The AFL handed out 16 lifetime bans to spectators for racial abuse in stadiums last season, as the boss of Sports Integrity Australia called for athletes who are found guilty of racial vilification to be held to similar standards as fans.

The league extended bans for fans found to have racially vilified someone at the footy, previously set at three years, to life in May last year, although the punishment can be reviewed after five years if the fan can demonstrate a change in attitudes and behaviour.

The longer bans for spectators came because of a review of the AFL’s anti-vilification and discrimination rule, which was introduced in 1995 when Essendon champion Michael Long took a stand against racist abuse, and reviewed in 2021. That review also introduced a better system for reporting and resolving complaints within community leagues and greater support for victims of vilification.

Young Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan last year made a powerful stand against racism during a match at Marvel Stadium days after he was racially abused at the same venue, lifting his shirt and pointing to his skin after a goal.

The gesture reprised memories of Nicky Winmar’s famous act of defiance against racist abuse more than 30 years ago.

“Just going out there and proving the point. I’m just a boy trying to play some football, so are the other Indigenous boys,” Ugle-Hagan said at the time.

AFL-appointed vilification facilitators also oversaw conciliation hearings at community level in every state in 2023, in attempts to resolve issues with the victim’s concerns in each case central.

The AFL Integrity Unit is responsible for investigating such incidents. The league confirmed the 16 lifetime bans all related to incidents that occurred within stadiums rather than on social media.