Indigenous Round will be held across all Football Queensland competitions around the state from Friday, 8 July to Sunday, 10 July as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations.
“Football Queensland is proud to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are involved in all areas of our game and represent 4% of our total participation base, including over 3,200 players across the state who are members of Australia’s First Nations communities,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.
“Football is a powerful tool in bringing together communities and cultures, so NAIDOC Week provides an important opportunity not only for FQ but for our clubs across Queensland to acknowledge and connect with their local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as part of Indigenous Round celebrations.
“In addition to including an Acknowledgement of Country or traditional smoke ceremony before Indigenous Round fixtures, we encourage clubs at all levels of the game to identify and engage with the traditional owners of the land on which the club lies by inviting them to watch the club’s Indigenous Round matches or partake in NAIDOC Week celebrations.
“Football Queensland has provided every club in the state with a suite of resources and templates to use throughout NAIDOC Week and will also be sharing a range of educational content across FQ social media channels during the week.
“We’re also inviting members of our communities across the state to nominate a Hero of Change as Football Queensland acknowledges those who have driven and led change within our game in a series of features across our channels.
“We look forward to seeing clubs from community level to the NPL Queensland getting involved in the upcoming Indigenous Round, and to celebrating the contributions of our First Nations peoples in Queensland throughout NAIDOC Week.”
NAIDOC Week will be held from Sunday, 3 July to Sunday, 10 July.
Find out how to get involved in NAIDOC Week celebrations here.