EFNL Premier Division Club South Croydon will wear an Indigenous jumper for the first time in the club’s history tomorrow, as they take on Eastern Devils and Norwood at Mullum Mullum Reserve.
The Senior Men’s game will be the first EFNL game where both sides will be wearing an Indigenous strip, one year on from Norwood’s trailblazing initiative in last season’s corresponding fixture.
Since then, four other clubs (Whitehorse, Rowville, Warrandyte, and South Croydon) have designed Indigenous strips, with another club due to reveal theirs soon.
South Croydon’s jumper was designed by Kirby Bentley, a proud Aboriginal Noongar woman, originally from Mt Barker in Western Australia.
Kirby has a strong connection with the game of Australian Rules football, have played in Fremantle’s inaugural AFLW side before making the switch the Carlton in 2019. Kirby had previously played netball at the elite level, for the Perth Orioles (Now West Coast Fever) and the Western Sting.
In 2021 Bentley joined the Western Bulldogs VFLW Program as Head Coach, making her the first Indigenous female coach in the VFLW system.
The South Croydon design has several key elements, including Circles, which represent meeting places, Arches, which represent people, the Aboriginal Flag and Emus, who are considered bulletproof in traditional culture.
Speaking about the jumper Bentley said the following;
“Our people come together from all walks of life, protecting each other and chasing success.”
South Croydon star Brayden Kilpatrick is one of club’s Indigenous players who is proud to have played a role in helping the club move forward with this enterprise.
“I feel privileged to be able to play a small part in such a fantastic initiative,
“Having the opportunity to spread awareness of our country’s history and Indigenous people’s contribution to our game is something that is constantly evolving, and with the help of South Croydon and so many other clubs across the league we can continue to spread the message.”