In well over a century of VFL/AFL football the number of First Nations coaches to have held senior and assistant jobs at the top level remains a relatively small group.
A new scholarship is aiming to identify talent and ambition and strengthen the pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in footy.
The AFL and AFL Coaches Association have partnered in launching the First Nations Coaching Scholarship Program to offer development opportunities with club involvement and with resourcing through dedicated funding.
"After engagement across the industry, it's clear there is work to be done in improving the coaching talent pipeline for First Nations people at the elite level," AFL General Manager of First Nations Engagement and Inclusion Taryn Lee said.
"This program is an industry investment in First Nations leadership, with the program aimed at building a stronger, more visible pathway for First Nations coaching talent aspiring to move into elite coaching roles."
The scholarship was announced to AFL clubs last week.
Applications for the scholarship are open until August 12, with first-year participants to be confirmed later next month.
Four scholarships worth $15,000 will be offered for the 2026 and 2027 program aided with coaching development efforts from knowledge to partial experience.
On the eve of Sir Doug Nicholls Round this year, the AFL announced the launch of the First Nations Impact Fund, an annual investment of around $300,000.
The fund reinvestments royalties earned from Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
In addition to efforts for increasing Indigenous player numbers at the top level within the league, the AFL's First Nations Strategy identifies KPIs for increasing representation in the industry more broadly.
Currently, North Melbourne assistant Xavier Clarke is the most senior coach in the AFL sector.
A number of First Nations assistant and development coaches have held roles at clubs in the men's and women's national competitions, but decades have passed since an Indigenous senior coach has held a top job in the game.
Other codes have had a stronger presence of First Nations coaches.
Earlier this month, Laurie Daley led NSW to lifting the State of Origin trophy in charge at the Blues.
Recent seasons have seen Indigenous head coaches like Ronald Griffiths and Scott Prince lift NRLW premierships, and Jess Skinner currently leads the national women's team.
The AFL's scholarship is designed to support current players and coaches at any level of the sport's development in chasing elite coaching opportunities.
Clubs are encouraged to identify and endorse individuals they see as candidates.
"After formally announcing this program to clubs last week, they have welcomed the opportunity to put forward current coaches and players who will benefit from structured support to take the next step in their coaching journey," Lee said.
"The AFL First Nations Impact Fund allows programs such as this to grow First Nations representation across football, while working to attract, retain and value First Nations talent."
In May the AFL announced $100,000 in funding for a collective 50 male and female Indigenous multicultural players in high performance programs, intended to cover costs such as registration, wellbeing support, uniform, travel and relocation.
Earlier this month, a pilot First Nations Senior Players Scholarship Program to support footballers in study and to pursue post-football careers was announced.
It's understood the introduction of a dedicated Category B spot at clubs is also coming for the 2027 season.
On Monday, the return of State of Origin football into the Australian Rules calendar through to 2029 was confirmed, with Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria all featuring in matches across the coming three years.
The Indigenous All Stars, coached by Xavier Clarke, returned and reintroduced representative footy back onto the eve of premiership seasons in 2025, before WA hosted Victoria in the first Origin match this century in February.
