AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wishes to advise an independent Re-registration Panel (made up of three members) met on Tuesday 8 October 2019 to hear an application from Leroy Larson, of St Mary’s Football Club, seeking to be re-registered.
The Panel granted Larson’s application and he is now eligible to re-register as a player or official with St Mary’s Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League.
Once his re-registration is submitted and approved then Larson is eligible to transfer clubs as per normal player movement guidelines.
The Re-Registration panel chair stated in a summary;
“The Panel was satisfied that Leroy displayed genuine commitment to his rehabilitation over the course of the past 12 months, which will continue into the future. The love he has for the game and the club will contribute to Leroy’s success in returning to the game.
St Mary’s Football Club where Leroy will now be re-registered to is also the club where he played his junior football. He has mentors who he looks up to and continually turns to for support both on and off the field, which he himself also said doesn’t stop even if successful in gaining re-registration.
Leroy understood that re-registration was never guaranteed at this evening’s hearing, but still continued supporting junior football and also got back involved in rugby, a sport he hadn’t played for seven years. Knowing what was on the line when he wished to submit an application for re-registration to Australian Football, Leroy went away winning the best and fairest in the rugby reserves grade this season.
Leroy talked to what he needs to do if he ever found himself in a position on field and that should he reoffend the opportunity to ever be back involved in the sport he grew up playing will be gone for life. The Panel felt that his dedication to the mentoring of the juniors and talking about his past to the younger players coming through whilst out of the sport, highlights that he doesn’t want to be back in this position.”
Leroy’s previous coaches supplied written submissions on his behalf, along with submissions from the Nightcliff Rugby League Club and Hermit Park Football Club.”
Larson began his football with St Mary’s in the NTFL as a 13-year-old and has played 94 senior games for the club since then.
Under section 3.3 of the National Player and Official Deregistration Policy (October 2018):
v) The Re-Registration Hearing panel cannot allow conditional re-registration (for example reregistration as a particular kind of Official).
Larson understands that under the National Player and Official Deregistration Policy (October 2018) rule it states;
3.3 (g) iv) if a Player or Official is re-registered in accordance with this section 3.3, and subsequently receives a Suspension as a result of a Reportable Offence, that Player or Official will be permanently deregistered and forever prohibited from participating in any Competition as a Player or Official with no further right of appeal or right to apply for re-registration; and
3.3. (g) v) If a Player/Official is de-registered in accordance with this Policy then the Player/Official is de-registered from all AFL-or Football Body-sanctioned Competitions.
Original sanction – June 2018
On 2 June 2018 Leroy Larson of Kalangadoo Football and Netball Club in the Mid South East Football League was reported for striking a Robe Football Club player. At the time, Larson was on permit from St Mary's Football Club.
His guilty plea led to an eight-game penalty which he subsequently appealed and received a final penalty of seven-games. However, this still put him beyond the prescribed number of suspended games and triggered his deregistration.
