The AFL will celebrate Indigenous Round in Round 9 of the 2015 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, May 29-31, and AFL Queensland is inviting all Clubs and Affiliate Leagues to celebrate the round at the same time at marquee matches across the state.
Indigenous Round celebrates the connection between the game and Indigenous Australia by linking AFL fans, players, coaches, volunteers and staff to the Indigenous culture. The Round is marked with the annual event, “Dreamtime at the G” and has grown in recent years to include a wide range of initiatives, events and partnerships.
In 2015, the Round will focus on celebrating the incredible contribution of past and present Indigenous players. The foundation for this theme is the 20th year anniversary of the AFL’s Racial Vilification Policy. The AFL’s Racial Vilification Policy and development of the AFL Indigenous Round were implemented following the national headlines Michael Long and Damien Monkhorst made over an incident the 1995 ANZAC Day game between Collingwood and Essendon.
In South East Queensland, all NEAFL, QAFL and QWAFL matches will acknowledge the round through field umpires wearing socks that showcase the Indigenous and Torres Strait Island Flags and goal umpires will also wave the respective flags when scoring happens.
Each region will also be supplied with the socks and flags to implement at marquee matches across that weekend as well.
Indigenous Round can also be marked by undertaking the following traditional symbols:
- Nominating an Indigenous Community Leader to toss the coin
- Nominating Indigenous players to be the Club’s coin toss representative
- Undertake a Welcome to Country – please see attached document on how to implement this
- Display of the Indigenous and Torres Strait Island Flags
- Paint the centre circle in Indigenous Colours
- Website/Media content that tells your Club/League’s link to the Indigenous Culture
Cairns will be celebrating Dreamtime by the Sea on Sunday May 31 with a traditional match between Cairns City Lions and North Cairns, both teams will wear Indigenous jumpers. In Townsville, Saturday May 30 will mark a huge day at Tony Island Stadium where U17s Indigenous All Stars take on an U17s AFL Townsville team, followed by a match between the Hawks and Tigers (who will also wear Indigenous jumpers).
Further, the Long Walk Brisbane will occur on Sunday May 31 from Musgrave Park and will cumulate with 250 walkers doing a lap of honour of the Gabba prior to the bounce down of the Rd 9 clash between the Brisbane Lions and St Kilda. The Lions will also mark this occasion with a traditional Indigenous ceremony on-field, led by Songwoman Maroochy in a Welcome to Country, national anthem sung by Scott Campbell, traditional dance performance by students of the Murri School and NAB AFL Auskick half time games by indigenous local school children.
If you are aware of any other activities across the May 29-31 weekend that will help celebrate the AFL Indigenous Round, we would love to receive further information.
Clubs are welcome to download the AFLQ Welcome to Country Protocol– It sets our commitment to improve participation, build partnerships, create employment opportunities and recognise, acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous culture. A Welcome to Country ceremony or Acknowledgement of Country provides an opportunity to show respect and pay recognition of living cultural protocols practiced today.
