Family and footy connects thousands of visitors as 2025 Koori Knockout comes to Tamworth

Coming to Tamworth for the first time in its 52-year history, the Koori Knockout is bringing thousands of players and visitors to the town. But it’s about way more than footy. 

One of the largest cultural gatherings in Australia, the annual rugby league knockout competition will feature more than 170 teams, ranging from under-10s to seniors. Held over four days from October 2 to 6, event organisers estimate the event will add up to $15 million to the local economy. 

Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) Futures mentor Mathew Nean said the event is drawing visitors from near and far. Accommodation in Tamworth is completely booked out, with people staying as far away as Armidale to attend. 

Reconnecting with friends and family

Mathew said almost everyone working for his organisation has a personal connection to event, either as a player or through family.

While the focus is on football, it’s actually the personal connections that make the Knockout truly special, he said, providing an opportunity for friends and family to reconnect. 

“It’s more than football,” Mathew said.

“There’s people from across all country that reconnect with their families,” he said. “You run into people that you haven’t seen for years.”

LALC co-ordinator Brittni Wann said the event not only showcases Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent to the wider Tamworth community, but also remembers and celebrates elders and community legends through a tradition of naming memorial teams for them. 

“We remember elders and the legends that come before us,” she said. “We’ve got a memorial team for my Pop. He passed away quite a few years ago. It’s so special for us to be able to remember the legends that we’ve lost.”

Mathew says the local Gomeroi Jets not only celebrates the Gomeroi Nation but is also memorial to his brother, whose nickname was Jet. “It celebrates those family members who lived and breathed footy,” he said.

Local indigenous businesses and services are also being showcased at the event Brittni said, with the local Aboriginal Health Service providing a free mouthguard service for players and other health-related services. 

A festival of rugby league

But while the Knockout has grown into a major community event, it is still deadly serious about football. From small beginnings in 1973, it has grown to be one of the biggest sporting events on the NSW calendar. A record number of teams will be competing this year across juniors and senior women’s and men’s teams. 

As many as 15 NRL stars are expected to play throughout the competition, watched by an estimated 10,000 spectators each day, headquartered at the Riverside Sporting Complex on Kamilaroi/Gomeroi Country. 

Mathew says there’s a healthy turnout of top-flight NRL talent expected, including big names like Souths’ Latrell Mitchell. 

Backing indigenous communities

Commonwealth Bank is sponsoring the Knockout for the third year running in 2025, with bank staff also volunteering to support the event. 

Among them were nine CBA volunteers including Bidjigal women Kyara Simms, who champions First Nation communities through her work at the bank.

Kyara has been at the bank for more than six years, having first joined through a school-based traineeship at the Nowra branch. She now leads the traineeship programs. The bank will be showcasing training programs professional development pathways at the event.

CommBank Chief People Officer Kiersten Robinson said sponsoring the Knockout helped to bring people together and strengthen the bank’s ties with the community.

“It’s a powerful celebration of culture and connection, and I’m proud that CommBank had the opportunity to partner with the organisers and engage with First Nations peoples about what matters most to them,” she said.

CommBank’s Tamworth branch also supports Tamworth LALC with its everyday banking. “Matt Wilkinson has been great,” Brittni said. “And we always seem to have somebody down there that we can go to if we need further assistance on things. It’s always really accessible for us.”

Brittni and Mathew said excitement has been building in Tamworth ahead of the event and both are looking forward to heading down and checking it out in person. 

“This will be my first knockout and I’m looking forward to it - especially knowing there’s a memorial team in there for my Pop - so I can watch my family playing. We've heard a lot of good things and I love a good game of footy, so I'm excited for a really good weekend and some good football,” she said.