THIS WEEKEND, Melbourne’s AFLW side will pull on a guernsey that holds great importance to the club and its players.
Designed by Demon Krstel Petrevski, a proud Indigenous woman from the Kija/Jaru tribe, the jumper will be worn in celebration of the AFLW’s annual Indigenous Round.
In its second year, the round acknowledges the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to football and the wider sporting community.
While running out in the jumper holds extra meaning this week, players have had opportunity to pull on the guernsey already this year, as it’s featured as the club’s AFLW away strip.
The AFLW players chose to highlight the jumper more frequently in-season and therefore the royal blue edition of the original design was created.
The Demons will host North Melbourne at Casey Fields for this weekend’s clash, with the club ensuring the Traditional Custodians of the land are recognised throughout its game day.
Ahead of the match, a Welcome to Country will be performed by Uncle Shane Clarke from the Bunurong Land Council, welcoming all visitors to the Casey region.
The coin toss will also hold significance with Amilia Havea, a proud Indigenous girl of the Casey region, doing the honours.
Amilia has a particularly special relationship with Melbourne, writing and featuring in the club’s Acknowledgement of Country video, which is played ahead of each home game at Casey Fields.
Amilia’s brother will also be participating in the day as a member of the Indigenous Youth Dance group that will perform at quarter time.
Both teams will partake in a cultural gift exchange prior to the match and with further activities and giveaways organised, Melbourne encourages all its fans to grab a ticket and head along for a night of footy.
