AFLNT wishes to thank our many stakeholders for the ongoing support we have received during this challenging time faced by COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Many of you may have received updates over the past few days directly from us here AFLNT, AFL nationally or news sources regarding our many programs.
In making these decisions, we continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19 very closely and heed the advice of the Australian Government, NT Government and AFL, with everyone’s health and wellbeing being our number one priority.
Please note a summary of the key announcements:
• Community Footy, including Auskick Centres, will be postponed until 31 May 2020. For further information see our statement here
• AFL Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Community Footy/Auskick refer here
• Our Thunder Academy program postponed until 31 May 2020. Further information refer here
• Our AFLNT School Programs have also ceased until further notice. We will continue to work with our schools and stakeholders directly about these changes.
• Our Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre (MLLLC) Education Programs have ceased until further notice.
• AFL Season to go ahead in a new format, starting tonight with no crowds at this stage. Refer here for the full AFL statement. A decision has not yet made on the future of the two marquee AFL games in the Territory – Melbourne v Adelaide on 17 May and Gold Coast Suns v St Kilda on 13 June. We have made contact with key stakeholders including the NT Government and Alice Springs Town Council as well as the Home Clubs involved, about whether there is any flexibility for these games to be rescheduled later in the year.
We have not yet made a decision regarding our Remote Programs however we are fighting hard to ensure that our footy programs can continue wherever communities can demonstrate that they have been quarantined. We believe this will be very important as footy is central to the social and emotional health of these communities.
As a reminder, please note that in line with procedures in place across AFL, external visitors will not be granted access to our AFLNT offices across the Northern Territory for meetings, interviews or customer service enquiries until further notice. Meetings can still proceed via technology - WebEx, teleconference etc – please contact your AFLNT contact to discuss how this can be set up.
We will continue to be extremely vigilant as the situation evolves and provide updates as they come to hand.
We wish you and your families health and safety over the coming weeks as we all tackle this challenge together.
Regards
Stuart Totham
CEO
AFL Northern Territory