AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) has now set the junior fixtures for the early stages of the 2020/21 TIO NTFL season.
The introduction of a new junior grading process means the first four rounds of juniors (Rounds 3 – 6) will be treated as "grading rounds".
The grading rounds will be played for premiership points but will not calculate a percentage. This allows teams to play out their first four games without percentage negatively impacting on any team that ends up being in the wrong division.
Following the grading rounds, clubs may submit a request to have their teams regraded based on their results, and any teams that are subsequently moved into a different division will carry their premiership points with them.
The fixtures for the first four rounds of the junior grades are now available online – click here to access them via SportsTG.
In an aim to create ease for families, this season's fixtures focus on consistency, which means families will be able to plan their weekends better.
The Under 12s will continue to run in their usual Friday evening time slots, with the remaining junior grades (Under 14s, Under 15 Girls and Under 16s) being played predominantly on Sundays.
There is one round where this will not be the case, being Round 4, due to the Toyota AFL Grand Final.
Following the regrading processes, AFLNT will announce the remaining junior fixtures for the 2020/21 TIO NTFL Season the week of Monday 9 November 2020.
Similar to the Senior and Under 18 fixtures, AFLNT has also worked on obtaining alignment for clubs; which has resulted in some clubs hosting days full of home games and featuring as many of their junior teams as possible.
The other big news in the juniors space is the return of the Under 16s Leverence division. In season 2019/20, there weren't enough teams nominated to fill two Under 16 divisions; however, AFLNT is excited to see that strong numbers have led to its resurgence.
We also welcome a new division, with the addition of Under 15 Girls Division 2. The Under 15 Girls competition continues to expand every year, with seven teams nominated for Under 15 Girls Division 1, and six teams nominated to start in Division 2.
Competition disclaimer: Game times, dates and venues are all subject to change. Please refer to the AFLNT website for the most up to date information throughout the season across all grades and divisions.
