Sir Doug Nicholls Round AFL matches to be broadcast in Yolŋu Matha as language broadcasting expands

Two AFL matches during the 2026 Sir Doug Nicholls Round will be called live in Yolŋu Matha on Yolŋu Radio, reaching six major communities and 12 homelands across northeast Arnhem Land as well as audiences in Darwin and Palmerston.

The broadcasts begin with Friday night’s Gold Coast Suns and Port Adelaide match at TIO Stadium in Darwin on 15 May, before the commentary team travels to Melbourne for the annual Dreamtime at the ‘G match between Richmond and Essendon in Round 11.

The 2026 games will be the fourth and fifth AFL matches during Sir Doug Nicholls Round to be called in Yolŋu Matha. Yolŋu Radio is delivering the broadcasts with support from Triple M as part of a broader AFL push to lift First Nations voices across football media.

Veteran broadcaster Sylvia Nulpinditj, a proud Milingimbi woman who made history in 2023 as the first female commentator to call Dreamtime at the ‘G in language, will return for the 2026 broadcast team. William Gumbula will call the Darwin match, while BJ Mununggurr and first-time commentator Gawukawu Denzal Gurruwiwi will join the Dreamtime at the ‘G coverage.

AFL General Manager First Nations and Inclusion Taryn Lee said the language broadcasts were about making football accessible while supporting First Nations media pathways.

“Language plays a vital role in culture, identity and connection,” Lee said.

Yolŋu Radio & Creative Media co-djägamirr Will Porter said the project showed First Nations languages and cultures remained a living part of everyday life in Arnhem Land.

The broadcast expansion sits alongside a new AFL partnership with NITV to produce Inside the Huddle, a weekly First Nations football program. The first two episodes of the season feature 2026 Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree Michael “Magic” McLean and Port Adelaide’s Sam Powell-Pepper.

The AFL will also continue working with the National Indigenous Radio Service, now produced in-house at the AFL, to reach remote and regional communities and support Indigenous media talent.

Six clubs will adopt Indigenous language names during the round: Yartapuulti for Port Adelaide, Walyalup for Fremantle, Euro-Yroke for St Kilda, Narrm for Melbourne, Waalitj Marawar for West Coast and Kuwarna for Adelaide.

The 2026 Sir Doug Nicholls Round match ball has been designed by Peek and Kirrae Whurrong woman Bayley Mifsud, who goes by the Aboriginal name Merindah-Gunya. Her design, Weerreeyarr, is dedicated to her Nan and will be used for the next two years.

For Yolŋu listeners, the broadcasts mean the game is carried in first language and through a community media platform grounded in northeast Arnhem Land.