2024 NAIDOC Ball Design competition winner Gertrina Hayden wants her artwork to inspire more indigenous people to play football.
The Thornlie artist proudly showed off the design which has been printed on 500 Deploy T-spec footballs alongside the Belt Up road safety message.
The balls will be distributed to eligible clubs, schools and community organisations around Western Australia.
Gertrina used a match-day experience as the inspiration for her entry.
THE STORY BEHIND GERTRINA'S WINNING DESIGN
“I’m excited because a lot of my mob don’t play soccer, so I think this may encourage them. It’s going to go all over the state, so it’s an opportunity to pick up the ball and have a go. I’m quite proud of myself for winning it,” said Gertrina, whose daughter Layla, 10, and nine-year-old niece Niverah shared her big moment.
The finished product was unveiled at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, where Insurance Commission Governance and Stakeholder Relations General Manager Alison Wilson spoke of the importance of reminding motorists to wear a seatbelt.
“Congratulations to Gertrina on a terrific and striking piece of work,” she said.
“The NAIDOC Ball competition is one of our key pieces in engaging directly with regional and indigenous communities.
“We love the competition, and it’s the opportunity to get the NAIDOC balls onto the field and shared across communities.
“We know that young regional males aged between 18 and 34 are over-represented in car accidents and injuries from not wearing seatbelts.”
Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell said the governing body was proud to promote the Belt Up message alongside the Insurance Commission.
“It’s a really important message for our football community and one we hope will continue to save lives.
“We are always impressed by the incredible standard of the entries, and this is shown again by Gertrina’s design.”
The NAIDOC Ball Design competition is a key component of the long-standing partnership between Football West and the Insurance Commission of Western Australia. It is open to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and celebrates indigenous art while reminding all motorists to wear a seatbelt when travelling on WA roads.
Details of the 2025 competition will be released soon.