The make-up of a new AFL subcommittee designed to address the declining numbers of First Nations players has been criticised by some of the most decorated Indigenous stars of the game.

The subcommittee appointments have included a vast number of AFL administration figureheads and talent scouts, but Shaun Burgoyne, Michael O'Loughlin and Michael Walters have been among its critics, suggesting the number of Indigenous figures in the working group is far too light on.

The lack of Indigenous representation on the subcommittee stands out when only the league's general manager of First Nations engagement, Taryn Lee, the new AFL Next Generation academies manager, Chad Wingard, and Adelaide recruiter Shane Edwards are among the 16 persons on the panel.

Wingard, formerly at Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, and Edwards, a Richmond premiership hero in 2017, are also the only two Aboriginal past players present.

There was also an expectation that current players would be named on the subcommittee.

"I really don't think anyone apart from two people at AFL House knew they were going down this path," Burgoyne, a four-time Port Adelaide and Hawthorn premiership great for 407 games, told Nine Media.

"Not that I wanted to be on it, but who was consulted?

"There is altogether a lack of process. It would have been nice to get a phone call because I had a lot of people I personally would have recommended."

Five non-Indigenous AFL club list managers have outnumbered the total representation from mob.

There was also minimal involvement from Western Australia, the state that has produced the most top level Aboriginal talent in the game's history, while there was also no involvement from the Northern Territory on the subcommittee.

Graeme Swann, the AFL's executive general manager of football performance, is chairing the subcommittee.

Burgoyne added his voice to that of O'Loughlin, Walters, which also included Eddie Betts, Matthew Stokes, Daniel Motlop and Bradley Hill, whom on social media all openly criticised the exclusion of national AFL talent diversity manager Paul Vandenbergh, the most senior Indigenous staffer at AFL head office, from the panel.

"It lacks credibility because Paul Vandenbergh is not on it," Burgoyne said.

"If he leaves, then they (the AFL) have no credibility in this space.

"There are legends of the game, who have lived experience throughout Australia who should've been a part of this."

Hill, a current AFL veteran with St Kilda, Fremantle and Hawthorn, refused to tow the game's administration line and responded to the AFL Media's post on the underwhelming representation of the sub-committee.

"What about uncle @paulyvanderbergh?" he wrote on Instagram.

O'Loughlin, who stepped away after 303 AFL games to become a Sydney Swans director, was said to be completely "dumbfounded" by Vandenbergh's omission.

"I haven't been consulted as one of the (AFL) Indigenous board members, but I'm dumbfounded at Pauly Vandenbergh not being on it - it has to be addressed," he said.

"The work he has done builds relationships with players from when they leave home through to their post-football life.

"It's pretty important to have a guy that's got everyone's ear and their hearts and minds.

"I just have the utmost respect and appreciation for what Pauly has been able to do.

"The Indigenous All-Stars game (in 2025) was a test case and a great success. That only happened because of Paul and (former AFL executive) Tanya Hosch, bro."

The AFL has set a target of 81 AFL and 29 AFLW Indigenous players by 2030.

That objective will come close to a peak-high 87 men the AFL once had 10 years earlier before the decline took place with 83 in 2021, 81 in 2022, 77 in 2023, 71 in 2024, 63 to in 2025 to the current list of just 62 players - the lowest Indigenous representation since just 58 appeared in 2006.

The AFL is said to be hopeful of finding ways to retain First Nations talent that also specifically include an increase in their greater cultural employment across the football sector.

O'Loughlin still felt there needs to be a better commitment to the cause than what the AFL has demonstrated to date.

"My sole focus now is being here in Sydney and our Swans First Nations program, but the programs we used to run at the AFL just dropped away," he said.

"Like the All-Stars: If you can't see it, you can't be it."

AFL club representatives are believed to be engaging with their Indigenous colleagues for any feedback and proposals to take into future discussions.

Walters is living at the coalface of the issues and retention in West Australian football.

The Fremantle 239-gamer has this year been appointed the Indigenous and multicultural relationship manager for WA Football straight out of the AFL system.

He sounded greatly concerned over the lack of authority on the subcommittee panel coming from the historically largest Indigenous demographic constituencies.

"The issue in NT is massive and in WA it's massive," Walters said.

"We need more eyes out there; it's made up of so many areas, and especially when we are trying to grow the game in Queensland and New South Wales to have minimal representation (on the subcommittee), I'm not sure how that works."

National Indigenous Times contacted the AFL for comment.