The Suncorp Super Netball League will celebrate NAIDOC Week this weekend in its second First Nations Round of the 2024 season.
Held annually, NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In 2024 NAIDOC Week will be celebrated across Australia from 7-14 July with the theme, ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’.
This year's theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“Netball Australia recognises the significance of NAIDOC Week on the national calendar,” said Netball Australia CEO Stacey West.
“First Nations Round is about more than netball. It is a celebration and a reflection of First Nations peoples both on and off the court.”
Netball Australia has led a number of First Nations programs this year, to provide equitable and accelerated opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within netball.
These have included a pilot First Nations Coaching Course, as well as the formation and debut of Netball Australia’s First Nations Invitational Netball Team, the Black Swans, at the 2024 Pacific Netball Series.
Inaugural coach of the team and Netball Australia’s First Nations Engagement Lead, Ali Tucker-Munro, said the Black Swans debut demonstrated an integral step in recognising empowered and talented First Nations coaches and athletes within the sport.
“To see the first Black Swans cohort take the court signified a proud moment for many in our community. The connection amongst the girls on and off the court aligns so strongly with the theme of NAIDOC Week. The Black Swans are absolutely blak, loud and proud, and the girls demonstrated this recently at the Pacific Netball Series in Brisbane.
“The support and spotlight on the Black Swans across the Pacific Netball Series was something our sport had never seen before”.
"Whilst we are only at the start of our journey, it’s important to recognise that everyone in our sport, be it at grassroots level, all the way up to executive level, plays a vital part in ensuring First Nations Peoples are represented, visible and valued across all facets of our great game.”
“The establishment of the Black Swans team demonstrates the steps we are taking as a sport to celebrate and recognise the many talented First Nations netball participants we know exist across the national pathway coaching and athlete landscape,” she said.
This year’s Suncorp Super Netball First Nations Round artwork, titled Join in the Journey, will be showcased across Round 13 with a custom match ball, umpire uniforms, and centre circle design.
Created by Gunai, Gunditjmara, Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta and Bunurong woman, Koorrin Alinta Edwards-Wanganeen, Join in the Journey represents coming together, celebrating and connecting with one another through netball.
First Nations Director on the Netball Australia Board, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker AM, reflected on netball’s First Nations journey and where the sport looks to next.
“In the same year as the defeat of the Voice Referendum, I challenge us all to honor the incredible lives of Indigenous Australian women who form the bedrock of Australia’s netball legacy,” she said.
“These remarkable women have shattered barriers to showcase their unique style of play and demonstrate strength in leadership, coaching, and umpiring. It's vital that we uphold Indigenous voices and stories in every pass and every shot.
“Together, let's forge a future where diversity not only strengthens every team on and off the court but also enriches our shared journey toward unity and excellence.”
All First Nations Round matches will be live and free on Kayo Freebies.
