DISCARDED AFL guernseys are creating employment opportunities for refugee, migrant and asylum-seeker women, with the League's initiative with SisterWorks earning international recognition after winning the 'Purpose-led Partnership with a Non-Profit' category at the 2026 Sport Positive Awards.
The AFL and SisterWorks prevailed over nine other finalists, including collaborations involving the Canadian Olympic Committee, Great Barrier Reef Foundation and McLaren Racing, Newcastle United, VfL Wolfsburg and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The award recognises the impact of the AFL's collaboration with SisterWorks, which repurposes discarded football textiles while creating employment opportunities for women from refugee, migrant and asylum-seeker backgrounds.
The initiative repurposes unwanted AFL uniforms, apparel, event banners and promotional materials into products such as tote bags, lanyards, cushion covers and gym accessories, all handcrafted at SisterWorks' social enterprise manufacturing hub.
The partnership was launched in 2025 as part of the AFL's broader sustainability strategy.
In the first six months of 2026 alone, the partnership diverted 150kg of textile waste from landfill, created 1,140 paid working hours for women from refugee, migrant and asylum-seeker backgrounds and generated an estimated $196,080 in social return on investment, delivering $4.30 in social value for every dollar invested. The program is on track to deliver similar results in the second half of the year.
To support a scalable circular textile model across the sporting industry, the League is investing in product development, prototyping and storytelling. Its long-term ambition is to empower AFL clubs nationwide to adopt the approach and embed circularity throughout Australian football.
AFL head of sustainability Rita Nehme welcomed the accolade.
"We are proud to see the AFL's partnership with SisterWorks recognised on the global stage, alongside an outstanding field of organisations using sport as a force for positive change," Nehme said.
"This initiative is about more than giving football textiles a second life – it is about creating meaningful employment, strengthening communities and showing how sustainability can generate environmental, social and economic value at the same time.
"By combining the AFL's scale and influence with SisterWorks' expertise in ethical manufacturing and women's economic empowerment, we are building a model that can grow across football and help lower the barriers to circular practices across the sporting industry."
The Sport Positive Awards celebrate organisations and individuals using sport to address climate change, protect biodiversity and drive environmental justice. Winners were announced during the Sport Positive Summit on October 6.
