Two of the AFL’s brightest talents this year called out racist abuse on social media directed at them and their families.
St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Port Adelaide's Jase Burgoyne received racially abusive messages simply for playing footy.
Racism on social media directed at First Nations players is prolific and deeply harmful.
Slurs and threats of violence to players and their families are common.
The AFL’s CEO Andrew Dillon says combating racism is a continued focus for him.
"It's a societal issue and we're a part of society," he tells the ABC.
"It's not comfortable at all and doesn't really sit well with me. It's something that we want to work on."
The abuse has instant and ongoing impact to the men and women playing the game, with internal surveys revealing few players feel satisfied with the league's response.
"I'm just a boy trying to play some football."
That's how Western Bulldogs player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan responded to questions around the racial abuse directed at him in 2023.
Insiders say not much has changed for young Indigenous footballers trying to win games for their clubs while also juggling the mental and physical toll that comes with being racially vilified.
The AFL's leaders say racism remains present across many aspects of the code.
Attempts to fix the game's systemic problems have had mixed results.
Che Wyatt is the Indigenous liaison at the Fremantle Dockers, supporting the cultural safety of First Nations players.
"I think there needs to be comprehensive reviews at every club and from the AFL to really look at some of those issues and listen to the people that have lived through it," he says.
"I think at least that's the first step."
But social media hatred is not the only problem facing Indigenous players.
A decline in First Nations athletes competing in the AFL/W over the past five years tallies with funding cuts to Indigenous programs over the same period.
There are also concerns talent pathways to the elite level favour players from private schools, a fraction of which are Indigenous.
Uncle Paul Briggs is the chair of the AFL’s Indigenous Advisory Council.
"It's complex but it's got its roots in ignorance and institutional racism," the Yorta Yorta elder says.
The Australian Human Rights Commission defines systemic racism as policies, practices and rules that create inequality based on race or cultural background.
So how does this definition apply to the AFL?
Need for cultural safety
The 2021 Do Better report found there was systemic racism at Collingwood.
Since then, the club has sought to reform itself and set the industry standard for First Nations engagement, says vice-president and Djab Wurrung, Gunditjmara woman Jodie Sizer, who has been leading the efforts.
"[It was a] commitment to better understanding our club, the role that we have, what cultural safety means, what systemic racism means," Ms Sizer says.
She says having worked through the problems at the club, Collingwood’s leadership now has greater visibility of the challenges across the code.
"Systemic barriers and systemic racism that don't allow for our Aboriginal and Torres Islander people to realise potential."
The number of First Nations players across the AFL and AFLW has fallen from 109 in mid-2020 to 80 in September 2025.
The total number of players across all AFL clubs is capped at 684, and currently 61 of those are Indigenous, or just under nine per cent.
In the AFLW the cap is 540, and there are 19 Indigenous players, which is three and a half per cent of the total.
"To see that continuous decline over that period of time is unacceptable," Ms Sizer says.
"Having a club with First Nations players is going to be far greater than a club that has zero. [That's] what we're at risk of that if we continue to see that decline."
As part of pandemic-era budget cuts, the AFL reduced funding to some programs aimed at identifying Indigenous talent.
Mr Dillon concedes the cuts have contributed to the fall in player numbers.
"That's something through COVID where some of that investment was decreased," he says.
"I think we've seen unfortunate outcomes of that."
The ABC asked which programs were cut and by how much, but the AFL did not provide this information.
This year the AFL released its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Game Development Action Plan designed to grow Indigenous participation.
The ABC was not provided with a dollar figure for this program.
The AFL's current broadcast deal with the Seven Network and Foxtel was signed in 2022 and is worth $4.5 billion.
"It will take time but that will lead to the replenishment of men and women on our AFL and AFLW playing lists," Mr Dillon says.
Exactly how much time is hard to quantify, but the numbers indicate it won’t be a quick fix.
'Call it what it is'
It’s a foggy Saturday morning in June at the Rumbalara Aboriginal Football Club in the Victorian town of Shepparton.
Those involved say the footy team here is the heartbeat and cultural hub for the community.
Rumbalara president Corey Walker is watching on from the sidelines.
"I think there’s a lot of bias within recruitment. I'm gonna call it what it is," the Yorta Yorta man says.
He says AFL talent scouts haven’t been seen on the boundary line for a while but there’s no shortage of skill at Rumbalara.
"We've really got a dynamic group of young talent within the senior side. We want to foster and nurture that."
Uncle Paul Briggs, one of the founders of Rumbalara, says clubs favour players they consider to be a "safer" prospect.
"I think there's elements of risk management, of risk profile in recruitment," he says.
"There's that sense of hardline view about the value of First Nations [players]."
Jodie Sizer agrees.
"That confirmation bias, I think that that does influence the selection process at times," she says.
"[The AFL] needs to bring a greater and better understanding of cultural knowledge so that there's not any aversion to bringing on Indigenous kids into that game."
Private schools dominating draft
The AFL draft provides a pool of players for the clubs to recruit from and takes place after the season is complete.
Only one Indigenous player was picked in the 2024 AFL draft.
Making it to the draft is competitive and complex regardless of heritage.
Players and their families must navigate a system of clubs, academies, leagues, representative sides and talent pathways that vary from state to state.
Paul Briggs says it is well known within the industry that players at private schools get first look by talent scouts.
"Families are feeling that they have to seek private school opportunities," he says.
"That playing at Rumbalara will reduce your opportunities to get into the pathway programs and get selected.
"So it's a dilemma for families and whether the kids come here or not."
The Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS Sport) AFL competition comprises 11 teams.
These fee-paying schools are well resourced and often hire former AFL players and coaches in their football departments.
Players from this system dominate the AFL draft; in 2023, 17 of the top 30 picks were fresh out of the private school system.
APS Sport draft data indicates 82 players have been drafted from that system since 2020, with just six of those being Indigenous.
The AFL’s CEO says the game needs to provide pathways to everyone.
"No matter where they were born, where they live, what school they go to, that there's opportunities for all of them," Mr Dillon says.
Connection to country and culture vital
There have been efforts to improve the AFL industry when it comes to First Nations inclusion.
Since 2021, AFL has mandated Indigenous Player Development Managers at all clubs.
Proud Wongatha, Yamatji, Noongar and Adnyamathanha man Che Wyatt has this role at the Fremantle Dockers.
"The cultural safety and cultural wellbeing and the social, emotional wellbeing of Indigenous players is clearly connected with how they perform on the field," he says.
"Obviously that connection to country comes into play. The connection to their culture, their community."
Mr Wyatt often works with players who have moved to the city from regional areas.
"The mindset that we've got to change is that the player has to completely adapt and change to this lifestyle of an elite athlete or an elite sporting environment."
Cultural competency training is delivered across the industry, including being mandated for player managers who register with the AFLPA.
Reconciliation Action Plans — an organisational commitment to race relations and equality — are common across the 18 AFL clubs.
However, the AFL’s own plan, endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, expired in 2023.
In a statement it told the ABC: "The AFL continues to build on the foundations of our first Reconciliation Action Plan as we develop our own First Nations Strategy which will guide our efforts to champion First Nations excellence and experiences across our industry."
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon says 6 per cent of its workforce is Indigenous, a number he’d like to increase.
"Representation at all levels of our game, whether it's in the stands, on the field, in the coaching ranks, in the umpiring ranks, in the administration ranks of our clubs, and at the AFL," he says.
There are 57 non-playing Indigenous employees at AFL clubs, as well as 12 coaches.
All 18 clubs have First Nations initiatives ranging from player development and cultural practice to employment.
The AFL Umpires Association did not respond to the ABC.
Though critical of some aspects of the game, Uncle Paul Briggs does believe the AFL is committed to improving the game.
"It’s a huge challenge and the challenge doesn't just belong to the AFL," he says.
If you have more information about this story, contact the Indigenous Affairs Team.
