Richmond and Essendon Partner with Tourism WA for Two-Year “Dreamtime at Maali” Series in Perth

The Richmond and Essendon Football Clubs, in partnership with Tourism Western Australia and the Australian Football League (AFL), have announced a new two-year agreement establishing Dreamtime at Maali in Perth for the 2027 and 2028 AFL seasons.

The new fixture will complement the annual Dreamtime at the ‘G match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), expanding the commercial and cultural footprint of the marquee Indigenous celebration.

The inaugural Dreamtime at Maali will take place at Optus Stadium on Sunday, 4 July 2027, coinciding with the opening day of NAIDOC Week, with Essendon acting as the home club.

Richmond will host the return fixture in Perth during the 2028 season. The match takes its name from Maali, the Noongar word for black swan, which serves as an enduring regional symbol of Western Australia.

Highligting the significance of expanding premier cultural fixtures into interstate markets, AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon, said: “Australian Football belongs to fans right across the country, and we are pleased to bring Dreamtime at Maali to Perth as part of an incredible weekend for the game.”

“The Dreamtime game is one of the most powerful fixtures on the AFL calendar.

“This second Dreamtime fixture in Perth during NAIDOC Week will enable more supporters to share in its celebration of First Nations cultures and the extraordinary contribution of First Nations people to our game,” Dillon said.

Emphasising the club’s strategy to expand its brand presence while honoring Indigenous heritage, Essendon CEO, Tim Roberts, said: “Dreamtime at Maali will be one of the great spectacles in Australian sport, and we want as many Essendon members and supporters there as possible.”

“It falls in the school holidays, so make a trip of it, come west and be part of history.

“We sincerely thank Tourism Western Australia and the Western Australian Government for their support.

“Most importantly, Dreamtime at Maali will be shaped with local community and built around young people,” Roberts said.

Noting the genuine collaboration between both clubs to build a lasting national asset, Richmond CEO, Shane Dunne, added: “What started as Dreamtime at the ‘G has become an important platform to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.”

“Dreamtime at Maali is the next chapter in that story.

“Our ambition, together with Essendon, is to build an event that becomes a lasting part of the AFL calendar and something the Western Australian community can embrace.

“Just as importantly, we want the game and everything that surrounds it to be shaped through genuine engagement with local community,” Dunne said. 

Event Ecosystem and Community Activations

The agreement extends beyond match day to include broad community engagement, cultural storytelling, and commercial travel packaging:

• The Long Walk Perth: Essendon champion Michael Long will lead a Perth edition of The Long Walk, bringing the reconciliation movement to Noongar Country where his professional career began at the WACA Ground in 1989.
• Marngrook Kids Program: Essendon will deliver its flagship Indigenous youth initiative across local Western Australian communities in the lead-up to the match, incorporating movement, play, and cultural education.
• Tourism & Major Events Impact: Supported by the Cook Labor Government via Tourism WA, the fixture forms part of a major winter major-events push designed to drive interstate visitation during the July school holidays.

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