Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham has called on the game not to forget Adam Goodes’ story, as the Swans marked the 10-year anniversary of the champion’s war dance that sparked the “unimaginable public bullying” which hounded him out of the sport.
Pridham, who was at the helm in Goodes’ sorrowful final year as a player in 2015, used his pre-game address at the Swans’ Marn Grook match on Friday night, celebrating First Nations people, to urge the AFL to do more to restore the number of Indigenous players in the league. He also questioned if the league’s Next Generation Academies were achieving their intended purpose.
Adam Goodes’ Indigenous war dance 10 years ago has been immortalised by the Sydney Swans in a statue.Credit: Sydney Swans Football Club; Supplied
The AFL is celebrating Indigenous culture through the first of its two Sir Doug Nicholls rounds at a time when the governing body’s handling of racial issues is again in question after the Willie Rioli saga.
Goodes helped the Swans unveil their Marn Grook guernsey with a social media post this week but has rejected repeated requests from the AFL to take part in its functions, including an offer in 2021 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, after the league failed to condemn the booing he received from rival fans in 2015.
The hostile reception intensified after Goodes – bestowed the 2014 Australian of the Year award for his anti-racism advocacy – performed a war dance in the Marn Grook fixture against Carlton, and had such a debilitating effect on him that he had to miss a game later that season.
“Adam’s war dance was a seminal moment in a chain of events that saw him suffer unimaginable public bullying, become Australian of the Year and have two movies and a song released about the events surrounding his final years as a celebrated champion footballer,” Pridham said at a function attended by the AFL’s most senior Indigenous employee Tanya Hosch and three members of the AFL commission.
“Tonight is the anniversary of Adam’s celebration that turned into his pain. The anniversary of one of the moments that saw Australians collectively tested and challenged with respect to our attitudes and treatment of Indigenous Australians.
“It was not a test that we passed or failed. In reality, we continue to be tested. In reality, we all have a long way to go. Tolerance, inclusion and understanding is about decency and kindness. Ultimately, our treatment of Indigenous Australians is a test that we simply must pass.
“It is important that we do not forget Adam Goodes’ story. It is a story that we at the Sydney Swans lived. Yes, we celebrated that win against Carlton 10 years ago. But alongside Adam we also witnessed his pain and continue to experience it with his loss to the AFL.”
Pridham hopes that Goodes’ ongoing association with the Swans is a sign the dual Brownlow medallist will reconnect with the game on a broader level.
“I am delighted that he is enjoying so much happiness and success in this football retirement. But I mourn the pain that the game put him through. I hope that one day we can heal this pain,” Pridham said.
“It is Adam’s ongoing connection to our club and his teammates that gives me hope that, in time, we can all be better and we can all pass this test.
“And if we can do this, then I am confident that in time Adam, and other Indigenous players who feel that our game has let them down, can feel safe enough to once again embrace the fans and the game itself.”
Pridham said events such as the Marn Grook game and Sir Doug Nicholls rounds were important in honouring Indigenous involvement in the game, but the league needed to show “strong leadership and great empathy and wisdom” to welcome people of all backgrounds.
“The number of Indigenous players playing in the AFL in 2025 is at a 19-year low, and has been in constant decline since COVID,” Pridham said.
“This is alarming. It is incumbent on the AFL, state leagues and the clubs to work together to identify talented Indigenous boys and girls and to then develop them to their full potential.
“The complexities are many. Cultural differences and remote geographies amplify the challenges. It will take time and investment.
“Importantly, we must measure success by identifying kids that would not otherwise be playing AFL or who do not have access to appropriate development opportunities. This will not be a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires innovative thinking and careful execution.”
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