| Australian Rules Football In The Northern Territory |
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Information AboutAustralian Rules Football In The Northern Territory |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY | |
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HISTORY The first recorded match of Australian Football in Darwin was played in February 1916 on Darwin Town Oval. The Northern Territory Football League chose to play in the Northern Territory's 'wet season', primarily due to hard playing surfaces during the 'dry season'. Most other leagues in Australia operate during the winter, but since the Territory does not have a winter, it is played at different times. The Wanderers Football Club were the founding members of the league in 1916. John Pye and Andy Howley introduced Australian Rules Football to the Tiwi Islands in 1930, which grew to become the most popular sport on the islands. Over the years, the Northern Territory has produced an amazing array of talent for elite leagues such as the Australian Football League and South Australian National Football League , including many Indigenous Australian players. Greats include Maurice Rioli , Michael Long , Daryl White , David Kantilla and modern players such as Andrew McLeod , Aaron Davey and Peter Burgoyne . The Northern Territory was represented in early Interstate Matches In Australian Rules Football , before being incorporated into the QLD/NT and then Allies representative sides. In 1991, Marrara Stadium was increased in capacity, and became the new home for the NTFL and AFL matches. In 1991, Darwin hosted the first Arafura Games , the first international competition to include the sport of Australian Rules, and local teams have competed against nations from around the world. The city has hosted the games since. Since the late 1990s, the Aboriginal All-Stars have captured the imagination of Indigenous Australian s in the Northern Territory, and have gained a huge amount of support. Recent History Although the Territory would love to have a local team in the national competition, a small population and the lack of potential sponsorship means it is unlikely that a team will be admitted to the Australian Football League in the near future. However, in a deal struck with the Northern Territory government, Melbourne based Western Bulldogs AFL side has played several ''home'' games a year at Marrara Stadium. In 2004, Alice Spring s main ground Traeger Park was re-developed and has hosted several AFL exhibition matches. PRINCIPLE VENUES SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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