AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) has finalised the definition and understanding of a “fly in player” for the upcoming 2017/18 TIO NTFL Men’s Premier League competition.
To see the information as a graphic, click here.
It is determined that each club can have a “Fly In Player List” which consists of up to 12 fly in players and as previously communicated, can play a maximum of four players from the list in any single game.
Clubs can add to the Fly In Player List at any point of the season but cannot exceed the maximum of 12 players, and once a player is added to the list, he cannot be removed from it or reclassified for the remainder of the season.
Clubs will need to submit their first Fly In Player List no later than 5pm Sunday 1 October 2017.
For the purpose of the by-laws, a fly in player in the 2017/18 TIO NTFL season is defined as a player who has not resided in the Northern Territory since 1 October 2017 and travels or travelled to the Northern Territory after 1 October 2017 to play football.
AFLNT has determined that residency status will be confirmed via a simple test which will be run if a player’s eligibility is in doubt.
- The player must reside in the NT or have resided in the NT continuously since the Sunday 1 October 2017 and provide his current address.
- He may also be asked to produce two recent household documents/bills or employment documents that have his name and residential address listed on them.
- If in doubt, AFLNT can also request the player and club president sign a statutory declaration or affidavit to support the player’s residency claim.
AFLNT CEO Michael Solomon said the change to the by-laws and addition of a Fly in Player rule had been designed to preserve the longevity of the NTFL competition.
“We’ve recently met with clubs and albeit that we didn’t have consensus agreement, all clubs understood what we’re trying to achieve by introducing the changes to these by-laws.
“It’s about competitive balance so that every club has the same opportunity and same guidelines to work within as the next club.
“It’s also about financial stability and helping clubs better list manage so that they do their due diligence on the guys they fly in and know they are genuine prospects for the club. Or they may continue to write tens of thousands of dollars off on players who fly north a couple of times a year to plug a hole, don’t qualify for finals and leave the coffers empty.
“And to that point, it’s also about investing in our young local talent and developing those guys into the players of the future by giving them the opportunities to backfill when required,” Solomon said.
With the season only five weekends away, Solomon said there was a lot to be excited about.
“We start with Friday night footy, and it just keeps building from there. Today’s release of season memberships at the same price as last season is great news for fans and clubs and we hope to continue to grow our crowds and audience with great Territory footy,” he said.
