For the first time in the Saints’ AFLW history and in another important event in the club’s yawa (journey), St Kilda Football Club will proudly go by the Boon Wurrung name of Euro-Yroke across this year’s AFLW Indigenous Round.
The adoption and translation of Euro-Yroke (pronounced yoo-roe yoo-roe-ck) — first introduced in May of this year as part of the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round — was made possible with the assistance of Boon Wurrung Senior Elder N’arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs and Boon Wurrung Elder and language specialist Aunty Fay Muir.
Additionally, this year’s First Nations design will mark the first time that both the Saints’ men’s and women’s guernseys for their respective rounds celebrating First Nations culture will be the same, in tandem with the name of Euro-Yroke.
The history of and the club’s connection to Euro-Yroke are commemorated in this season’s design created by proud Wagiman man and Indigenous artist, Nathan Patterson, which highlight the story of the Saints’ homeland and those who have contributed to the yawa to-date.
Natural elements of Euro-Yroke are reflected across the red, yellow and black design, beginning with the water and waves of Nairm (Port Phillip Bay), moving to the sandy shorelines and through to the coastal vegetation further in-land; all meeting as one earth under the stripes of Euro-Yroke.
The story continues at the back of the guernsey through the silhouette of Narrm’s (Melbourne’s) hills, with an additional artwork featuring a symbol of mobs journeying to a central gathering point, in this case, the club.
The names of the 33 First Nations players to have represented the Saints at AFL/AFLW level - up until the end of the 2023 AFL season - are printed onto the jumper, sitting above artwork of a boomerang and traditional spears in reference to the strength of Euro-Yroke’s First Nations people. The words ‘Euro-Yroke’ are also printed into the hemlines of the guernsey, accompanying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
While yellow may be a new addition to the club’s regular scheme, it isn’t the first time it has featured on a Saints guernsey across history. Although reintroducing yellow for last year’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round guernsey, the colour first appeared in 1915 in place of the club’s regular white strip as a showing of solidarity for Allied Force, Belgium, during World War I.
Euro-Yroke will wear this season’s First Nations Guernsey in its upcoming matches against the Western Bulldogs in Week 9 and Brisbane in Week 10 at Mars Stadium and RSEA Park respectively.
