Episode Details

Sikh Games 2026 Melbourne – Date, Venue, Sports and the Story Behind AUZ Punjabi FC

Melbourne is gearing up to host the 38th Australian Sikh Games from 3 to 5 April 2026 at Parkville — and the excitement across Australia's Punjabi community has never been louder. As the countdown begins, Radio Haanji 1674 AM host Ranjodh Singh has been sitting down with the clubs competing in this year's Sikh Games, bringing their stories directly to the community.

One of those conversations was with Prabhjit Singh Biling, president of AUZ Punjabi FC (AUZ Punjabi Football Club) — a Melbourne-based community club whose journey captures everything the Sikh Games stand for.

AUZ Punjabi FC: From 20 Kids to a Full-Grown Club

When AUZ Punjabi FC was founded in 2019, it started with a simple idea — give Melbourne's Punjabi youth a place to play football, build friendships, and stay connected to their roots. What began with around 20 children in junior age groups has grown into a club of over 100 players, fielding teams from Under-7 all the way through to senior level, with multiple squads competing in several age divisions simultaneously.

The club was founded specifically with the Australian Sikh Games in mind, and since its very first season, AUZ Punjabi FC has travelled to every state in Australia to represent Melbourne on the national stage. The 2026 edition in Melbourne is a full-circle moment — seven years of work coming home.

What drives the club goes beyond wins and trophies. In a city where life is fast-paced and screens compete for children's attention, AUZ Punjabi FC offers something harder to find: a ground to run on, a team to belong to, and a culture to be proud of. The club emphasises discipline, sportsmanship, physical fitness, and cultural identity — giving young Australians of Punjabi heritage a space where both sides of who they are can coexist comfortably.

For Ranjodh Singh and the Radio Haanji audience, the story of AUZ Punjabi FC is the story of a community quietly doing the work — and 2026 is their moment to shine in front of a home crowd.

The 38th Australian Sikh Games – Everything You Need to Know What Are the Australian Sikh Games?

The Australian Sikh Games (ASG) are the largest annual Sikh sporting and cultural event in the Southern Hemisphere — and one of the most significant multicultural events in Australia's calendar. Organised by ANSSACC (Australian National Sikh Sports and Cultural Council), the Games are held every year over Easter and rotate between Australia's major cities.

The Games draw crowds of over 100,000 people across three days, during which 8,000+ athletes and performers compete in 15 different sports and cultural activities, with approximately 120 not-for-profit sporting and cultural clubs actively taking part. International participants travel from New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong to compete.

This is not just a sports tournament. It is a reunion, a celebration, a cultural festival, and a statement about who Sikhs are in modern Australia — competitive, community-driven, and deeply proud.

Sikh Games 2026 Melbourne: Dates, Venue and Key Details Detail Information Event 38th Australian Sikh Games Melbourne 2026 Dates