Indigenous Round
19-25 May 2025
Celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and its contribution to our games during the AFL Barwon Indigenous Round.
Indigenous Round Club Toolkit
Indigenous Round
13-19 May 2024
Celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and its contribution to our games during the AFL Barwon Indigenous Round.
2025 Indigenous Round Launch
Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong
AFLBarwon,incollaborationwithHolidayInn &SuitesGeelong,willhostapowerfuleveningofartandculturalrecognitiononWednesday, 21May 2025,from 5:00pmto 7:00pmattheHolidayInn &SuitesGeelong.TheeventwillfeaturetheunveilingofastrikingmuralbylocalIndigenousartistsfromSISTAStudios,createdonWadawurrungCountry.
ThisoccasionwillmarktheofficiallaunchoftheAFLBarwonIndigenousRound,whichcelebratesFirstNationsculturethroughsport,art,andcommunityconnection.
Attendeeswillhavetheopportunitytoviewthemural,connectwithCountry,andpaytributetotheenduringstoriesthatshapetheland.
Vilification and Discrimination Module
Vilification and Discrimination Module
AFL is a game for everyone!
It is important to play the game in the right spirit and to respect your opponents.
Whether it’s on or off the field, the AFL rules ban comments that insult or abuse someone about how they look or where they’re from.
We’ve teamed up with the Geelong Cats to help deliver the AFL’s short online course to help you understand the harm caused by racism and other forms of vilification.
The course also has tips on how to make your club more welcoming and connected to your community.
Vilification and Discrimination Module
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Indigenous Umpire Uniforms
Designed and created by proud Noongar Wandandi Boodja first nations man Joshua James, the artwork is called Yongka Kaaleepga which means “Kangaroo Homeland” in Noongar language.
Read The Story
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Indigenous Ball Artwork
Yalanda Neal, a local Indigenous artist and Belmont Lions FNC Footballer has created a design called the "Wadawurrung Indigenous Story" that has been printed on Football and Netballs for the Indigenous Round.
Read the story
Indigenous Club Uniforms
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Anglesea Female Football
Artist - Donna Conley @Sallouart Wadawurrung Country
The artwork represents the Anglesea Football Club. It is painted with gratitude and love in celebration of Indigenous round 2023. The artwork acknowledges the traditional custodians, Gadubanud of the Eastern Maar and Wadawurrung people.
The concentric circles represent community meeting places and connection to each other. The surrounding U shapes symbolize coming together to sit, yarn and share in learning from each other. Together we are strong and feel safe. The Club was club was established in 1963 and is known as the Kangaroos.
The Artwork has an original depiction of a Kangaroo at its Centre to honor the Clubs history and icon. Land, sea and sky are depicted to represent Country.
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Anglesea Netball
Artist – Maddy Allardyce & Corrina Eccles (Wadawurrung Country)
The Gathering circles in our first wave represent the Wadawurrung people. The Wadawurrung people lived and gathered in Anglesea including along the sea and the saltwater river which was known as Kuarka Dorta- the place to catch mullet.
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Barwon Heads Football
Artist - Rhys Jeffs - Yeerra Ngitj Wadawurrung
This artwork tells the story of the Barwon River, flowing through the stunning landscape of Wadawurrung Country. The river-where fresh water meets the sea-holds great strength, beauty and significance for the Barwon Heads community. For thousands of years the Barwon River has been a vital source of food, connection, healing and cultural significance. It continues to nourish the land and its people, offering both physical and emotional wellbeing. During conversations about this design, the BHFNC community continually reflected on the river's deep connection and local importance. The artwork represents the river's journey, its many meeting places, and our shared responsibility to care for it, now and for many years to come.
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Belmont Lions Female Football
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Drysdale Football
The hawk represents the clubs logo. The boomerangs shows the strength of the club from the junior levels through to the senior playing groups. The cycles and lines are for everyone involved at the club and connection they have with one another, creating a safety net for each other.
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Geelong Amateur Female Football
Artist - Hayley Bohme (Yorta Yorta)
The figure in the middle of the jumper with ochre markings represents warriors. The U shape that starts at the cheek and goes across the nose onto the other cheek represents warrior, and the five dots on the forehead represents the Kulin Nations, the middle being Wadawarrung Country.
Under the warrior is a meeting place, sitting at the heart of the warrior. This represents Ammo's club community.
On one side of the jumper you can see the animal prints (kangaroo and possum), showcasing the now shared history of the sport. Marngrook has been played by our people for over 60,000 years, and the ball was made of possum skin. The kangaroo tracks represent the Kangaroo of the current Sherrin footballs.
One the other side you can see a river with waterholes. This represents the Barwon River that surrounds the Ammos home at Queens Park. Queens Park is also located next to Buckley Falls.
On the back of the jumper we have an outline of Bunjil, the spiritual creator and protector of Wadawurrung Country, the land we play on. The stars surrounding Bunjil represent people that have come before us and have paved the way for us to play the sport we love. This could be our Elders, our families. This also represents the people who we saw begin the journey of women's footy at Geelong Amateurs.
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Geelong West Football
ARTIST – ETHAN LIDDLE – ARRENTE COUNTRY
The symbols on this design represents the artist’s journey. The front of the design represents travelling from Apmere Atynhe to where they are today, and symbolises them leaving home and moving down to Wadurrung country.
The 6 countries on the back of the jumper capture where the artist is from and symbolise the family they have there. This includes the Artekerre community in Arrernte Country, the Ltyentye Apurte Community in Eastern Arrernte Country, the Artekerre community in Alyawarr Country, the Arrengaye Apmere community in Alyawarr Country, the Mpartnwe community in Central Arrernte Country, and finally Waduwurrung Country where they live today.
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Geelong West Female Football
Artist – Ethan Liddle – Arrente Country
For Geelong West Giants, one of our major trademarks in our club is being united. In the middle of the G are symbols that represent the players who play for Geelong West Giants. These symbols also represent the Geelong West community, the coaches, managers, members and those who volunteer their time to the club. running water for players, canteen duties, physios and the player sponsors all who are a part of the club. In the G we also have the Aherre (Kangaroo) and Arleye (Emu) Impatye (tracks). These track symbols are the tracks to success. They are the tracks that past players left for us to follow that pathway to moving forward. Current players at Geelong west are now paving the way to being successful, and setting good examples for the next generation of players coming through and following our pathway as well. The back of the jumper displays male and female symbols alongside lands significant to Liddle's ancestry and history, specifically his birthplace in Alice Springs (Arrernte Country) and his residence in Geelong (Wadawurrung Country).
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Geelong West Netball
Artist – Ethan Liddle – Arrente Country
For Geelong West Giants, one of our major trademarks in our club is being united. In the middle of the G are symbols that represent the players who play for Geelong West Giants. These symbols also represent the Geelong West community, the coaches, managers, members and those who volunteer their time to the club. running water for players, canteen duties, physios and the player sponsors all who are a part of the club. In the G we also have the Aherre (Kangaroo) and Arleye (Emu) Impatye (tracks). These track symbols are the tracks to success. They are the tracks that past players left for us to follow that pathway to moving forward. Current players at Geelong west are now paving the way to being successful, and setting good examples for the next generation of players coming through and following our pathway as well. The back of the jumper displays male and female symbols alongside lands significant to Liddle's ancestry and history, specifically his birthplace in Alice Springs (Arrernte Country) and his residence in Geelong (Wadawurrung Country).
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Newtown & Chilwell Football
Artist – Jack Brogden – Noongar, Bardi and Karajarri Man
The Newtown and Chilwell 2022 Indigenous celebration guernsey represents a story of community coming together through sport celebrating our first nation heritage
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Newtown & Chilwell Netball
Artist – Jack Brogden – Noongar, Bardi and Karajarri Man
The Newtown and Chilwell 2022 Indigenous celebration guernsey represents a story of community coming together through sport celebrating our first nation heritage
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North Shore Netball
Artist - Netball Dress l Kailee Kennedy, Wadawurrung
The artwork tells a story of the turtle’s journey by water to the sands of traditional lands of the first nations people.
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Portarlington Football
Artist – Chris Delamont
The story starts with Bunjil the Wedge tailed Eagle and his place as the creator sprit for the local Wudawurrung people. Bunjil is looking over the Portarlington Football Netball club and its work in creating an inclusive, welcoming club. The center circle represents the club and its efforts in creating a meeting place and inviting all to join them, no matter where you are from or the journey you have taken, all will be welcome.
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Portarlington Netball
Artist – Chris Delamont
The story starts with Bunjil the Wedge tailed Eagle and his place as the creator sprit for the local Wudawurrung people. Bunjil is looking over the Portarlington Football Netball club and its work in creating an inclusive, welcoming club. The center circle represents the club and its efforts in creating a meeting place and inviting all to join them, no matter where you are from or the journey you have taken, all will be welcome.
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South Barwon Football
Artist – Billy-Jay O’Toole – Wadawurrung Country
The design was centered around the clubs traditional colors, incorporating the light blue to share the history of the clubs colors, worn by Barwon football club before transferring to South Barwon. Using the colors, important features were incorporated in the landscape around the football club, with the designs representing Coastal country, Freshwater Country, hill/mountain Country and including eucalyptus leaves as a sign of cleansing and welcoming all onto Wadawurrung Country.
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South Barwon Netball
Artist – Billy-Jay O’Toole – Wadawurrung Country
The design was centred around the clubs traditional colours and also incorporating the light blue to share the history of the club's colours, worn by Barwon Football Club before transferring to South Barwon. Using the colours, I incorporated important features in the landscape around where the football club is, and was, located. Those designs are representing Coastal Country, Freshwater Country, Hill/Mountain Country and including eucalyptus leaves as a sign of cleansing and welcoming you all onto Wadawurrung Country.
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St Mary's Female Football
Artist - Designed by the Knox family in recognition of their son Abe Knox a past St Mary’s player.
Bunjil the Eagle on the front of the jumper is who Abe identified with (spirit animal) The painting on Bunjil is how Abe painted himself when he did indigenous dance.
The wings were designed by Abe’s sisters to represent Abe wrapping his arms around his mates as they play. The circle artwork is a copy of something Abe did in Grade 6 and he had written that the circles represented bringing people together. The hand is Abe pushing the boys forward but also a symbol of when the boys hug in a circle before and after a game
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Torquay Female Football
Artists - Remi Sliwa, Elleischa Sizer & Mia Murphy - All Aboriginal girls born in Australia, who play footy for Torquay
Front - The large circle in the middle of the jumper is the meeting place, the place where Torquay women’s football teams call home, Spring Creek Recreational Reserve. It is surrounded by the two bodies of water nearby, spring creek and also represents the ocean as Wari Dja in Wadawurrung language means ‘Sea Country’. The symbol in the middle of the meeting place is the Aboriginal symbol for women. The footsteps represent walking together, the junior players following in the footsteps of the senior women’s football players.
Side - The eucalyptus leaves on the side represent the bushland that lines the creek and surrounds the football oval. The crosshatching design is traditionally a Victorian style of Aboriginal art.
Back - The smaller circles on the back represent the girls in the Torquay Tigers 9 junior football sides which feed into the women’s team on the front. The circles represent the friendship, teamwork and connection between the young girls. The kangaroo tracks in the middle represent moving forward together, kangaroos can only jump forwards, they can’t go backwards, and they have soft paws which means they tread softly on the earth that sustains them.
Mental Health Round
28 Jul - 1 Aug 2025
Mentally Healthy Sporting Clubs Guidelines
Mental Health Round
19 - 21 July 2024
Supported by Read The Play, Tackle Your Feelings, and Leisure Networks
Mental Health is a Team Sport
Learn More About Read The Play
Mental Health is a Team Sport
“Read the Play is a unique program that uses young people’s engagement with sport and connection to their local club to deliver important messages that improve mental health literacy and knowledge about where to seek help for mental health problems.
Read the Play has been continuously evaluated and refined over many years and impressed me with its strong focus on partnering with the local community.”
Dr Kate Hall
Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing, AFL
The Tackle Your Feelings Program
Learn More About Tackle Your Feelings
The Tackle Your Feelings Program
Champion positive change in mental health at your Football & Netball Club
Tackle Your Feelings is a free mental health training program for community football and netball coaches and players, as well as committee members, umpires and other club support staff.
Established in 2018 by the AFL Coaches Association, AFL Players’ Association and Zurich Insurance, the program is based on the education delivered to the AFL industry, and is led by high profile player and coach ambassadors.
Tackle Your Feelings workshops are delivered by a local psychologist. the program aims to help participants gain tools to Understand, Recognise and Respond to signs of mental ill-health in their players.
