The Gold Coast SUNS are delighted to host the first Cultural Heritage Series game for the 2026 AFL season, this Sunday 15 March against the West Coast Eagles.

The Cultural Heritage Series is a collaboration between the AFL and 18 AFL clubs to celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage that strengthens our game.

Gold Coast will fire up the festivities at People First Stadium with a colourful celebration of culture, featuring Brazilian dancers, Japanese drummers and Pacific Islander performances. SUNS fans from far and wide will also be welcomed with multilingual match day guides. 

SUNS midfielder Sam Clohesy is looking forward to the opportunity to represent his maternal South African roots across Round 1 and beyond. 

“I'm a proud South African and happy I'm able to celebrate my heritage in the AFL,” Clohesy said.

“My family back home in South Africa, I don't get to see them all that often, so any time I can celebrate that part of who I am and my mother's side is very important to me.

“They’re all massive fans and followers. They've found a way to watch the game over there on TV, so they're always following. I'm always trying to do stuff for them."

Clohesy reflected on how his cultural upbringing has shaped him as a footballer and a teammate.

“I look back on how my mum is. My mum's very hard-working, so is my grandma and my whole family in South Africa - they’re all just very, very hard-working people. So, I like to say that I bring that to this team, the ability to keep working and working hard,” the young SUN said.

“It can be pretty tough over in South Africa sometimes but the ability to just keep moving forward, I think I can bring that.”

Having missed out on selection in the National Draft at 18, the StreetSmarts SUNS Academy athlete put in a mountain of work to develop his craft in the VFL. 

Eventually, his determination and resilience were rewarded. Clohesy was selected by the SUNS with pick 4 in the 2023 AFL Rookie Draft, before producing an impressive debut in Round 4, 2024 and cementing his place in the side with 24 consecutive appearances. 

An ankle injury that sidelined him in late 2025 wasn’t going to stop the 23-year-old, however. The wingman tackled his second pre-season on the Gold Coast with poise to earn an Opening Round selection and sign a two-year extension with the SUNS.

Having teammates with heritage stretching from South Sudan to Japan, Clohesy shared how diversity strengthens the SUNS side.

“[Having a diverse team] is just awesome - getting to know everyone, where they're from, getting to see the different way they interact and all the different stories - Al Davies and his grandpa is a perfect example, and Touk and his old man,” he added.

“I've played in a lot of teams with different cultures but this would probably be the most diverse.”

As the SUNS continue to embrace a host of cultural values, Clohesy noted the club’s strong sense of connection mirrors his own South African heritage. 

“Africa is very well known for their big families and how close they are, whether they're first or second cousins, they're all close families,” the midfielder said.

“That connection is something I think that our group does very well, a lot like in South Africa, and it's pretty awesome.”