Connection, Culture, and Footy: NAIDOC Round with Krstel Petrevski

Krstel Petrevski is a force to be reckoned with. A proud Kija and Jara woman from Halls Creek, she’s currently crushing her second season with the club and averaging 27 disposals a game. I caught up with her to chat about Subiaco’s plans for this weekend’s NAIDOC Round and her experience in the club.

First of all, can you tell me about some of the things the club is doing this week as part of NAIDOC Round?

On Monday night the entire club – Rogers, Colts, Ressies, both league sides, and also our past players – got to attend a dinner hosted by the club. As we continue on this journey of the One Club model, having everyone together in the same room celebrating this beautiful culture that we have was a beautiful way to start the week off.

We also had a panel of our Indigenous players from all of the programs while everyone was eating. It was really great to get an insight into who our Indigenous players are and where they come from.

It’s also incredible that this weekend, all teams that are playing will be wearing the same guernsey, designed by Danielle Champion (mother of Malakai Champion, former Subiaco player). That’s really special, that we’re all in the same guernsey, all representing our club strongly and proudly and wearing that beautiful design together. It’s also amazing that the stars aligned and we all get to play a home game at Sullivan Logistics Stadium, so we get to make it a big celebration across all our teams.

On game day, we also get the privilege to do a gift exchange prior to playing. All Captains and Indigenous players will be a part of that during the pre-game, where we’ll exchange gifts with our opposition clubs on the ground (The Women and Rogers with Perth, the Men with West Coast), which will be really special.

We’re also going to host a smoking ceremony on the day of the game, which is a really powerful thing. To have all of our players involved is something that speaks volumes to how much we love this beautiful culture and we celebrate and acknowledge it on the biggest stage we have.

Tell me about the guernsey you’ll be wearing during this week’s match. What’s the meaning behind its design? How incredibly special is it to be able to run out in it?

Danielle Champion had the privilege of designing the guernsey, her artwork and the way she shares her story is incredibly beautiful. I know all of our players will be incredibly proud to wear it and honoured to represent the story of the Subiaco Football Club. She collaborated with all the male players in the yarning circle that we have within the club, so the design is really centred on our community and our belonging. When you wear the guernsey you know that you’re loved, you’re respected, and you’re a part of this footy club and this home. That’s very powerful.

A key element I really love is the stars on the guernsey. They represent the players; they’re the ones we go watch on the weekend and it’s important that they get the chance to shine as bright as they can. What better way to do that than to have our Indigenous players light up the ground on game day? It’s gonna be amazing.

You mentioned that some of the Indigenous players get together for occasional yarning circles within the club. Can you explain to me what that entails and what you get out of that as a group and community?

The yarning circle is a collaboration between Subiaco FC and Phil Narkle (Aboriginal Program Manager at WA Football). It’s a safe place where, once a month during the footy season, all the Indigenous players from all the programs at the club come together. The format isn’t strictly a meeting, sometimes we do dinner, sometimes we have a BBQ, sometimes we go out. Or sometimes it actually is a meeting in one of the club’s boardrooms! It’s a place for our players to catch up and be together, because a lot of our players aren’t from Perth, and even the ones that are come from all walks of life and a bunch of different Aboriginal cultures. So for us to come together and really connect on that deeper level is something that’s really important.

The smoking ceremony at the oval this weekend was something that came out of the yarning circle, so working in collaboration with all the parties and trying to bring these ideas to life was a great experience.

How do you feel being only the second Indigenous WAFLW player in Subiaco’s history?

For me, in having this position, I have a role and responsibility, and I’m very proud to own this space and really drive education and the sharing of our culture. I said on Monday night at the function, “I don’t live on my country, but a big connecting piece to my country is people. My friends, my teammates, our cultures, they feel like home to me.” So to be able to share my home and a little piece of me and my culture to all my people, and for them to respond with love and wanting to know more and educate themselves on it, that’s really powerful. I hold a great privilege in being able to do that. Using my knowledge and sharing it with as many people as I can so that they can educate the next person is what we strive for.

I’ve been blessed with an incredible group of people at Subiaco. Our women’s program is a very tight-knit group and our coaching staff and all the people involved with the program are very close, so to be able to share this with my nearest and dearest is very special. And the girls absolutely love it and embrace it just as much as I do, which is even more special!

Subiaco’s NAIDOC Round matches kick off at Sullivan Logistics Stadium at 10:05 AM on Saturday when the Rogers Cup side faces off with Perth, followed by the WAFLW at 12:10 PM. The WAFL side will then face West Coast at 2:30 PM.