THERE will be no Indigenous and Multicultural All-Stars match this pre-season, but the AFL has confirmed it is working towards holding the game in early 2024.
The League sent a memo to clubs on Tuesday outlining its plans, saying the runway to execute such a match in the next two to three months and play it ahead of the 2023 premiership season was just too short.
The idea was discussed at the recent Indigenous and Multicultural Player Summit in Geelong, which bought together more than 100 AFL and AFLW players from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and multicultural backgrounds.
The match, which would celebrate diversity in the code at the highest level, has widespread support from players and clubs.
However, after further consultation with clubs, along with ascertaining the availability of players and grounds, the AFL has decided another 12 months would give the concept the best chance of success.
An Indigenous team this season could have included the likes of Lance Franklin, Steven May, Charlie Cameron and Shai Bolton, while a multicultural All-Stars outfit could include players like Aliir Aliir, Adam Saad, Mabior Chol and Nic Naitanui.
What the teams look like in 2024 is anyone's guess, but the concept looks set to get off the ground.
Andrew Dillon, the AFL's footy operations boss, said the match would "bring together the industry, provide a platform to universally rally around and celebrate the diversity of footy".
"It will be a privilege to offer a game such as this to the community and we look forward to seeing these cohorts of talent in our game come together and showcased at some point in the future," he said.
