The AFL is pleased to announce Australian artists John Butler, Ziggy Ramo, Sycco and Budjerah will perform at the Dreamtime in Perth match between Richmond and Essendon during the 2021 AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round on June 5.

The artists will form part of the official pre-game celebration, which includes a Welcome to Country performed by a traditional owner from the Whadjuk of the Noongar nation people as well as a dance conducted by representatives from the Richmond and Essendon Football Clubs.

The Dreamtime in Perth pre-game celebration will kick off at 5pm, with the match commencing at 5.40pm (AWST).

The Dreamtime game will be broadcast live on the Seven Network and FOX FOOTY nationally and streamed live via Kayo.

PRE-MATCH CELEBRATION SCHEDULE:
5.02pm: Welcome To Country
5.05pm: Budjerah, John Butler and Ziggy Ramo to perform
5.36pm: Richmond Djuripin
5.37pm: Essendon Djuripin
5.40pm: Match Start

HALF-TIME:
Sycco and Ziggy Ramo to perform

AFL Executive General Manager of Customer and Commercial, Kylie Rogers said the pre-game entertainment will be a great celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

“The Sir Doug Nicholls Round will once again acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to our game, we are so pleased to have a mix of Australian and Indigenous artists performing together,” Ms Rogers said.

“To have up and coming Indigenous artists like Sycco, Budjerah as well as Ziggy Ramo performing is a real celebration of Aboriginal cultures across one of the biggest nights of the football season.”

John Butler reflected on his connection to the match. “Living in Pinjarra as a teenager helped introduce me to and help illuminate the injustices Indigenous people face and ignited my passion to speak out about it. But more importantly my time on Pinjarreb Boodja gave me deep and strong respect for Indigenous culture and community.

“The Dreamtime match is a great celebration of how far the game has come and I’m looking forward to performing alongside some incredible Indigenous artists Sycco, Budjerah and Ziggy Ramo who are all so talented. It is great to be back on stage and I’m really looking forward to performing in front of the fans’ John Butler said.

Helping bring the night together is Coles who are supporting the pre-game entertainment.

Chief Marketing Officer at Coles, Lisa Ronson said, ‘We are so proud to be supporting this year’s Dreamtime in Perth pre-game entertainment. Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan outlines our commitment to engage with Indigenous peoples, communities, and organisations so we are pleased to partner with the AFL to support these talented musicians and performers."

"Coles has a proud history of taking action and forming strong relationships with the Indigenous community, and that commitment extends to ensuring that we continue to grow our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team member representation across stores and in trade and management roles and support Indigenous suppliers" Ms Ronson said.