AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wish to advise the Palmerston Magpies Football Club has been found to be in breach of the TIO NTFL by-laws in relation to fly-in players.
The breach relates to Men’s Premier League Round 8 and Round 9 matches in November 2022, in which on each occasion the club played more than the allowed fly-in players.
As per 2022/23 NTFL By-Law 3.19 no more than three (3) Fly-In Players (in aggregate) are permitted to participate across a Club’s Men’s Premier League and/or Men’s Premier League Reserves team(s) in any given round.
Outcome:
- As a result, the Palmerston Magpies Football Club will be fined the sum of $10,000.00
- All Premier League and Premier League Reserve Palmerston Magpies matches across Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2022/23 TIO NTFL season are considered forfeits.
The club has co-operated fully with the NTFL, took ownership of their breaches and have taken measures to ensure further incidents do not occur.
Palmerston Magpies Football Club issued the following statement, “The Club accepts that it did not do enough to ensure that all our players met the by laws in these two rounds. It is difficult to manage a dynamic situation when player’s circumstances can suddenly change.”
“We accept that we need to be more vigilant to protect the integrity of the by laws in this area. We are committed to creating opportunities for local talented players and to building the competitiveness of the Magpies on the field. We did not get it right on this occasion and we must try harder as we strive for success."
The investigation is complete and AFLNT and the NTFL will make no further comment.
