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First Nations Football

NAIDOC Cup

The NAIDOC Cup is for First Nations footballers aged 13 to 16 to be selected in FNSW First Nations state teams to compete against Northern NSW Football First Nations state teams.

The NAIDOC Cup coincides with NAIDOC Week, a national week starting on the first Sunday in July every year, which celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The inaugural NAIDOC Cup was in held in 2022 on Awabakal land at Northern NSW Football home of Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.

After the success of the 2022 NAIDOC the NSW Government supported the NAIDOC Cup for 2023 under the NSW Football Legacy Program which was hosted by Football NSW at Valentine Sports Park. The Legacy program allowed the expansion of the tournament to include the U14s category and into a 3-day event.

As the NAIDOC Cup is a joint initiative between FNSW and NNSWF each year the hosts alternate, with 2024 being hosted by NNSWF.

2024 NAIDOC Cup Details

The 2024 NAIDOC Cup will be held at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Speers Point, NSW from July 10th to July 12th.

Player Trials

Football NSW is currently inviting expressions of interest for players to be involved in the tournament.

Trials will be held on Thursday 18th April from 2 – 4pm at Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood.

First Nations Football Festival

The First Nations Football Festival (FNFF), formerly known as the National Indigenous Football Championships is an annual tournament which originally commenced in 2016. The event is hosted by Wreck Bay Sharks Football Club within the Shoalhaven District Football Association and was the first national open men and women football tournament for participants of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background.

The tournament is about showcasing the sporting abilities of Indigenous footballers and to create a pathway for Indigenous children and youth. The tournament promotes a healthy lifestyle, the importance of education, cultural awareness, respect on and off the field, and a drug and alcohol-free tournament.

Each year the tournament kicks off with a MiniRoos Schools Clinic which sees over 100 students attend on the day. Since its inception, not only has the schools clinic grown, so too has the number of senior men’s and women’s teams, as well as the inclusion of a junior tournament.

Teams competing in the tournament represent their Nation by wearing traditional artistic jerseys and colors with such teams travelling from areas such as:

  • Batemans Bay (NSW)
  • Cairns (QLD)
  • Canberra (ACT)
  • Dubbo (NSW)
  • Grafton (NSW)
  • Illawarra (NSW)
  • Jervis Bay (NSW)
  • Kempsey (NSW)
  • Newcastle (NSW)
  • Nowra (NSW)
  • Peak Hill (NSW)
  • Shoalhaven (NSW)
  • Sydney (NSW)
  • Tamworth (NSW)
  • Wallaga Lake (NSW)

Football NSW proudly supports the FNFF each year with the tournament being held as one of the key events over Summer Football. The tournament runs in November each year.

For more information to get involved in the championships please contact Bernie Mcleod – Tournament Director via nationalindigenousfootball@gmail.com

Nations of Origin

The Nations of Origin tournament has been designed to promote reconciliation within communities and engage Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal members in PCYC through the games of Rugby League 7’s, Football 5’s, Basketball and Netball. It also works off four main components: Reconciliation, Education, Cultural Identity and Sport. Coinciding with national NAIDOC Week, the tournament also celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

This tournament empowers and motivates our youth to celebrate Australia’s diverse Indigenous culture and its deep impact on our history and their stories. Nations of Origin has been held annually since 2012 which has now grown into one of the largest youth Indigenous sporting events in NSW.