PORTLAND Football Netball Club has unveiled its new Indigenous design football jumpers and netball dresses ahead of Hampden’s Indigenous round which kicks off tomorrow as a part of NAIDOC week.

The design, which was created by Tigers junior footballer Saige Bell, will be worn for junior and senior sides across football and netball at various times throughout the rest of this season and beyond.

Bell, who is a 16-year-old Gunditjmara woman, expanded on the meaning behind each of her design choices:

“On the bottom left of the jersey there’s a meeting place that represents the Portland Football Netball Cricket Club, which is then surrounded by possum footprints which symbolise how football was originally played with a possum skin,” she said.

“In the top right there’s people playing football and netball surrounded by kangaroo footprints to represent the modern Sherrin football.

“The sash has lots of patterns on it which come from the possum cloak that was made by Gunditjmara people where they would add a piece to it every time they moved to a new place or something significant happened.

“That represents how the club itself travels to play games and how we come together to celebrate one another.”

Bell said seeing the players wearing the design was a very special moment for her, as it was an idea and initiative of her own doing which had finally come to fruition.

“It was really great to see the footballers and netballers wearing it… I’m really excited, it just makes me happy that I get to represent my culture as well as my club,” she said.

“I’m really grateful for what (Portland) has done for me, it’s only been my second year here but it’s a great club.”

In a statement on behalf of Portland Aluminium, who sponsored the initiative, Senior Community Relations and Communications Advisor Anna Impey said:

“While Portland Aluminium have been privileged to have a relationship with Gunditjmara peoples for many years, we acknowledge we are on continuous journey to reconciliation and always have more to learn.

“As stated in our RAP, our vision is to strengthen and build relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities founded on respect, an understanding of their needs and aspirations and a desire to walk together to establish shared values.

“This partnership acknowledges and respects the Gunditjmara people, their history, culture, and their country, while providing an opportunity to keep building relationships and educating players supporters members and the Portland community around the long and proud indigenous history we have around us, and our commitment to nurture it.

“Saige’s design and her story behind the artwork is fascinating and I encourage everyone to take the time to understand its meaning and wear it with pride… we are very proud to support this.”

The design will be first worn tomorrow in Portland’s Hampden Football Netball League clash against Hamilton Kangaroos in Hamilton.