THE AFL’S Indigenous Round officially kicked off on Tuesday with a launch at the Kaurna Plains School in Adelaide’s north.

Former Essendon champion Michael Long joined Port Adelaide’s six indigenous stars, Shaun and Peter Burgoyne, Daniel Motlop and Marlon Motlop, Danyle Pearce and Nathan Krakouer, to help launch the round, which celebrates the contribution members of the indigenous community have made to Australian Football.

There are now 72 indigenous players in the AFL – 10 per cent of the total player pool – an incredible feat given that indigenous people make up around 2 per cent of Australia’s population.

Long said he expected the number of indigenous players in the competition to at least double in the near future.

“You only have to look at the way the game is changing. I think the fast, running game suits our style of play,” he said.

“People come to see the freakish things that players do and I can’t see how the number of indigenous players in the league won’t double, or even triple, in the future.

“As it is now, we have 72 players in the AFL and that’s never happened before in the history of football. I think it can only become more and more.”

Long, who was mobbed by fans at Adelaide airport, made the journey across the border in acknowledgement of South Australia’s and, in particular, Port Adelaide’s rich indigenous tradition.

The Power have welcomed 13 indigenous players to Alberton in their short 12-year history, equalling Essendon’s record, which is second only to Fremantle (18).

Long said the AFL and its clubs, through programs such as Auskick and Kick-start, had been leaders in embracing indigenous culture.

“The AFL has educated a nation,” he said.

“When you talk about rule 30, the racial vilification rule, it’s opened up enormous opportunities and, hopefully, made tomorrow a bit easier for some of the players.

“You only have to look back at Syd Jackson, Polly Farmer and Nicky Winmar to see what those guys – the trailblazers – would’ve gone through.

“And it’s not just a rule for indigenous players, but for all people, races, colours and religions – that’s the important part of our game, our competition and our clubs.

“I think the coaches have really influenced that change in acceptance too. Everyone knows about Kevin Sheedy and then there is Mark Williams and all the indigenous players he has at Port Adelaide now.

“Kids look up to a Peter Burgoyne and a Shaun Burgoyne, who I think will be the next captain of Port Adelaide. These guys are enormous and you can see here today how much the kids admire them.

“Their status in the community is very important and I think sport has become very influential in changing our kids’ lives.”

As a part of the AFL’s Indigenous Round celebrations a symbolic ‘Welcome to Country ceremony’ will be performed before each game and four curtain raisers between indigenous teams will be played across the country.

The Auskickers involved in each half-time break will also be drawn from the indigenous community.

Another activity that has become a feature of Indigenous Round is the Long Walk, a walk from Federation Square to the Dreamtime at the ’G game, pioneered by Long.

“The Long Walk is really about some of the issues we face in the future, including Aboriginal life expectancy and housing,” Long said.

“One of the things that came out of the [Sorry] talk from the Prime Minister earlier this year was about leadership, about change, and asking where was the love for Aboriginal people?

“Sometimes on the other side of the boundary line or the fence, we’re just asking for some love and a change in the future for our kids.

“The Walk this weekend, which the AFL has embraced, is about bringing people together. We use the term ‘close the gap’, but we need to raise awareness that there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Round nine is the AFL’s Indigenous Round, highlighting the relationship between the game and Indigenous Australia. This year’s round features a number of events, culminating in the Long Walk and the annual Dreamtime at the 'G game between Essendon and Richmond on Saturday night. Click here for full coverage.