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Indigenous player inclusion in the Australian Football League
journal contribution
posted on 2017-01-01, 00:00 authored by Justine FerrerJustine Ferrer, Paul TurnerPaul TurnerPurpose
The aim of this paper is to audit the efforts made around the support of Indigenous players within the Australian Football League (AFL).
Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis of the publicly available information on websites of organizations associated with the AFL was undertaken to identify the extent of programs and policies around Indigenous representation, inclusion, and development.
Findings
The AFL, as an organization, has a high percentage of Indigenous players (employees) in comparison to the wider Australian workforce representation. Largely, Indigenous representation within the AFL is merit based, prioritized on an individual’s ability to play football at an elite level. The website audit identified a number of inconsistencies in the public personas portrayed by the AFL and organizations aligned to it such as the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) and clubs. The findings raise a number of questions for future research.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is that the website audit represents a very small insight into the current situation and does not provide a depth of analysis into the circumstances around Indigenous inclusion within the AFL. The audit also is very focused on one sporting organization which may or may not be representative of the sport industry.
Originality/value
The research introduces a number of questions for future discovery.
The aim of this paper is to audit the efforts made around the support of Indigenous players within the Australian Football League (AFL).
Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis of the publicly available information on websites of organizations associated with the AFL was undertaken to identify the extent of programs and policies around Indigenous representation, inclusion, and development.
Findings
The AFL, as an organization, has a high percentage of Indigenous players (employees) in comparison to the wider Australian workforce representation. Largely, Indigenous representation within the AFL is merit based, prioritized on an individual’s ability to play football at an elite level. The website audit identified a number of inconsistencies in the public personas portrayed by the AFL and organizations aligned to it such as the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) and clubs. The findings raise a number of questions for future research.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is that the website audit represents a very small insight into the current situation and does not provide a depth of analysis into the circumstances around Indigenous inclusion within the AFL. The audit also is very focused on one sporting organization which may or may not be representative of the sport industry.
Originality/value
The research introduces a number of questions for future discovery.
History
Journal
Equality, diversity and inclusion: an international journalVolume
36Issue
6Pagination
519 - 532Publisher
Emerald Group PublishingLocation
Bingley, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
2040-7149eISSN
1758-7093Indigenous content
This research output may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased. We apologise for any distress that may occur.Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2017, Emerald Publishing LimitedUsage metrics
Categories
Keywords
Indigenous playersAustralian Football League (AFL)inclusionsupportemployeesAFL Players Association (AFLPA)representationsport industrySocial SciencesManagementBusiness & EconomicsDiversityIndigenousAustralian Football LeagueWebsite auditQUALITATIVE CONTENT-ANALYSISDIVERSITY MANAGEMENTSPORTORGANIZATIONIDENTITYIMAGESociology