More than 100 teams will play at the Riverside Sporting Complex in Tamworth, Gomeroi Country, across the October long weekend for the 2025 Koori Knockout, hosted by Walgett Aboriginal Connection (WAC).
The tournament was first played at Camdenville Oval in Sydney in 1971, when seven teams from across the state gathered across the October long weekend. Six young Indigenous men — Uncle Victor Wright, Bob Smith, Bob Morgan, Bill Kennedy, Danny Rose and the late George Jackson — formed the idea of a statewide all-Aboriginal football carnival at Redfern's Clifton Hotel in the 1960s.
Teams from across New South Wales field men's, women's and junior sides, and elite Indigenous rugby league players return each year to play for community teams. The Knockout is community-run and community-led, with teams formed around extended families, local communities or towns. Traditional dances, music, language and ceremony run alongside the sport. The event is described as a modern day corroboree.
NITV News will broadcast the men's draw on Thursday, 2 October at 6:30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand. NITV News' Nula will broadcast live from the Koori Knockout on Friday, 3 October at 3pm on SBS and 5.30pm on NITV. The Koori Knockout 2025 men's draw from Tamworth Capitol Theatre airs Thursday 2 October at 7:30pm on NITV Facebook Live and SBS On Demand.
Results from Friday 3 and Saturday 4 October will be published on NITV online. Men's and women's matches play live from Tamworth Riverside Sporting Complex on NITV and SBS On Demand on Sunday 5 October from 9am, and men's, women's and junior finals play live from the same venue on Monday 6 October from 9am. SBS On Demand will replay match coverage on Sunday and Monday, and select individual match replays and best-of packages will stream free on SBS On Demand and NITV's YouTube page after broadcast. Coverage runs across all NITV digital and social platforms for the entire weekend, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok using #KKO2025 and #KooriKnockout.
Entry to the Knockout in Tamworth is paid at the gate, with full weekend passes and day passes available for purchase. Teams can buy weekend passes for their squads at the official men's draw on Thursday night.
Source: CNN Lite
