First Nations artist designs new jersey for Matildas and Socceroos

Global sporting giant Nike and Football Australia have announced an innovative partnership with renowned Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie, which will see the first Australian National football team collection designed by a First Nations artist.

The collection, which will be unveiled on Friday, connects Nike and Football Australia’s shared vision of unity for the future of football and Australia, with Reko Rennie’s deep understanding of the game’s power to bring diverse communities together.

“I am proud to have designed this kit, it is a bold statement of cultural visibility, celebrating the diverse communities changing the game for the future – a message of
unity from the oldest continuous civilisation on earth to everyone, united through football,” Reko said.

The CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos, as two of Australia’s iconic national teams, embody this philosophy through a bold new kit design, celebrating First Nations storytelling and the profound power of football to connect communities.

Rennie was recently the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

In a first for Australian football, the jersey will feature a design from a 2024 Reko Rennie painting, which was recently displayed in the NGV’s REKOSPECTIVE: The Art of Reko Rennie
exhibition.

At the core of the collection – amongst other elements to be revealed – is a striking motif that draws inspiration from patterns commonly found in First Nations message sticks, used traditionally to pass messages and communication between communities.

This symbol of connection, history, and storytelling reflects the shared values of Football Australia, Nike, and Reko Rennie, reinforcing football’s capacity to bring people together
across generations, cultures and backgrounds.

Nike and Football Australia placed significant importance on fan adoption, ensuring the design would resonate with supporters. The distinctive artistic elements mark a bold new
era for the national teams, with a style never seen before in Australian football.

“Since the brand’s inception into the beautiful game, Nike Football has been a catalyst for change,” Nike Pacific Vice President and General Manager, Ashley Read, said.

“Nike are proud to partner with Reko Rennie and Football Australia for this collection and look forward to seeing Australian’s come together to support their national teams in the new
green and gold.”

The new Australia National Football Team Collection will be worn by all Football Australia National Teams – including senior, youth, Paras and Futsal – starting with the CommBank Matildas during February’s SheBelieves Cup and the Subway Socceroos during their Round Three AFC Asian Qualifiers in March.