The Collingwood Football Club celebrates First Nations through AFL-led initiatives year round.
Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrates First Nations cultures and their contributions to Australian Football.
In 2024, Sir Doug Nicholls Round was celebrated in Rounds 10 and 11 of the AFL season, and Indigenous Round was celebrated in Weeks 9 and 10 of the AFLW season. The Collingwood Football Club celebrated through a number of initiatives.
Who is sir Doug nicholls?
Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls was a Yorta Yorta man born on Cummeragunja mission in New South Wales in 1906.
Sir Doug Nicholls played football for Fitzroy before becoming a Pastor and pioneer for reconciliation in Australia. He went on to become the first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to be knighted and hold the position of Governor of SA.
Find out more about Sir Doug Nicholls Round here.
Guernsey reveal
Designed by Uncle Trevor Davis, father of former Collingwood player and the Club’s Cultural Development Manager Leon Davis, the inspiration for the SDNR guernsey design stems from a piece of art by Uncle Trevor called “Healing.”
Uncle Trevor, who is a proud Wadjuk, Ballardong, Wilman, Wongi and Noongar man, created the painting that depicts a healing process which the Club has embarked on over the past few years. The use of rain in the artwork is to represent the Club being cleansed.
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Davis' journey of culture, connection and creating change
As a Noongar man growing up on Ballardong country, leaving his hometown in pursuit of becoming the Collingwood legend he ultimately became wasn’t an easy decision for Leon Davis.
Gift exchanges hold significance in First Nations culture to show respect and connection to the receiver, including their family, ancestors and community.
The meaning behind each gift is personal and reflects the identity and values of its artist which has been passed down for generations.
In 2024, Collingwood’s AFL and AFLW honoured the gift exchange tradition with artefacts created by Leon Davis ahead of Indigenous Round matches.
state of origin series
Collingwood Football Club is proud to support the Clontarf Foundation which exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.
They do this by running 158 Academies within 168 schools across Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. These academies help equip students with the skills needed to participate meaningfully in society.
In 2024, the Collingwood Football Club hosted the annual Clontarf Foundation’s State of Origin Series and All-Australian selection for the second year in a row.
The three-day football carnival saw 500 young and up-and-coming First Nations talent from across Australia descend on Victoria Park and then the AIA Centre, ready to demonstrate their skills and athleticism in a hope of winning the series or being selected in the All-Australian team.
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Support the Community Foundation
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