The Officeworks Thunder Juniors program wrapped up at TIO Stadium last Friday night, producing some cracking results across the board.
Top - One of the Thunder Juniors Girls teams takes a break from all the action
Centre - Players hailing from all over the world are drawn to Australia's Game during the Tigers v Power match
The program, which has been run in Darwin and Palmerston since late March, saw sixteen football clubs field teams in Under 10 and Under 12 age groups, enabling young players to develop their skills in a safe, modified format.
This year’s program has been the most successful in history with unprecedented participation numbers recorded and AFLNT Participation & Schools Manager Rob Elliott says local schools and clubs should be congratulated on their commitment to growing Australia’s Game.
"This year we have seen some excellent results in participation growth throughout the Thunder Juniors program with more children signing up to join than ever before," said Elliott.
"Some of the new initiatives this year saw the Darwin program move to Friday nights under lights at TIO Stadium and the introduction of an all girls game which was played each week during the program,"
"In addition to the significant increase in girls’ participation, we also saw a substantial increase in multicultural participation incorporating twenty-three different cultures from all over the world. This represented 21% of all Thunder Juniors registered in 2012".
Elliott added that the success of the Thunder Juniors program has provided a strong platform for young Territory footballers to continue pursuing pathways and opportunities.
"What we hope is that many children will now be joining their local NTFL club to apply what they have learnt ahead of the upcoming 2012/13 NTFL Season," said Elliott.
"This suggests that the future of junior footy in the Territory has its best days ahead of it and that we can look forward to seeing the growth and development of future AFL stars in our own backyard for many years to come".