He recalled a conversation he had with recruiter John Turnbull shortly after he was drafted, when he pointed out that there hadn't been many Indigenous players at Hawthorn.
Cyril Rioli and Chance Bateman.Credit: John Donegan for Age Sport.
Turnbull told him of a now infamous comment by a senior club official: that Turnbull would “do a great job as long as he didn't draft anyone with darker skin than his”.
Hawthorn's Reconciliation Action Plan admits there was “resistance to recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players” during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Most recently, the Hawks have been embroiled in an AFL investigation into allegations of racism by First Nations players between 2008 and 2016.
Bateman did not discuss the recent allegations of racism at Hawthorn, but spoke of how the comments to Turnbull “wouldn't have been too long before I got to the club”.
“It wouldn't have been a policy as such, but there were some preconceived notions and misconceptions about First Nations people and what they can bring to the club, not just as footballers, but as strong role models and good people.” , Bateman said. said
“So once I found that out, I really wanted to do whatever I could to change some of those ideals… If there was someone else who saw my people that way, I wanted to do whatever I could to change those perceptions.” .
Among his role models were Peter Matera and Adam Goodes, whom Bateman describes as “strong men tied to their culture and good role models”.
“I wanted to be that kind of person, too,” he said. “And I was very fortunate that AFL football and the Hawthorn Football Club allowed me to have that platform where I could do that.”
Bateman worked with Whadjuk, Ballardong and Eastern Arrernte artist Jade Dolman to design the Hawks 2024 Indigenous guernsey, inspired by his own history and the contributions of First Nations players throughout the competition's history.
A falcon represents the club's common ground and is in the center of the jumper. Around the falcon are rings representing the states the players have come from to represent the hawthorn. The back of the guernsey features a map of the Ballardong region, where both Bateman and Dolman are from, and below that map are 13 rings, signifying the years Bateman played for the Hawks.
Each of the league's 18 clubs has an indigenous guernsey. Scroll through our gallery to see each design and discover the stories behind them.
Bateman, who won a first post with Hawthorn in 2008 and now works with West Coast as Indigenous Development Manager, says the industry is still far from perfect when it comes to racism.
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“Things have gotten better, but … we still see cases of racism, whether it's on social media or things being shouted over the fence, so we know this is still a problem in society,” he said.
As part of the design, he wanted to acknowledge the impact Indigenous players have had in bringing “so much joy to fans across the country”.
“It's also about recognizing that things weren't as easy for us as the First Nations players… And [that’s] a very important part of the round because those forefathers of AFL football have done a lot of hard work to improve the environment and make it safe for First Nations players now,” Bateman said.
His sons Charlie, 7, and Max, 5 (he and his partner are also expecting a daughter in July), already have a guernsey, which Bateman says helps connect them to his career of player
“I will be something my children can look back on when they are a bit older and understand the importance of the Guernsey and then learn more about my history and my journey at Hawthorn Football Club.
“So it's really special in that sense.”
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