PORT Adelaide will use an indigenous recording of its club song in the AFL Indigenous Round — a league first.

And the Power will also play the indigenous version of “Power to Win” when the Port Adelaide team runs onto Adelaide Oval for the home clash with West Coast on May 21, the weekend before the indigenous round clash with Melbourne in Alice Springs.

The indigenous “Power to Win” is the work of Port Adelaide Aboriginal programs manager Paul Vandenbergh who started on the project a year ago.

“The hardest part of the project,” says Vandenbergh, “was identifying which (indigenous) language group to work with.”

Vandenbergh opted for the Pitjantjatjara language of north-west SA because of its relevance in SA and the Indigenous Round clash with Melbourne in Central Australia.

“And,” adds Vandenbergh, “the other challenge was dealing with some words that don’t translate from English ... such as ‘Power’.”

Port Adelaide’s indigenous club song has been recorded by Zaachariaha Fielding, a contestant from television talent shows, The Voice and X-Factor.

“No other AFL club has done this — and it sends a powerful message that I hope starts a bigger conversation on how we develop our own national anthem and flag that brings together indigenous and non-indigenous Australians,” Vandenbergh said.

“It also says so much about Port Adelaide and its commitment to indigenous campaigns.

“We saw that on Saturday night when (Power coach) Ken Hinkley had the boys Port Adelaide indigenous academy team join the circle for singing the club song after the win against Richmond in Melbourne.

“I was standing with (club president) David Koch and he said, ‘This is just us, isn’t it?’ and it is Port Adelaide — always working for unity and having inclusiveness as a club.

“We are leading the nation with our indigenous programs and in the indigenous communities. To be the first AFL club to translate its song to an indigenous language says so much about Port Adelaide.”

michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au