By Michael Solomon, CEO AFL Northern Territory
Territory football is alive and well across the Northern Territory, manifesting itself in many forms, from kinder kick, club footy through to NT Thunder and of course the ultimate outcome of talent for men and women, in some case boys and girls, heading south to represent their families both biological and through football on the national stage. AFL has, and is fortunate to have over seven million fans nationally, four million of which are considered avid and are actively involved with the game, while 1.4 million Aussies play our national game, a number which continues to increase year on year across all areas of the game. On a local level, over 60, 000 Territorians are directly involved with the game, 25% of the Territory’s population, meaning on a per capita basis the Northern Territory has the highest participation rates across Australia. We hold our own here in the NT and everyone involved with the game should be proud of that number.
Across the kilometres footy is like religion in remote communities, in many cases football was introduced by the Catholic Church around the time of WWII in many of these remote areas. In 2007/8 AFLNT branched out key communities and over the past decade we’ve managed to expand our reach from as far west as Wadeye and as far east as Borroloola, as north as the Tiwi, Groote Eylandt and Elcho Island, and south as fast as Santa Teresa with staff servicing over 33 communities, and the Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre reaches even further. Footy is healthy in these areas, in a healthy position as a sport, but notably and most importantly healthy for communities themselves which is why we continue to persevere with the government, both Territory and Federal to assist in efforts in education, health and as a diversionary activity in some cases. Our staff who work in these regions are tireless in their efforts to genuinely make a difference and provide opportunities to Territorians in remote areas. Funding, continuity and long-term stability of programs and leagues in these regions continues to be an ongoing focus of ours, and since coming under the AFL umbrella in the early 2000’s, Territory football has been fortunate in the unwavering and ongoing financial and service based support of the AFL, be it for remote programs, investment into talent and competitions and expanding on football opportunities for those involved with the game.
Aside from the games presence in remote Northern Territory, indigenous football is on the agenda both nationally and locally in a big way. The Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre acts as a real and tangible step in the pathway for indigenous footballers in first being identified, then supported along a journey both through football, education, work, training and most importantly from a welfare perspective. Through the Centre, AFLNT have the ability to house, support and induct a player into the world of elite sport via the bricks and mortar on Abala Road in the TIO Stadium complex. We always want more of our Territory talent on the main stage, but this week’s AFL finals shows the quality of players that come from the NT and their contribution to their clubs with for Territorians lining up for Geelong and Richmond this weekend.
Steven Motlop, Brandon Parfitt, Nakia Cockatoo at Geelong and Daniel Rioli at Richmond have all been exceptional at their clubs, and clear examples of the quality and depth of Territory footballing prowess. Geelong in particular is zoned to East Arnhem Land as part of the AFL’s The Next Generation Academy (NGA) programs which will see the ongoing development of even more Territory footballers. Geelong have been exceptionally active in their programs and presence in their region and Richmond have taken active steps to be a destination club for players form far reaching parts of Australia, particularly indigenous footballers, either urban or remote. Having four quality young men playing in finals this weekend is testament to the hard work and the success of our elite pathways here in the Northern Territory, led by Wally Gallio. Wally and his team should watch this weekend’s finals proudly knowing the impact they had on those players’ development. Countless years of service and dedication from Wally in particular has seen the AFL recently recognise him with a merit award for his service and contribution to the game. An award which is greatly deserved. As well as the male players who have come through the draft system, we were also proud to have nine women drafted in the inaugural year of AFLW to the Adelaide Crows in 2016. A nod to our commitment as a sport to providing equal opportunity to men and women. We also saw Ryan Nyhuis make his debut this year after being rookied to Fremantle at the end of 2015. Ryan came through the NT Thunder program and was based here in the NT for the duration of his junior years and exploded into senior Football for the Freo Dockers in a huge way after 18 months of hard work in Perth and was mentored through the ranks by the likes of Gallio, Andrew Hodges and Xavier Clarke, a case study of success for the former Nightcliff Tiger.
Thunder is almost a decade old and has achieved great success in Queensland based competitions be it QAFL or NEAFL during this period winning premierships in 2011 and 2015. Many clubs, in various competitions all over the country don’t win premierships for years on end and as important and wonderful as premierships are, the buck doesn’t stop there for NT Thunder in terms of measuring success. With the 2017 season now complete and Hodges completing his first year at the helm, an end to end review of the club will be undertaken and we’ll look within our four walls to ensure the club is continuing to focus on our key target areas. Thunder will focus on continuing to develop and call upon Territory players, urban based and particularly remote, coaches and support staff, being active in the wider community in schools, charity events and supporting our corporate partners in their initiatives. A whole Territory approach is essential and we are committed and invested to ensuring the club is active in Central Australia with a focus increasing our presence there. With Thunder under the guidance of Gallio and the talent team, and with inaugural Thunder CEO Stu Totham back in the AFLNT camp as Chief Operating Officer, I have no doubt only the best decisions will be made for the club. Interestingly, the NEAFL has more mature-aged recruits than any other division two competition. Statistics like that are pleasing for our administration and gives players like Daly River talent Adam Sambono the real opportunity to be picked up by a club at age 21 rather than 17 or 18 from the NEAFL competition. I want to be clear that the success of Thunder is more than a win/lose count at the end of a season, it’s a holistic approach to player development, building a community club that produces leaders in the community who make tangible contributions on the football field and outside of that as well.
With over a quarter of Territorians engaged with our game on a local level, and the passion of NT News readers, fans on social media, in the stands at our games, in our staff and even in terms of this conversation here, the importance of the game to the masses is real and it’s becoming tangible. Our social media presence at times reaches upwards of 200,000 people per week, and over one million minutes of video content was consumed on our social channels in 2016, we can’t give our fans enough content! AFL in the Territory is a vehicle for change, a real voice, particularly in remote areas, and this is evident in the support via funding at many different levels we receive for our remote programs and indigenous education. In many cases the AFL is the key in driving school attendance, in driving outcomes and dissemination of key messages, and we can’t underestimate the importance of sport widely, but particular AFL in the Northern Territory. As we fast approach the final dance in the AFL season for 2017, the end of an exciting season for all fans, we also witness the culmination of many remote and affiliate leagues across the NT, and a TIO CAFL Grand Final in Alice Springs this weekend. After that, we will welcome the start of another TIO NTFL season here in Darwin and surrounds. 14 clubs, 109 teams, countless volunteers, support staff, parents and loved ones and converge on footy fields across the Top End to play and consume the game which is important to so many. We’ll have a theme rolled out across the league this year, new events come seasons-end in March and a jam-packed calendar of football for fans in 2018. This season the TIO NTFL will show its true colours and I’m excited for the season to get underway, commencing on 6 October under lights at Asbuild Oval in Palmerston.