Ahead of the opening bounce to the 2016 AFL season; tickets have gone on sale for both AFL matches to be played in the Northern Territory.
Ahead of the opening bounce to the 2016 AFL season; tickets have gone on sale for both AFL matches to be played in the Northern Territory.
On 28 May, the Melbourne Demons and Port Adelaide Power will resume their iconic Indigenous Round rivalry at Alice Springs; the Demons will then make the journey to Darwin for their clash with the Fremantle Dockers on 9 July.
Minister for Sport and Recreation Nathan Barrett said the two matches would be a feature on the 2016 Territory sporting calendar.
“The Northern Territory Government is thrilled to have the Melbourne Demons return to the Territory in 2016,” he said.
“Our deal with the Demons has been extremely beneficial - not only do they expose Territorians to the highest quality of AFL football, they also deliver some great community programs in urban and remote areas of the NT.
“The Northern Territory Government has started negotiations with the AFL and the Melbourne Football club for a further two-year-agreement in 2017 and 2018, in a bid to further ingrain the Demons as the Territory’s team.”
AFL Northern Territory CEO Michael Solomon said both AFL matches were extremely popular in 2015 and that pre-purchased tickets would be essential.
“AFL Northern Territory is excited to have the resurgent Melbourne Demons outfit return to the Top End,” he said.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have football return to Darwin and the AFL heartland of Central Australia for AFL Indigenous Round.
"We encourage everyone to get online early at ntix.com.au to secure their tickets, especially for the Melbourne versus Fremantle game in Darwin on July 9th. The reserved grandstand seating sold out last year and we know this year will be much the same.”
It will be a new look TIO Stadium hosting the Demons and Dockers in 2016, with a 750 thousand dollar paint refurbishment completed this week.
“The NT Government has done a wonderful job updating TIO Stadium with a fresh lick of paint,” Mr Solomon said.
“We’re not only pleased to show it off to the AFL fans but have it play host to Thunder’s home games and the AFL National Female Talent Search on July 7th.”
Minister Barrett was also pleased with the completed works.
“The Northern Territory Government is extremely happy with the paint refurbishment which brings the stadium up-to-date with modern times,” he said.
“The project was delivered through local business ‘All Paints’ and employed 15 locals throughout the project.”
General Admission prices for both AFL games are below:
Adult: $25
Concession: $15
Junior: $5
Family (2 and 2): $50