The Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council has announced a significant expansion of its membership, paving the way for greater representation, broader influence, and a deeper impact across the game.
The council will increase to eleven (11) members to ensure wider representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with three representatives to be selected by an open nomination process.
The ARL Indigenous Council was established as a key objective of Rugby League's 2008-2009 Reconciliation Action Plan.
Katrina Fanning, who played 26 Tests for Australia during a representative career spanning 14 years, is the former Chair.
We didn’t have a voice at the table.
The Wiradjuri woman says the Australian Rugby League Commission set up the council after recognising the need for more Indigenous representation off the field.
“When you looked around board rooms, the executive of rugby league, we didn’t have a voice at the table,” Ms Fanning said.
“The game wanted to get better at engaging with community.
“It’s a great talent pathway ... but also recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been a part of our game for a very long time.
“Much social change has started through people playing footy together.”
Former ARL Indigenous Council Chair Katrina Fanning Source: Supplied
It helped establish the annual NRL Indigenous Round and supports emerging talent from remote communities.
But perhaps its greatest achievement has been the rise of the Indigenous All Stars, which has become a way for players to engage with their culture before the start of the season.
“It’s not just about game day with All Stars; it fills the players' cultural cup before the start of the season.
“They have to leave home at 13-14 (years-old) in a lot of instances, if they don’t live in Sydney or Brisbane, to pursue a career.
“So they miss out on the opportunity to connect with community and to learn, in some ways, a deeper connection to their own culture.”
Shaquai Mitchell of the Indigenous All-Stars ahead of the NRL 2025 match against their Maori counterparts. Source: AAP / DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAPIMAGE
“Lots of people watch rugby league, so why not share some of the history of our country, connection to languages and those sorts of things through the platform rugby league creates.”
The committee has also guided the NRL on how to better deal with issues around racism.
Indigenous NRL stars have been the targets of racial abuse, on the field, and online.
“Up until only the last few years, the game hadn’t put in enough structures to do anything when those instances occur,” Fanning said.
“I think across the playing group, there’s much better levels of education from rookies camp right through, about what’s acceptable, and why people feel that way."
Fanning says another big achievement of the ARL Indigenous Council has been the establishment of better pathways for Indigenous players from community to elite programs.
“We’ve gained support for an Indigenous schoolboy team to play at the National championships, which is a stepping stone to the two big competitions in Sydney and Brisbane,” Ms Fanning said.
“Our young people love the game of rugby league ... it’s the only sport where the [Indigenous] 12 to 16 participation rate doesn’t fall off.”
The ARL Indigenous Council also wants to see more off-field roles filled by First Nations people.
“We’ve invested and got attention not just for players but for coaches and officials.”
“The first few years of the NRLW, more than half the coaches are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.
“We haven’t quite had that success in the men’s game yet, but it’s on people’s radar.
“I’d love to see more of us on club boards, as coaches and we keep creating opportunities across the game,” Ms Fanning said.
