Sir Doug Nicholls Round is one of football’s most meaningful dates on the calendar, giving clubs, players and supporters the chance to recognise the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the game.
Named in honour of Sir Doug Nicholls, a Yorta Yorta man whose life stretched across football, ministry, activism and public service. Nicholls was a Fitzroy footballer, a pastor, a campaigner for Indigenous rights and later became Governor of South Australia, leaving a mark on Australian sport and society that continues to be recognised through the game today.
Across the SFNL, his spirit will again be felt at local grounds, where clubs will use the round to celebrate culture, share stories and acknowledge First Nations’ communities’ connection to their players, families and supporters.
For Lyndale Football Netball Club, this year’s round will carry an added layer of meaning, with the club set to wear a specially designed Indigenous guernsey and netball bibs designed by Jackson Collard and Bianca Collard, both proud Ballardong and Whadjuk Noongar people.
The connection between the Collard family and Lyndale runs deep. Jackson and Bianca have been at the club since birth, while their family’s link to the club dates back to the 1990s, when their parents first met there.
Their father, Murray Collard, was a player at the time, while their mother, Debbie Collard, was the club trainer. For Jackson and Bianca, growing up at Lyndale meant long Saturdays watching football, playing with other kids around the club and being surrounded by “more 2nd mums and 2nd dads than one can count.”
When the opportunity came to design a clash jumper for the club, the pair were honoured to be asked.
“We wanted to keep the design simple but effective, making sure their story was clear, whilst also incorporating the original ‘V’ style of the regular jumper,” Bianca said.
At the centre of the design is a large circle, representing home. Three interconnected circles form a V and connect back to that home symbol, representing the journey tracks taken by members to Lyndale.
“The design tells a story about how Lyndale is not just a club, but a family, and this club represents home for a lot of our players,” Bianca said.
The symbols at the top of the front of the jumper represent the collective presence of male and female members within the club, including current and past players, supporters, coaches, volunteers and committee members.
At the bottom of the jumper is a White Tail Black Carnaby Cockatoo. The original design is by past player Malcolm Wanganeen and is the male totem for members of the Collard family, honouring Cyril Collard, Matthew Collard, Murray Collard and Jackson Collard.
The back of the guernsey includes two sets of Jenna Bidi, meaning human tracks, and one set of Yongka Bidi, meaning kangaroo tracks, symbolising moving forward. At the bottom are the words “Moort”, meaning family in Noongar, and “Mia Mia”, meaning home.
The design will also be reflected through Lyndale’s netball bibs, with adjustments made to honour the club’s netball community.
The three interconnecting circles again lead to the larger circle in the centre, representing the journeys taken by Lyndale’s netballers. The “UI” symbol on the bottom right represents the females at the club, including players, coaches and umpires, and the feeling of sisterhood within the group.
Jackson and Bianca said they are “so incredibly honoured and proud” to have Lyndale players wearing their design and hope the sides love wearing it as much as they loved creating it.
Lyndale men’s senior side will face the Narre South Saints away from home this Saturday whilst their Diamond netball side will face Caulfield FNC at Rowan Road Reserve.
All clubs across all divisions in the SFNL will be participating in this significant round. So make sure to go down to your local football and netball games to give your support during the games and to the round itself.
-Written by Alex Scott
