Stand Strong: First Nations Round Guernsey

Glenelg Football Club is proud to celebrate First Nations Round this weekend, hosting Kuwarna at Stratarama Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Glenelg’s senior teams will don the First Nations Round guernsey, first designed by past player Marlon Motlop and his cousin Keelan Fejo.

Designed in 2018, the Stand Strong design unites the Bays, with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture found in and around the Club and our surrounding communities.

“Football is very much like our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture – when you are a part of a club you are a part of its culture. You are committed and the effort you put in will get you to where you want to be,” Marlon said.

The meaning behind the various elements can be found below:

The Aboriginal man is holding his spear and shield which represents him standing strong in war/battle. This can reflect how we are when we play the game, for most of us it’s like going to battle.

The cross-hatching (Rarrkbun) represents the direction of strength, power and knowledge when the spear is being thrown.

Boomerangs represent stories/songs. This reflects a connection to footy and how many great stories/songs come out of the game and stay with us forever.

The weapons/tools represent the effort we give to get to where we are now.

The under layer is the Torres Strait Islander head dress “Dhoeri”, which is a representation of Torres Strait Islander people. The streams in the layer represent the 6 different Indigenous identities at the GFC.