Community clubs across NSW/ACT embrace Sir Doug Nicholls Round
AFL NSW/ACT thanks the dozens of community clubs and schools which celebrated Indigenous culture in the game during Sir Doug Nicholls Round over the past fortnight.
Sir Doug Nicholls Round highlights the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to Australian football. Community clubs and schools throughout NSW and the ACT have gone above and beyond in 2023 to show their appreciation and support of Australia’s First Nations People, whether they be club mates, opposition, past players or members of the community.
This year, clubs and schools carried on work from previous years by wearing commemorative Indigenous-themed guernseys, holding welcomes or acknowledgements of Country, inviting local Indigenous groups to perform culturally significant ceremonies, and having fun with Indigenous face painting, food and music. Some clubs went a step further by raising money for various charities including the Clontarf Foundation.
Our AFL community was once again inspired by the efforts of elite clubs, the GIANTS and the Sydney Swans. Each team’s home games commemorated Sir Doug Nicholls Round with myriad activations and included primary students from the GO Foundation during half time Auskick who wore special Indigenous guernseys for the occasion. Secondary students participating in AFL NSW/ACT’s Indigenous Academies were warmly welcomed at the GIANTS’ game.
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Head of AFL NSW/ACT, Tiffany Robertson, expressed her gratitude to all those who acknowledged Sir Doug Nicholls Round at community footy matches. “Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrations gain momentum every year and I’m so grateful our club volunteers support this fantastic round,” she said.
“One of the great drawcards of footy in NSW and the ACT is the sense of inclusion and camaraderie created by our clubs and the celebrations over the past fortnight during special round demonstrate this.”
AFL NSW/ACT does not enforce clubs to align their Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrations with the national calendar. Clubs can choose to recognise Indigenous culture in the game when it suits them.
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