FANS will be able to vote on who they think is the greatest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander player through the years on new panel show Yokayi Footy, which was launched on Thursday night.
In a partnership of NITV and the AFL, Yokayi Footy will be broadcast weekly on NITV, AFL.com.au and the Official AFL Live App, SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand throughout 2020.
The program will be hosted by former Adelaide, Sydney and Collingwood player Tony Armstrong, triple Brisbane premiership player and Australian Indigenous team of the century member Darryl White, and AFLW advocate Bianca Hunt.
NITV's Gilbert McAdam will also be a part of the program, which will be broadcast from its Melbourne studio but also feature segments from communities around Australia.
Yokayi is a Noongar phrase meaning 'a shout for victory', with the interactive 'The Deadliest' countdown set to be a key facet of the new show.
'The Deadliest' will take place as a knock-out competition, where fans are able to vote on their favourite Indigenous players via AFL.com.au.
The winner will be announced in the lead-up to Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
NITV channel manager Tanya Orman said the Yokayi Footy will add to its history of engaging with football fans.
"Yokayi Footy will continue NITV's strong legacy of covering AFL, and enable us to reach new audiences through a different lens, and in particular engage the thousands of young people who play and follow the game in communities across the country," she said.
"The love and importance of football to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the positive impact it has in communities around Australia, inspired us to create a program that celebrates the achievements of Indigenous players, as well as telling the stories of the game, in a way that hasn’t been done before."
Darren Birch, the AFL's general manager of growth, digital and audiences, said the League was excited to be partnering with NITV.
"Indigenous players, past and present, have given so much to our game, and we are proud to create a new platform in partnership with NITV to champion these players and their stories. Yokayi Footy is modern. It's authentic. And it's bringing these important perspectives of our game to fans," he said.
"We are honoured to work in partnership with the NITV family and their leadership."
Yokayi Footy will first screen on Wednesday, March 18 at 8pm on NITV, AFL.com.au and the Official AFL Live app and every Friday at 3pm on SBS Viceland.