Geelong United partners with Wathaurong in landmark collab

REPRESENTATIVE basketballers across the Greater Geelong region will don special uniforms this season in an unprecedented move for basketball across the state, paying respect to the traditional owners of the land.

Geelong United and Supercats players will play their respective fixtures in 2023 wearing specially designed First Nations Uniforms in a landmark collaboration with the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-Op.

Co-op chief executive officer and Wemba Wemba man Simon Flagg said the partnership between Geelong United and the Wathaurong Co-Op is reflective of the two organisations’ primary goals.

“The philosophy is the same, I guess, for both organisations, we both just want to connect within our community,” he said.

“We want to ensure our community has every opportunity, and Geelong United have been great in providing that.”

The uniform initiative will be observed from the association’s junior sides all the way through to the senior Supercats teams, who wore a once-off design during NAIDOC Week in 2022.

“The uniforms are now being worn by our NBL1 teams all the way down to our Under 12 teams,” Geelong United head of sponsorship and marketing, Connie Bolger said.

“Which really showcases the all-year round connection with uniting our community, as well as being able to show that representation at all levels.”

Wemba Wemba man and artist David Flagg, who designed the Supercats’ First Nations uniform last season, said he was honoured to be a part of the process again.

“Being able to get that reconnection back to our youth is a really big thing here,” he said.

“I like to use my designs to tell stories as well, it’s not just generic art, I like to tell a story of the connection to the community and really help drive [forward] change.”

Junior basketballers began their seasons on February 3. NBL1 Supercats action begins on April 1 in Kilsyth.