Yesterday marked the first day of NAIDOC Week, an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As part of NAIDOC Week celebrations, held around Australia each July, various clubs from across the state played in specially-designed Indigenous kits in their games over the weekend.

National Premier Leagues (NPL) Queensland clubs Magpies Crusaders FC, Olympic FC and Peninsula Power FC all wore NAIDOC Week jerseys in their Round 23 matches to celebrate the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Dylan Mooney, a Queensland College of Art student whose family are the traditional owners of the land on which Magpies Crusaders play in Mackay, designed the club’s Indigenous jersey and acknowledged the opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to celebrate together.

“Whether you’re Aboriginal or non-Indigenous, (it’s about) coming together to support our local teams and just rallying behind each other,” Mooney said.

The design of fellow NPL Queensland team Olympic FC’s NAIDOC Week jersey pays respect to the Jagera and Turrbal people and their ongoing connection to country through the depiction of the carpet snake, the goanna and the frog totems.

The kit also acknowledges the Maiwar (Brisbane River) as a unifying feature in the lives of local residents over thousands of years.

Current NPL Queensland ladder leaders Peninsula Power, who played in a NAIDOC Week jersey over the weekend, will also play their Round 24 home match against Western Pride this weekend in their special edition kit.

The Redcliffe-based club’s kit designed by Indigenous artists represents the Margate FC and Redcliffe FC communities coming together to form Peninsula Power and the rich female footballing history of the club through the Indigenous symbols present on the jersey.

Other clubs across Queensland who donned Indigenous kits to celebrate NAIDOC Week included Football Queensland Premier League (FQPL) side Ipswich Knights, as well as Clairvaux FC, AC Carina, The Lakes FC and Bardon Latrobe FC, among others.

See how you can get involved in NAIDOC Week activities across the state here.

Images: Langevad Sports Photography