As clubs across the Perth Football League celebrate NAIDOC Week, few embrace the occasion quite like Coolbellup. Home to one of the league's largest Indigenous playing groups, for “Cooby”, this weekend carries a significance that extends well beyond football, reflecting a commitment to honouring and strengthening the Indigenous connections that have become central to the club's fabric.

“It's celebrating who they are. Their culture is everything, and bringing everyone together is pretty special. It's the family, it's the unity. Playing the game is just a small part of the day. There's so much more,” Coolbellup club president Adrian Pinkerton said.

The cultural ceremonies will be led by Coolbellup player Isaiah Walley-Stack, who many football fans will recognise as a game-day MC at Optus Stadium, alongside his father, acclaimed singer-songwriter and former Coolbellup player and coach Phil Walley-Stack.

“I know our players and their families are going to embrace it, but I also want the visiting team to experience the strength, pride and culture that Coolbellup Football Club has,” said Phil Walley-Stack.

“The beauty about football clubs, and especially Indigenous Rounds, is that it starts conversations in a safe place.”

The day will begin with a smoking ceremony before a traditional dance performance between the women's and reserves matches, with Indigenous players and community members invited to take part. A gift exchange with the opposition will follow before both the women's and league fixtures.

The entertainment doesn't stop there, with the club's major sponsor, Karlayura Group, helping bring one of Western Australia's leading Indigenous acts, The Family Shovela Band, to perform a free concert at the ground.

“It's like a big family gathering. All of these kids are running about and playing. I look around and see 150 people standing around this one moment. It's pretty special, and that's what it's about. It's about coming together,” Pinkerton said.

“You look around, and there are people with the biggest grins on their faces, people with tears in their eyes.”

Coolbellup’s NAIDOC celebrations extend beyond football, placing First Nations art and storytelling at the heart of the day. Women's coach Timothy Jetta created the artwork for the match ball, while artist Turid Calgaret's traditional five-by-five metre sand mural will feature alongside the oval.

The club's 2026 Indigenous Round guernsey, The Turtles Pathway, designed by assistant women's coach Trent Turvey, tells a story of connection, family and shared purpose. Three turtles, waterholes and flowing songlines symbolise the journey players take together throughout the season, while a blue-to-night-sky gradient and stars across the chest represent the club's enduring connection to Country and the guidance of ancestors who walk with them every step of the way.

“A lot of our history was always passed down orally and through dance and art. That's the beauty of having people designing these jerseys. They're documenting their stories. Those stories are now being passed on and worn proudly,” said Walley-Stack.

“Football is one big art piece. It’s a choreographed dance, you've got rhythm, you've got the beat—the boots hitting the ground, the ball bouncing, the roar of the crowd. It's all part of the good energy it produces, which allows us to let off steam.”

The artwork, dancing and ceremony are not separate additions to the football for Walley-Stack. Rather, they're extensions of the same expression, contributing to a shared story of community and connection. The sentiment is one Pinkerton sees reflected in the club's culture.

“For a lot of the boys, footy is a pathway that does keep a lot of them out of trouble, and this is what they'll remember growing up,”

“The club is a place that they get to go to three times a week for training, it’s where some really special bonds are made, and all of their worries, whether they've got stuff going on at home, depression, anxiety — it all goes away.”

Although the atmosphere on the day transcends the game, Pinkerton says the players really turn it up on the day, as seen in the fact that Coolbellup men’s and women’s have only lost one NAIDOC round since 2021.

“You're wearing the jumper. You're playing for the round, celebrating your culture, your people. You live, breathe and feel it because they are Indigenous,” Pinkerton said.

There's also a medal ceremony at the end, awarding best-on-ground in the league, reserves and women's matches, in honour of three players who have passed away — Brenton Wyatt, Desmond Kickett, and Murray Abdullah.

“It’s probably going to be presented by the family members. So there's that emotional attachment as well. So everyone steps up and goes for it.”

“Speaking for myself, and I’m sure everyone at the club, we put in the hard work because we can rock up on game day, and I get that community feeling. It's not just about winning, and this weekend, especially, it's about celebrating who they are and bringing everyone together,” Pinkerton said.

For Coolbellup and many clubs and players all across the PFL, the NAIDOC round is bigger than any final fixture because it's a day when culture, family and football become one and the same. A chance to honour and celebrate First Nations culture and the people — past, present, and future — who have carried forward the traditions at the heart of this country's story.