NAIDOC Week (3-10 July) celebrations are held across the country each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. This week is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life.
Football prides itself on being one of the most culturally diverse and inclusive sports. We celebrate the richness that diversity brings to our community; and Football Victoria (FV) is thrilled to highlight and pay respect to our First Nations People and their culture, during NAIDOC Week.
Embraced by Clubs in recent seasons, we are pleased that Indigenous Round returns for 2022, scheduled from July 8-11.
We invite all Clubs to take a moment to reflect on the theme for this year – Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! – and honour the contribution of our First Nations People across the week. To assist, the below initiatives are suggested, requiring minimal planning and cost. Whether your team is the home or away team for Indigenous Round, there are several ways you can activate across the week:
- Pre-game announcement: Include an Acknowledgement of Country pre-match with your ground announcer
- Bring teams and match officials together for a pre-match photo with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags (if available)
- Share the stories of Indigenous players or members of your football community on your digital channels
- Share the story of the traditional owners of the land that your Clubs plays football on each week (click here for assistance)
- Indigenous Round 2022 digital content is available for your club to personalise and utilise on your website and social media channels (see below)
- The official hashtag for the round nationally is #FootballOnCountry
Ready-to-share graphics
Customisable Canva templates
Add your Club logo and photograph to customise artwork for your channels.
This week provides a great opportunity for the wider footballing community to participate in, pay respect to and support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, culture and land on which we play our beloved sport.
If you need assistance in delivering any of the initiatives above or have an additional idea that requires FV’s support, please contact Chris Swain, Indigenous Programs Coordinator on chris.swain@footballvictoria.com.au