Here are every club's First Nations Round dress, as well as the details surrounding each unique design.
By Stephanie Smarrelli
One of the very special parts about the Suncorp Super Netball First Nations Round is when clubs unveil their dress designs.
While they're all beautifully striking, it's the story behind the artwork which is often even more special.
In 2024 we have some incredible designs and some fascinating stories.
Here we run you through each club's dress and the meaning behind the artwork.
Adelaide Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds First Nations dress was designed by proud Wulli Wulli and Guwa descendant Shane Mankitya Cook.
The side first wore the design in 2023 and are proud to wear it again in 2024. Cook created the design with SAASTA Aboriginal Netball Academy students and facilitated workshops for them to connect with the Thunderbirds to understand their story.
The elements of the dress focus on connection and family, symbolic of the team’s values.
The Thunderbirds will host the NSW Swifts for First Nations Round this weekend; to celebrate First Nations culture the Thunderbirds will have Temaana Yundu Sanderson-Bromley creating a silk painting live in their Fan Village on game day.
Students from Netball South Australia's Aboriginal Netball Academy through the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy will form a guard of honour at the match. Fans can also expect to see an interview with Uncle Moogy, Uncle Tamaru and Uncle Mickey in the stadium.
Read the full story behind the Thunderbirds First Nations Round dress here.
GIANTS
The GIANTS have worked with Gamilaroi woman Krystal Dallinger to design their 2024 First Nations Round dress.
Dallinger has worked with the GIANTS on all of their First Nations Round dress since 2018 and she incorporated her connection to the team in this year's design.
“The main focus of this year’s design is what I like to say are the three big c’s: the connection, community and culture,” Dallinger said.
“A big inspiration is the connections I’ve made with the GIANTS girls throughout the years and the community we’ve built.
“The way they represent my culture and how they’re so proud to walk out in the dresses is just unbelievable and that’s what I wanted to highlight in this year’s design.”
The GIANTS will travel to Melbourne to play the Mavericks this weekend, hosting the Mavericks for First Nations Round in Round 13.
Read the full story behind the GIANTS First Nations dress here.
Melbourne Mavericks
The Mavericks have partnered with contemporary Aboriginal artist Bayley Mifsud, also known by her Aboriginal name, Merindah-Gunya for their First Nations Round dress.
Mifsud is a Peek Whurrong woman of the Maar nation from Warrnambool, but now lives on Wurundjeri Country, where the Mavericks reside.
“The key story elements include the centralised meeting place symbolic of the club's home ground with seven people representing the seven on the court,” she said.
The Mavericks will host the GIANTS for First Nations Round this Sunday then will wear their First Nations dress again when they go head-to-head in Round 13.
The Mavericks will celebrate First Nations culture throughout match day with Aunty M’arwee’t performing a Welcome To Country followed by Djarlo Dance who will perform a traditional dance about half an hour before the first centre pass.
The music played after goals scored will feature an array of First Nations singers with Suncorp Super Shots to be marked with a range of didgeridoo sounds.
Delivering the match ball will be a grassroots First Nations netballer and dress designer Bayley Mifsud will be interviewed on court at halftime.
Read more about the artwork on the Mavericks First Nations dress here.
Melbourne Vixens
The Vixens collaborated on their First Nations dress with proud Kamilaroi woman Teagan Malcolm, who lives and paints on Wurundjeri Country.
Malcolm worked with the Vixens to design their First Nations Round dress based on the theme of ‘foundations’. The theme a reflection of the club’s connections to Wurundjeri Country.
Malcolm began her design process by focusing on the foundational places connected to the Vixens.
“I initiated the process by mapping out the foundational places of the Vixens, Netball Victoria, and John Cain Arena. I aimed to highlight the connection these locations have to the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung lands on which they stand. I achieved this by incorporating the shapes of the surrounding parklands into the design,” she said.
The Vixens will travel to Perth this weekend for First Nations Round and will host First Nations Round in Round 13.
Netball Victoria is also in the process of finalising its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), having completed its Reflect RAP in 2022.
Other initiatives include hosting various education sessions and events throughout the year for Netball Victoria and Melbourne Vixens staff and athletes, running a series of Koorie clinics across the state each year to introduce netball to new audiences and increase opportunities for First Nations people to participate in the sport and hosting a First Nations Round in the Victorian Netball League.
The Vixens merchandise featuring the 2024 dress artwork will be available soon to fans and the Vixens will also auction their player-worn First Nations dresses or warm up tops, with all merch and auction proceeds supporting Netball Victoria’s First Nations pathway programs.
Read more about the Vixens’ 2024 First Nations dress design here.
NSW Swifts
The NSW Swifts 2024 First Nations dress has been designed by proud Wongaibon woman Tarsha Hawley. This is the fourth time Hawley has created the Swifts First Nations Round dress design.
Hawley is a former QBE Swifts Academy athlete and Netball NSW Premier League player.
Hawley has used a range of elements throughout her design to represent the Swifts and the First Nations community.
“The connection of one community really shows within the Swifts environment and it’s important to keep recognising this. The wavy lines symbolise the hurdles we all come across: nothing is ever straight forward or given. It’s hard work, and hard work beats talent every day of the week. Every single bend is a hurdle, and the footprints show that journey we are on as athletes and as Aboriginal people trying to be recognised,” she said.
Read the full story behind the Swifts 2024 First Nations Round Dress here.
Queensland Firebirds
The Queensland Firebirds’ 2024 First Nations dress has been designed by proud Mayi-Kulan and Kalkadoon artist Leah Cummins.
Cummins designed the dress and included a personal connection for Firebird Donnell Wallam.
Wallam, a proud Noongar woman, immediately noticed the inclusion of kangaroo tracks on the artwork “The Dreams of our Future”.
“I loved hearing the story behind the artwork,” Wallam said.
“I love the pop of orange back into our purple dress.
“With the kangaroo footprints, the kangaroo is my family totem, so that felt really special seeing that because it was something that I could really connect with as well.”
The Firebirds will wear their dress this week against the Lightning on the Sunshine Coast and again when they host First Nations Round in Round 13.
Read the full story behind the dress here.
Sunshine Coast Lightning
The Lightning engaged local First Nations artist and proud Kabi Kabi woman Zartisha Davis to design the dress they will wear during First Nations Round.
Davis titled the artwork, “Toolembi Watama” (Storm dance) to reflect how the Lightning players look when they step onto the court.
“Toolembi Watama represents how the Sunshine Coast Lightning players look like a storm dance when they take the court. It also represents matriarchal Kabi Kabi Country and the women, depicting the business we do — working together, supporting one another, teaching one another, training together and laughing together. It speaks to how the Lightning women conduct their own business within the team and the wider community,” Davis said.
The Lightning ensure First Nations culture is part of every home game having worked alongside local First Nations Group, Yir’un-Yalangi to create their Welcome to Country video that is played at each match. As part of this, the Lightning playing group and coaches attended an unforgettable immersion experience where they were immersed in local First Nations culture.
In the week leading into First Nations Round, in collaboration with the Confident Girls Foundation, Lightning welcomed First Nations students to watch the team’s Captain’s Run with an opportunity for a Q&A and photos. Following this, the students participated in an art workshop with Lightning’s 2024 First Nations artist Zartisha Davis.
Lightning players will also attend a training session for the U18s First Nations team competing in the Suncoast Premier League competition.
There will be a range of elements featuringFirst Nations culture when the Lightning host the Firebirds this weekend including an interactive dance workshop and a Gubbi Gubbi Dance Troupe performance at three quarter time.
Read the full story behind Toolembi Watama here.
West Coast Fever
Fever have collaborated with Contemporary Aboriginal artist, mum and Fever supporter Jilalga Murray.
Murray's artwork ‘Spirit of the Fever' aims to inspire everyone whether they're at home, in the city, the bush, on the court or in the stands.
“This new work holds an immense amount of West Australian pride and carries with it a deep respect for our First Nations people & Country; for each other; and for the game we love. Together we can find strength in the ‘Spirit of the Fever’,” Murray said.
“Breaking down the artwork into sections, we see the land/Country being represented at the top, with waves of fans cheering and chanting in the background as they are positively moved by their team. Everyone comes together in a quest to be the best each season. Below we see the on court team of seven being supported by their management, sponsors and families. They work together for the best results possible.”
Hosting the Melbourne Vixens for their match this weekend, the Fever are working with Match Day Partner Shooting Stars. Shooting Stars is an initiative of Glass Jar Australia, which empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and women across Western and South Australia to make informed choices about their education and employment journey, helping them shoot for the stars.
Shooting Stars will be featured in the quarter time activation, where participants will be interviewed on the benefits of the program.
During the pre-game there will be a live Welcome to Country which will involve Shooting Stars participants. There will be a First Nations art activation in Fever Alley for attendees to participate in and all West Coast Fever owned stadium assets will feature ‘the Spirit of Fever’ artwork.
