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AFL clubs to don black armbands in honour of Melbourne teacher who died after head clash during football game
AFL clubs and community football leagues will be encouraged to wear black armbands during their weekend matches as a tribute to Nathan Fitzgerald, 27, who died after suffering a head injury during an Australian rules football game in Melbourne. Photograph: Epping Football Club View image in fullscreen AFL clubs and community football leagues will be encouraged to wear black armbands during their weekend matches as a tribute to Nathan Fitzgerald, 27, who died after suffering a head injury during an Australian rules football game in Melbourne. Photograph: Epping Football Club AFL clubs to don black armbands in honour of Melbourne teacher who died after head clash during football game A minute’s silence will also be held before Richmond Tigers and Melbourne Demons match to mourn 27-year-old Nathan Fitzgerald Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Every AFL club will don black armbands at their weekend matches in honour of a Melbourne teacher who died after a horror head clash during a football game. Nathan Fitzgerald, 27, was taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital after he fell to the ground and hit his head on a covered cricket pitch during an Australian rules football game in Lalor in Melbourne’s north on Saturday. His condition quickly deteriorated before his life support was turned off the next day, the Epping football netball club confirmed. Grief has rippled through the sporting community in the wake of the 27-year-old’s death, and on Tuesday, the AFL offered condolences to his family as it announced its own tribute to Fitzgerald. “At times like these, football is about much more than the game itself, it is about coming together to support one another,” AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said in a statement. On Sunday, Fitzgerald’s beloved AFL team, the Richmond Tigers, and the Melbourne Demons will also hold a minute’s silence before their match at the MCG. Elsewhere, all community football leagues and clubs will be encouraged to wear black armbands during their weekend matches. Fitzgerald had been playing for the Epping football netball club when, during a tackle, he clashed heads with another player before receiving a second blow to the head “which could have been from a flailing boot or a knee”, the club’s president, Luke De Vincentis, told ABC radio on Monday. Though he received immediate attention from players and medical specialists, he died in hospital on Monday. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email “Surrounded by the love of his family, Nathan grew his wings on 6 July 2026,” his club wrote in an update to his GoFundMe page . “His beautiful smile, caring nature, kindness, loyalty, and love for football touched so many lives, and his memory will forever remain in our hearts … Rest easy, Fitzy. You’ll forever be part of the EFNC family.” Epping football netball club has thrown its support behind the Fitzgerald family, as his parents, three siblings and fiancee begin to navigate their loss. Its fundraiser has
