The Essendon Football Club is proud to unveil its inaugural AFLW Indigenous guernsey, designed by two students from Thornbury Primary School.

Essendon will wear their Indigenous guernseys for their round three match with West Coast and in their first-ever Dreamtime game against Richmond on Sunday, September 18.

Students Momo Willcox, a Yawuru girl born on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Country, and Jackie Sinclair worked with the club to create a guernsey that incorporates Waa the Crow into the journey of Essendon’s AFLW team.

Waa is one of the moiety totems for the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Eastern Kulin nation and   is the protector spirit..

Waa’s open wings create the sash on the guernsey, with circles surrounding the crow representing connection, a key pillar of Essendon’s women’s program.

Along the bottom of the guernsey are people standing arm in arm, further representing how people from all different backgrounds have come together to build Essendon’s AFLW program.

Willcox said her design is also symbolic of the AFL's journey to be more inclusive of First Nations peoples and cultures.

“My school, Thornbury Primary, is built on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Country,” Willcox said.

“I have chosen to include Waa the Crow into my design. Waa is the Protector Spirit and is one of the two main moiety totems for the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people.

“I have also used the Aboriginal art symbol for long journey within the design of Waa to represent the journey that the AFL is on to be inclusive of First Nations peoples and cultures in the game.”

Sinclair also focused on the symbolism of team in her design, emphasising how important working together is.

“In my Dreamtime jumper design, I’ve tried to really focus on getting the theme of ‘team’ on there,” Sinclair said.

“Being with others and working together is really important to me. This is why I’ve got the figures holding hands in the design.

“I have included the Aboriginal art symbol for campsite and waterhole as it represents to me a meeting place where people would socialise and be together.

“I guess that this symbol could also represent the meeting places and football ovals where people gather to watch AFL games together.”