Recognise will be in the spotlight this week, with the campaign’s ‘R’ symbol set to be painted in the centre circle of each AFL venue during Indigenous Round, which will begin Thursday night when the Sydney Swans host Geelong at the SCG.
Speaking at the official launch of AFL Indigenous Round at Sydney’s Doltone House, Goodes, who is an ambassador for Recognise, said he believed the campaign’s exposure at venues and on television would help spread the message.
“It’s great to see that the football that we’re using on the weekend is symbolising the Recognise campaign,” he said.
“It’s something that I’ve been very passionate about once I heard about what they were trying to do, which is all about getting constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
“The more we get that education out there to the people, the more people we’re hoping will come on board and support the movement.
“Over five million people will see the significant ‘R’ in the middle of our grounds over the weekend, and hopefully they will go away thinking ‘What is this Recognise campaign?’”
To date, the Recognise campaign has attracted nearly 187,000 signatures online, with the likes of former Swans champion Michael O’Loughlin and Brownlow medallists Gavin Wanganeen and Andrew McLeod also getting behind the movement.
Goodes said he hoped both the Swans and the AFL’s support for the cause would motivate others to learn more about how they can support the Recognise campaign.
“We encourage people to go to the website and have a look at what we’re talking about and see what the ‘R’ symbolises for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and see if that means anything to them,” he said.
“If they’re willing to sign up, then they’ve got the options on the website.
“Whether it’s for the AFL or the Swans, it’s just a great thing for Australia.
“We’ve got a great opportunity as a nation right now to do something that’s right and something that can help change the next 200 years of our history by including Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders into our Constitution.”
In addition to the Recognise campaign, Goodes said the decision by all club’s to wear unique Indigenous guernseys this week was another step in the right direction for the AFL.
Goodes, who will proudly wear the Swans’ guernsey designed by his mother Lisa this Thursday night, said he felt the guernseys symbolised a fantastic show of support from the league, clubs and players.
“It’s a fantastic round this year,” he said.
“In the Indigenous Camp we had not too long ago, one of our goals was to have every single team playing in an Indigenous design for Indigenous Round.
“To actually get to this point this year is a fantastic achievement by the clubs, the AFL and for the players wanting something like this to happen shows the movement of the players.
“I think they all look fantastic and I’m not very biased and I don’t have a favourite, but I’m looking forward to wearing my mum’s on the weekend.”
To learn more about the Recognise campaign, head to http://www.recognise.org.au
