Following the launch of AFLW’s 2025 Indigenous Round, which will be held across Week 3 and Week 4 of the 2025 NAB AFL Premiership Season, the AFL is proud to unveil its new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan for Game Development.
With a vision to showcase, connect and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia – and acknowledge the contributions made to Australian footy by our First Nations People – the Action Plan provides a clear framework and direction to achieve this vision.
The four-year Action Plan spans from 2025 to 2028 and has six guiding principles at its core with a primary focus on building a sense of belonging and connection through authentic partnerships, co-design and sustained engagement with communities.
Taking a community-based approach, activity within the action plan will be co-designed in conjunction with First Nations leaders and local organisations to tailor a bespoke Community Connect program for each unique location.
The Community Connect model addresses challenges and opportunities within a specific geographic area through a spirit of collaboration to drive sustainable, community-led change by:
• Engaging community members and local organisations
• Utilising local knowledge in the process of co-design
• Adopting a shared decision-making and stewardship approach
• Tailoring solutions to the unique needs and context of the location.
Utilising the knowledge gained in the co-design process, the Community Connect initiatives will be a combination of unstructured opportunities in conjunction with NAB AFL Auskick, NAB AFL Superkick and AFL Nines sessions. Programs will also include cultural celebrations, support from community leaders, player engagement and fan opportunities.
Eighteen Local Government Areas (LGA) and communities across every state and territory have been identified as a priority to deliver the Community Connect program within the Action Plan.
These LGAs include Darwin in the NT, Townsville in Queensland, Mandurah in Western Australia, Bendigo in Victoria, Blacktown in New South Wales, Salisbury in South Australia and Brighton in Tasmania.
This Action Plan builds on a strong foundation of culturally safe programs delivered by local First Nations staff to date. This includes AFL NT facilitating 11 full-time community-led projects across both regional and urban First Nations communities supporting participation, education and leadership across the NT; and AFL Cape York which provides education, training and employment opportunities for young Indigenous women and men in Far North Queensland.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said releasing this plan is a significant step in strengthening the foundation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation and engagement across the country.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a deep and storied connection to Australian football and the contribution they have made to our game since the 19th century has been immense,” Dillon said.
“As we continue to build on this rich history and ensure everyone feels included, valued and recognised, it was important to create an Action Plan that was tailored not only to First Nations people but to unique communities in each state and territory.
“Through this process there has been extensive collaboration and learnings between community leaders and local organisations on their needs, to ensure we’re delivering the best strategy for the people in their area to connect with Australian footy.
“From grassroots participation through to community leadership, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan outlines concrete steps for creating more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the game.
“While participation for those who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander has increased nationally – sitting at 6.4 per cent of the overall participation total across community footy, NAB AFL Auskick, NAB AFL Superkick and AFL Nines – we know there’s important work that still needs to be done.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has helped create and establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan, there has been an incredible amount of work undertaken by our teams, led by Tanya Hosch for Inclusion and Social Policy and Rob Auld for Game Development.”
NSW/ACT Indigenous and Engagement Participation Lead Mark Leavy has worked extensively supporting the development of the Action Plan and said he was looking forward to helping rollout programs across New South Wales.
“We seek to honour and reflect the rich cultural heritage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have in our nation and as an extension to the game of AFL,” Leavy said.
“To ensure our game truly represents our society, inclusion must go beyond a guiding value – it needs to be woven into how we engage, design, and deliver our programs.
“This Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan is grounded in two key approaches: co-design and place-based strategies.
“Co-design involves working with communities rather than for them, allowing programs to be shaped by the voices and lived experiences of the people we're aiming to connect with.
“A place-based approach ensures our efforts are rooted in local context, supported by strong partnerships, and responsive to the unique needs of each community.
“By working alongside schools, families, and grassroots organisations, we aim to make Australian Football more accessible, inclusive and meaningful – whether you’ve recently started your AFL journey or if you have a generational connection to the game.”
See below for full list of identified LGAs and communities:
Northern Territory: Darwin
Queensland: Townsville, Logan and Moreton Bay
New South Wales/ ACT: Blacktown, Campbelltown, Shoalhaven, Albury, Central Coast, Sydney City/Randwick
Victoria: Geelong, Shepparton and Bendigo
Tasmania: Brighton
South Australia: Salisbury and Playford
Western Australia: Mandurah and Albany
See the breakdown of the six guiding principles of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan:
Co-Design: Bespoke, community co-designed programs through multi-stakeholder partnerships which will offer an alternative to the traditional AFL approach.
Belonging and Connection: Primary focus on building a sense of belonging and connection through the creation of safe and inclusive environments.
Sustained Engagement: Ongoing, long-term commitment to LGAs and communities identified in the Action Plan.
Test and Learn: Our programs are pilots – we will monitor and evaluate impact over the next two years to refine and strengthen our initiatives in Years 3 and 4
Education and Training: Education and training of staff and key stakeholders in cultural awareness, sensitivity, and responsiveness is a fundamental enabler to drive systemic change.
Accompanying the Journey: Substantial participation growth will only be achieved after sustained and genuine commitment, patience, humility, and adopting a posture of learning.
For more information and to read the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan, click here.