To celebrate the AFLW's Indigenous Round and the Dreamtime game at TIO Stadium, members of Essendon's Community team arrived in Darwin early to engage children in the club's education program, Bomber Kids, and its partnership program with The Long Walk, Marngrook Kids.

Thursday: Football, Creativity and Community.

Hitting the ground running, Thursday saw the delivery of Bomber Kids sessions at three Goodstart Centres across the Darwin CBD, reaching close to 100 children ranging from 18 months to 5 years of age. Participants took part in play-based learning linked to football themed games and key skills in physical literacy, teamwork, communication and school readiness.

In the afternoon, it was off to the Karama Library.

Karama Library serves as far more than a place to borrow books, but rather a free, accessible community hub where children, young people and families can learn, connect and spend time together.

Serving a diverse community across Darwin’s northern suburbs, the library provides a space for local families and students from nearby schools, including Karama School, Manunda Terrace Primary School and Wulagi Primary School.

At its heart is a simple idea: access should not be a barrier, creating a space where young people can learn, create, play and simply belong.

Adding to the offering, the club delivered an arts and crafts session inspired by the AFLW Dreamtime guernseys.

Students learnt the stories behind each jumper before creating their own art, with colouring and painting activities inspired by Aunty Karen Lovett’s 2026 design, A Piece of Me, including the snake motif featured throughout the artwork.

Later in the afternoon, it was a short drive to the iconic Mindil Market, where a pop-up Bomber Kids session took place. As the sun set over the coastline, people of all ages enjoyed football-themed movement and music activities in a lively atmosphere filled with energy, laughter and community spirit.

Friday: Taking Marngrook to the Top End

Friday morning saw the delivery of three Marngrook Sessions to kindergartens across the greater Darwin Region in collaboration with The Long Walk. Inspired by the traditional Aboriginal game of Marngrook, widely acknowledged as a forerunner to modern Australian football, the unique program used physical activity, storytelling and cultural games to foster deep learning, connection and cultural awareness in students.

It was then on to Batchelor, a small town located approximately 100 kilometres south of the Territory’s capital. Known as the gateway to Litchfield National Park, the journey there takes you down the Stuart Highway, past towering road trains and beneath the watchful eyes of eagles soaring overhead. The landscape begins to change as the roads stretch endlessly into the distance, with red dirt, open country and vast skies replacing the familiar Darwin cityscape.

In this small, remote community sits Batchelor Area School, a P12 school serving students from across the region. For many, getting to school means an early start and a bus journey from surrounding communities. With extreme heat a part of everyday life, the school day finishes at 2:30pm.

Yet even with temperatures pushing into the mid-30s, the opportunity to engage in sport is eagerly embraced. The undercover basketball courts become the setting for kick-to-kick, footy tennis, Marngrook basketball and countless other football derivatives.

The energy and laughter of the students is infectious as they compete to outdo one another, chasing the longest kick, the biggest mark or simply the next opportunity to play.

There is a genuine gratitude in the students for the visit and for the opportunity to play, to connect and to share in something they love.

Monday: From the football ground to the playground.

Just 12 hours after a gruelling AFLW clash at TIO Stadium, Essendon AFLW players Maddy Prespakis and Georgia Gee joined two Bomber Kids sessions, with students thrilled by the opportunity to meet the players, be in photos and join them in games. Bringing the same energy they show on the field, at times it was hard to tell whether the players or the children were having more fun.

As the players then headed for the airport, the community team's final stop was Nemarluk School.

Located in Darwin's northern suburbs, just five minutes from TIO Stadium, Nemarluk School provides tailored education and support for students with additional learning needs.

Guided by its philosophy of Education for Life, the school places a strong emphasis on communication, wellbeing and participation in the community, making Marngrook Kids a perfect fit. The connection ran even deeper through the school's sports teacher, who is the nephew of Essendon legend Michael Long.

Students enthusiastically embraced traditional Indigenous games including Kai and Marngrook before taking to the oval for goal-kicking activities. Throughout the session, football became a vehicle for connection, culture and fun, bringing smiles to faces across the school.

For Essendon, the week was a reminder of the deep connection the Club shares with Darwin and its communities. It is a long way from Windy Hill to the Northern Territory, but football has a remarkable way of closing that distance. Through the AFLW and the power of sport, Essendon continues to create opportunities to connect, share culture and inspire the next generation.

Whether it is in a school or kindergarten, a library or community market, or simply through a conversation on the street, the influence of the red and black extends far beyond the football field. These moments are about more than football. They are about community, culture, belonging and the positive impact a football club can have long before the first bounce and long after the final siren.