Representative footy is back on the table for the Barkly region after a five year drought. In 2019 an under 20 football and wellbeing program for both male and female players is being funded by the NT Government Department of Health.
Alongside football, the program will also deliver education sessions on the harms of substance misuse and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Training will commence in February and the program culminates in April with two weekends of representative matches between the Barkly region and Central Australian representative sides.
The match dates for the men's and women's games are still to be locked in and will be advised in the near future.
AFLNT Regional Development Manager for the Barkly, Wayne Green is pleased to see representative football being revived in the Barkly region.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone aged 15 to 20 to get a taste of representative footy.
“It’s not going to just be about getting the best team on the park but instead having the youth of the Barkly engage in the program,” Green said.
AFLNT Manager of Talent and Pathways Wally Gallio said it's a positive step for the future of football in the Territory.
“The ongoing identification of talent throughout the Northern Territory is a major priority in both the male and female space to ensure the continuation of supplying talent to the next level of football and to promote NT talent on the national stage,”
Further updates on the program will be released through the AFL Barkly Facebook page.