MELBOURNE will once again acknowledge the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, rebranding to Narrm Football Club for the duration of AFLW Indigenous Round.

Narrm is the traditional Aboriginal name for Melbourne and encompasses the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation, which consists of a collective of five Aboriginal nations; the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, Wadawurrung, Taungurung and Dja Dja Wurrung.

Narrm comes from Woi wurrung – the language spoken by the traditional owners of the city and its surrounds, and acknowledges the region the Demons call home. 

This will be the third year in which the club has opted to change its name and will remain as Narrm Football Club for the next two weeks.

This initiative was designed to celebrate Australia’s Indigenous history and generate productive conversations among the wider football community.

To celebrate this round, Narrm will don a special guernsey in its next two matches across Weeks 9 and 10, wearing a jumper designed by Mali Isabel, an Arabana and Kokatha artist living on Kaurna Country.

Isabel’s artwork tells the story of her family’s important connection to the club, her design centred around a heart speaking to the journey of her younger brother and passionate Demons fan KC Melbourne Herriman-Place.

After suffering from cardiomyopathy, his first cardiac arrest at just 11 years old, KC received a heart transplant in 2020.

The artwork, titled “My Heart Beats True”, was first unveiled during Sir Doug Nicholls Round earlier this year, with the AFL team wearing it during Rounds 10 and 11.

When the AFLW side pulls on the jumper next week, it will have a further special meaning, with their guernsey retaining the colours within the original artwork created by Isabel.

Narrm will face Hawthorn and Collingwood across the two weeks of Indigenous Round, closing out the fixtured season at IKON Park in what is set to be an exciting home game for Dees supporters.