United launch The Gathering Place

Melbourne United is proud to launch The Gathering Place, our dedicated home for celebrating, recognising and learning from Indigenous culture, stories and community.

From today, The Gathering Place will be the permanent home for everything Melbourne United does in the First Nations space, bringing our Indigenous jerseys, community programs, partnerships and learning resources together in one place for the first time.

Every time we take the court at John Cain Arena, we play on the lands of the Kulin Nation. The Gathering Place gives our fans a way to learn more about the Kulin Nation and those lands, and about the artists, Elders and communities who have helped shape our club.

Fans can explore the story behind every one of our Indigenous Round jerseys since the round began in 2020, from Mandy Nicholson's early designs through to the work of Steve Ulula Parker (NBL23), Tiffany Hunter (NBL24), Alex Kerr (NBL25) and Ky-ya Nicholson Ward (NBL26).

The site also tells the story of Bunjil in our brand. When we refreshed our identity in 2024, we proudly incorporated Bunjil, a creator spirit of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung; the First Nations peoples and Traditional Owners of Melbourne (Narrm) and the greater Melbourne area, that forms part of the Kulin Nation.

Beyond the jerseys, The Gathering Place sets out our work across three areas: Participation & Connection, Pathways & Opportunity, and Learning & Cultural Awareness. That includes our partnership with Koorie Academy, basketball clinics and United for Her events, Academy scholarships and Ticket Assist, along with Indigenous Round education and cultural learning for our players and staff.

All of this work is guided by our Indigenous Advisory Committee, which provides cultural knowledge and leadership across our First Nations initiatives.

Fans will also find our latest First Nations news, learning resources from AIATSIS, ABC Kids' Little Yarns and Deadly Story, and a simple way to get involved with the club.

The Gathering Place comes from our purpose of using the power of basketball to enrich our community, and is driven by our club value of inclusion.

Melbourne United CEO Nick Truelson said the launch was about making a long-term commitment.

“We are proudly a values-based organisation, and with one of those values being inclusion, we want to strive to be operating in a thoughtful, considerate and inclusive way at all times. This, of course includes how we interact, engage and work alongside First Nations communities.

“Our work in the First Nations space has grown a lot in recent years, and it deserves a permanent home rather than living in one-off moments across the season,” Truelson said.

“The Gathering Place is somewhere our fans, our partners and our community can come back to, learn from and be part of. It’s also a place for us to keep building, and we’re grateful to the artists, Elders and community members who have walked alongside us to get here.”

The Gathering Place will continue to grow throughout NBL27 and beyond. In the coming weeks it will become home to the Kulin Nation Project, our most significant First Nations project to date, along with a supporting content series celebrating the groups of the Kulin Nation.

To explore The Gathering Place, click here.

We will celebrate NBL Indigenous Round in Round 10 when we host the New Zealand Breakers at John Cain Arena on Saturday 21 November, with tip-off at 7:30pm. Tickets are available here.

Melbourne United acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, live and play, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.