AFL Victoria will celebrate the contribution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have made to Australian Football this week in the annual AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round from May 27-June 3.
This is the twelfth year the AFL has celebrated the Indigenous community through the vehicle of sport and the third time the Round has been celebrated since being renamed after Sir Doug Nicholls.
Falling in National Reconciliation Week, Sir Doug Nicholls Round also aims to celebrate and promote the inclusion of Indigenous cultures and offers fans as well as players a vehicle for building stronger ties with Indigenous communities.
In season 2018, the Toyota AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round will hold a special significance, celebrating 25 years since St Kilda’s Nicky Winmar lifted his jumper up and pointed to his skin, proclaiming ‘I’m black and I’m proud of it’.
The Round will also see all AFL umpires join the 18 AFL Clubs and wear an Indigenous jumper for the first time.
AFL Victoria continues to support the next generation of future Indigenous footballers with a number of Indigenous programs available across the state, including Laguntas, KickStart, Female Kickstart, Koorie NAB Auskick and the newly created female Boorimul Program.
Victorian leagues and individual community football clubs across the state are well underway with planning their own celebrations and we encourage all to maximise the opportunities presented by this round, not just on game day but in the lead up to the round via local media and other platforms
For more information on AFL Victoria Indigenous Programs, please visit www.aflvic.com.au/indigenous/
