DIVERSITY and unity is the beauty of football clubs according to coach Alastair Clarkson.

Speaking ahead of the AFL’s Indigenous Round, Clarkson said that the ability football has to bring people together with the aim of achieving one common goal is one of the great aspects of Australian Rules.

“It’s a celebration of everyone coming together and that’s the beauty of footy clubs,” Clarkson said.

“You’ve got people from all walks of life, all different demographics, all different cultures, all different religions.

“They all come together for the one common cause, which is hopefully doing well for the football club.”

Indigenous Round is a significant fixture on the AFL calendar, celebrating the contribution of players to the growth and expansion of the game.

The Hawks have seven indigenous players on its list - Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli, Bradley Hill, Chance Bateman, Derick Wanganeen, Shaun Burgoyne and Amos Frank, something Clarkson says is important to the Club.

“It’s a pretty special time for our Club because we’ve been a club who have historically, not had a lot of indigenous boys on the list,” he said.

“Now we’re probably as well represented for a football club than any club in the competition.

“It’s not just because they’re great footballers, it’s because they’re great people and we’ve learnt a lot (and we) continue to learn a lot more about what is a pretty special culture.

“Hopefully it continues to enrich our footy club.”

Clarkson has used Indigenous Round, however, not only to acknowledge the impact of indigenous players, but also the involvement and influence players from other cultures have had in contributing to the history and future of the AFL. 

“I know we’re talking about indigenous boys this week, but we’ve got (Shane) Savage who’s got New Zealand blood and (Paul) Puopolo who’s European and many others too who’ve got varied backgrounds,” he said.

“It’s just having empathy for everyone’s background.”

Kate Salemme is a member of Hawthorn Football Club’s Digital media team reporting exclusively for hawthornfc.com.au from the Ricoh Centre