North Melbourne and the Bulldogs will celebrate Multicultural Round in style this week, beginning at Aegis Park and continuing right through to the final siren.
Indigenous Academy v Multicultural Academy Match
Sunday, Aegis Park from 2.00pm
The match is the culmination of the Indigenous and Multicultural Academy programs, where participants (boys 15 and under) learn leadership, life and football skills.
Community Walk
Departing Aegis Park at 3.30pm to Etihad Stadium
Participants will meet at Aegis Park and after the Academy match, will walk to Etihad Stadium while recognising key historical and cultural landmarks along the way. Western Bulldogs members and Victoria Police members from the North Melbourne Police Station will also take part.
Participants will be wearing blue T-shirts with ‘Our Club, Our Community’ on them and will be welcomed to the ground by the Asanti Dancers and Burundian Drummers.
Pre-match Entertainment
Make sure you stop off at Gate 7 on your way into the ground to see some amazing entertainment provided by Victorian Multicultural Arts from 3.30pm, including:
Burundian Drummers
The Burundian Drumming Group is multigenerational, with fathers teaching their sons the art of drumming and performance. In Burundi, the drum is a sacred musical instrument. The ingoma drums which you see today are made from hollowed out tree trunks topped with animal skin. This set of ingoma was actually created in Melbourne by the community. Enjoy the rhythm and excitement as they drum, dance, jump and sing in celebration.
The Asanti Dance Theatre
Asanti Dance Theatre perform with highly captivating and unforgettable power, precision and energy. Being highly skilled in dance and drumming allows them to expertly showcase how the drumming and dance ‘talk’ with each other, a concept and understanding that is so important in African performance arts.
There will also be Brazilian drummers performing around the concourse from 3.30pm.
The Huddle Bays
Participants from the walk, Community Ambassadors and Indigenous and Multicultural Academies will be seated in the Huddle Bays (Aisles 26-28) on level 1, where many of them will enjoy their first taste of AFL Football.
Follow it live
If you want the most up-to-date injury and selection news while you’re at the game, photos from the rooms and live match coverage log on North’s official Facebook and Twitter pages.
This week the official Twitter feed of the game will include tweets in a number of different languages, provided by NMFC Community Ambassadors.
Ticketing and Membership Information
Season Ticket & Social Club GA Members
All North Melbourne Season Ticket members & Social Club members without a reserved seat will be able to access the general admission areas on Level 3 by scanning their 2011 membership card on the turnstiles on the day.
Alternatively you can upgrade your ticket to a reserved seat by pre booking through Ticketmaster - www.ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 36 32 31 or at the ticket booth at Etihad Stadium on the day.
Membership Queries
For all membership enquiries & cap collections please visit the Merchandise Marquee on the footbridge.
Cheersquad
The North Melbourne cheersquad will be located in Level 1 Aisle 25.
North End GA Bay
Members who have purchased a North End GA Bay membership package are invited to purchase guest passes for this bay (subject to availability).
Passes are strictly limited to 2 per member and are at a cost of $10 for an adult & $5 for a junior. Please note, the guest pass does not include admission to the ground.
To purchase a North End GA Bay guest pass please contact the Membership Services Centre on 1300 KANGAS (1300 526 427) or visit one of the Membership Marquees on the match day or the Social Club Victory Room.
Social Club Victory Room
The Victory Room will be open this Saturday from 2.30pm for all Social Club, Archer’s Legends Club & Schimma Platinum Club members. A buffet & bar service is available prior to the match.
Please display your 2011 Social Club medallion when accessing the Victory Room.
North Melbourne Chairman James Brayshaw will be interviewed at approximately 3.50pm.
Other multicultural Round activities
Launch at Aegis Park
Aegis Park will hosted the launch of Multicultural Round, with a clinic being held for children from multicultural backgrounds.
The Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, the Hon. Nicholas Kotsiras (MP), North Melbourne Football Club Chief Executive Eugene Arocca and AFL Community Engagement Manager Jason Mifsud attended along with AFL and NMFC Multicultural Ambassadors.
Banner making
Several of The Huddle’s Community Ambassadors from diverse communities will join the NMFC Cheersquad and a couple of players to make the banner for the weekend’s game on Wednesday evening.
