Indigenous Nationals is where competition meets connection

For one week each year, hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students from across Australia leave their campuses behind and come together for something much bigger than sport.

Celebrating its 30th year, Indigenous Nationals presented by bp, has grown from a student-led project with just 30 participants in 1996 to one of the most significant events on the university sporting calendar. This year it was hosted at the University of Newcastle, the week brings students together to compete in touch football, basketball, netball and volleyball, while creating space for connection, culture and shared experiences.

For many students, those off-court moments are what stay with them long after the medals have been handed out.

More than competition 

Unisport Australia General Manager – Nationals Sport Program, Christine Voge says the event has always been about much more than the sporting competition.

"Indigenous Nationals is such a unique event. It's a really important event on our calendar each year, and it brings Indigenous students and officials from all over the country at our member universities together in one place."

Three decades on, the event has never lost sight of what matters most.

"Indigenous Nationals is about celebrating sport. But more importantly, it's about celebrating the students, their culture and their backgrounds," she says. 

Representing and belonging

That sense of belonging is echoed by the latest generation of students who’ve gathered for the Nationals.  

Representing Victoria University, a proud Anangu, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara man Denzel James says the week offers something that's difficult to recreate anywhere else.

"I'm proud to have been selected to represent Victoria University because I get to put myself out there,” James says. “I get to connect and collaborate with other young mob. I get to make those connections." 

For James, the experience is about far more than the final score.

"It's not about a competition. It's about coming together, being ourselves and showing that we are black, young and deadly."

Exploring opportunities

Indigenous Nationals week also gives students opportunities to explore what's possible beyond university. Alongside the sporting program, the Mob Markets connect students with organisations, workshops and conversations around careers, financial wellbeing and future pathways.

Voge says those opportunities complement what students experience on the sporting field.

"The sport is just one component of the day, and then we can add all these other pieces that are so worthwhile." 

“Learning financial literacy or career involvement are among the options,” Voge says. “They can come and partake with CommBank and just learn more and ask questions to develop their skills."

CommBank Indigenous Careers Partner Ky Simms, a proud Bidjigal woman, says the focus is on building relationships that extend beyond the event.

"We have that touch point, with the mob," she said. 

"We don't want to just be seen as the ‘yellow bank’. We want to be seen as driving careers, as well as educating our mob in all different things, just like AI and financial literacy. 

"We want to be standing alongside our mob."

Getting a foot in the door

For some students, those conversations can lead to opportunities they hadn't previously imagined.

Western Sydney University student Caleb Kennedy, a proud Gumbaynggirr and Wiradjuri man, was at Indigenous Nationals representing his university while taking his first steps into a career in technology through a CommBank internship. 

"I was a bit nervous about looking for a job in the future," he says. 

"Thanks to Commonwealth Bank, they offered me an internship, which helps me get a foot in the door in cyber and engineering."

CommBank returned as the Official Banking Partner for the 2026 event, supporting activities including the Mob Markets where students can explore career pathways, technology capability building and financial literacy while connecting with staff and other students.

For CommBank Cultural Capability Senior Manager Trent Rose, a proud Gomeroi man, who grew up close to this year's host venue, the value of Indigenous Nationals lies in seeing students build relationships. 

"Every student you speak to just loves being here,” Rose says.

Connections students make are what keep them coming back.

"So just seeing mob building that network and then being able to connect while they’re going through similar stories, similar journeys throughout their careers, and all their studies."

Thirty years after a small group of students created the first Indigenous Nationals, the event continues to offer the same thing that inspired it in the beginning, a place where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can celebrate culture, represent their universities with pride and build connections that last.