AFL confirm Aboriginal flag will not be painted on centre circle for Indigenous Round

Next weekend’s Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round will look slightly different after the AFL confirmed they are scrapping an iconic feature.

Next weekend’s Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round will look slightly different after the AFL revealed they are scrapping a key feature.

The Aboriginal flag will not be displayed on the centre circle during Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round next weekend.

As reported by The Age’s Daniel Cherny, the AFL has confirmed the iconic flag will not be painted on the turf for any round 13 fixtures, presumably due to a copyright concern.

Instead, the word “Deadly” will be displayed on the centre circle, along with the name of the ground’s local Indigenous population.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Watch every match of every round Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

The Age reported WAM clothing — which purchased the licence to the design in 1971 — has stamped down on the use of the Aboriginal flag, issuing several cease and desist letters to Indigenous groups selling products featuring the red, yellow and black flag.

“As with the Indigenous round for 2019, we gave permission to the AFL for the Indigenous players to wear their guernseys on the field with the flag, and there was no issue there whatsoever, and that same permission would have been offered this year as well,” WAM owner Semele Moore told The Age.

“If they want to go sell those to the public, that’s when there would have been fees payable.”

Aboriginal television presenter Shelley Ware tweeted: “Bravo to the AFL for not paying for the use of the Aboriginal flag, for this year’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round … this flag should be everyone’s.”

WAM came under fire earlier this year when Sydney Swans superstar Lance Franklin pulled his clothing range after he was accused of ripping off the Aboriginal community.

Lance Franklin with the Aboriginal flag.

“I have been deeply disturbed by comments targeting me about the use of the Aboriginal flag on T-shirts we produced through the only licensed and legal avenue, being through WAM clothing, and in doing so, with full and due respect to the artist, Harold Thomas,” Franklin said in a statement in June.

“Our intention was to produce the T-shirt, as an expression of my cultural pride and to encourage Australians of all backgrounds to wear our flag, that is an official flag of our country, with pride.

“It was never, our intention to disrespect others in Aboriginal communities, and as a result of this issue, we will not be seeking to order or sell any further T-shirts or merchandise until the matter of our flag being made freely available is resolved for the good of our people, and our country.”

Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round commences on Friday with the Gold Coast Suns taking on Carlton at TIO Stadium in the Northern Territory.