came in for his first game against Sydney, and had his whole family bring Fijian gifts for all the players and staff. 

"Connor Idun went to Ghana last year for the first time with a couple of the players. He came back and shared his story.

"This only adds to our club culture. If players are going to play their best, they need to be exactly who they are and feel supported in our environment to do so."