The Sydney Swans will take on North Melbourne for the Mangrook Trophy in Round 10 of the 2016 home and away season.

The AFL confirmed the fixture for the annual Indigenous Round on Wednesday morning after announcing it would be named in honour of Sir Doug Nicholls.

With the full fixture to be released on Thursday the league confirmed the Swans would take on North Melbourne on Friday May 27 at the SCG.

AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said the AFL Commission had elected to name the round in honour of Sir Doug, who remains the only VFL/AFL player both to have been knighted and to have served as a state governor, after the proposal had been discussed at length by the AFL’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

“Sir Doug Nicholls is the great untold story of Australian football, and he represented both the values of our game and epitomised the spirit of reconciliation,” Mr McLachlan said.

“He was the first Indigenous player to represent Victoria at state level, while playing for Fitzroy, and during his life he was an elite runner, boxer, Churches of Christ Pastor, Justice of the Peace, was awarded both the MBE (1957) and the OBE (1968) before being knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1972, and served as governor South Australia.

“He was a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation but his love for and commitment to Australian football was the glue that brought together all the other facets of his life,” he said.

Sir Doug Nicholls Round will be played in round 10 of the 2016 Toyota AFL Premiership season across the weekend of May 27-29, highlighted by the annual Dreamtime game at the MCG in which Essendon will host Richmond.

The full schedule for the round is (local times):

Friday May 27
Sydney Swans v North Melbourne at the SCG, 7.50pm

Saturday May 28
Brisbane Lions v Hawthorn at the Gabba, 1.45pm
Melbourne v Port Adelaide at TIO Traeger Park, 1.40pm
St Kilda v Fremantle at Etihad Stadium, 4.35pm
Adelaide Crows v GWS Giants at Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm
Essendon v Richmond at the MCG, 7.25pm

Sunday May 29
Carlton v Geelong Cats at Etihad Stadium, 1.10pm
West Coast v Gold Coast Suns at Domain Stadium, 2.40pm
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs at the MCG, 3.20pm

Jason Mifsud, AFL Senior Advisor - Indigenous & Multicultural Affairs, said Sir Doug’s commitment to indigenous people had been his lifelong work.

“Sir Doug understood that on many levels sport – in particular Australian football – has a critical role to play in the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Mifsud said.

“After he retired from Fitzroy, Sir Doug was the longstanding Chairman of the National Aboriginal Sports Foundation (NASF) that conducted National Aboriginal Football Carnivals in all capital cities.  He organised and coached the first Aboriginal All Stars games during World War 2 when the VFL and VFA suspended all competition matches and these games were the forerunner to today’s AFL All Star games when he brought together the best Aboriginal footballers for All Star games against VFA and local clubs from 1942-1948.

“He also ensured that Aboriginal women were involved in his Carnivals through a National Aboriginal Women’s’ Netball Carnival running the same time and location as the football carnivals, and these carnivals also triggered the NASF Rugby and Basketball Carnivals.

“This honour in our game’s indigenous round is due recognition for a great man,” he said.

Sir Doug Nicholls, 1906-88

  • Born in 1906 on the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Mission in New South Wales.
  • Nicholls joined Northcote FC in the VFA in 1927. He played in the club’s maiden VFA premiership team in 1929 and its Grand Final teams of 1930 and 1931. He later coached the club after WW2.
  • Joined the Fitzroy Football Club in 1932 and in 1935 he represented the VFL as a state player –the first Aboriginal player to do so.
  • Played 54 games for Fitzroy 1932-37, kicking two goals.
  • As a runner, won the Warracknabeal Gift in 1928 and the Nyah Gift. He came second in the Wangaratta and Shepparton Gifts and fourth in the Melbourne Thousand.
  • As a boxer, boxed with Jimmy Sharman’s boxing troupe, winning many showground tent fights as he toured around Australia.
  • First indigenous person to be knighted (only VFL/AFL footballer).
  • First indigenous person to hold vice-regal office in Australia (only VFL/AFL footballer).
  • Served as Governor of South Australia from 1/12/76 until his resignation on 30/4/77, due to ill health.
  • Great grandfather of former Essendon player Nathan Lovett-Murray