The following press release from the AFL Northern Territory outlines funding agreements which will strengthen player pathways for the NT Thunder NEAFL team for the next two years, and benefit players well beyond that time.

The Northern Territory Thunder Football and Federal Minister for Health and Sport, the Hon Peter Dutton, today signed a funding agreement that provides over $800K in the next two years for NT Thunder, to continue strengthening its player pathway programs.

NT Thunder CEO Jarred Ilett was delighted to meet Minister Dutton today at TIO stadium and is thrilled at the level of support provided by the Federal Government for NT Thunder’s suite of programs being delivered throughout the NT.

CEO Jarred Ilett commented that “The funding provided by the Federal Government and signed off on today by Minister Dutton will allow us to retain a number of resources primarily in Central Australia whose job it is to engage as many young Territorians as possible in the NT Thunder program.”

For the first time in the club’s short history the Tiwi Bombers will miss out on finals action as the home and away season wrapped up in Darwin on the weekend.

In a season that did not go according to script for the boys from the Tiwi Islands, their final round defeat at the hands of Southern Districts saw the team say farewell to what has been a disappointing 2013/4 season. Premiers two seasons ago and runners up to St Mary’s last season, the Tiwi Bombers will watch on from the stands over coming weeks as the NTFL finals series plays out.

After the Round 18 round, the ladder saw St Mary’s finish the season undefeated. In an ominous show of strength from last year’s premiers, no club was able to find a way past their tight defensive structures, powerful forwards or run and carry from the middle. A betting person would have them locked in as premiership favourites – deservedly.

But footy is a funny beast, and four other clubs remain convinced that this party isn’t over yet.

The following is a press release from the AFL detailing the new joint initiative between the AFL and Rio Tinto to promote opportunities for indigenous players, culminating in a match which will be the prelude to the “Dreamtime at the G” clash later this year.

The AFL and Rio Tinto Footy Means Business program is holding its first training camp in Perth this week, February 10 - 15, led by coaches Aaron Davey and David Rodan.

Each year the Footy Means Business program provides 50 Indigenous men, aged 18 to 24-year-old, with exposure to elite AFL programs and training, along with networking opportunities in corporate environments over two training camps.

Northern Territory football fans, and particularly the excited fans in Alice Springs, are gearing up for one of their biggest matches of the year when the Melbourne Demons take on the Geelong Cats at Traeger Park on Friday 28th February as part of the AFL’s NAB Cup pre-season competition.

A few days earlier, Townsville gets its moment in the sun when the Gold Coast Suns return to the city to take on the Brisbane Lions at Tony Ireland Stadium.  The North Queensland city, recipient of the effects of successive cyclones (Dylan and Edna) last week, will be looking forward to the excitement of big time AFL football again after successfully hosting the Suns v Kangaroos match last year.

The AFL will hold an AFL 9s skills session and game next Saturday (1 February) at the Midsumma Festival, Victoria’s annual arts and culture festival for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) community.
 
In conjunction with Carlton player Brock McLean and Yarra Glen footballer Jason Ball, the AFL 9s session will give members of the GLBTI community a chance to try the AFL’s newest form of the game as part of the Midsumma Team Melbourne Sports Day.
 
AFL 9s is fast, free-flowing and involves nine players on each team playing on a smaller field with no tackling, making it suitable for everyone. It enables people of all ages and ability to participate in male, female or mixed competitions that fit around their busy lives and provide an environment where fun, enjoyment and safety are a priority.
 
The skills session and game are part of the AFL’s ongoing efforts to promote AFL 9s to new audiences as well as to further encourage diversity and inclusion in Australian football.
 

In an extraordinary display of international friendship, Cairns based junior club, Pyramid Power, have just gained their 100th international Brother Club.

 This week, the Port Adelaide Football Club, one of the 18 national teams in the AFL, agreed to become the 100th club to join the Pyramid Power Brother Club Project. This extraordinary gesture sees the tiny idea from a tiny club in North Queensland reach an unprecedented level of acknowledgement and acceptance from one of the biggest clubs in the world of Australian Rules football.

The Brother Clubs Project was commenced in 2012 when Pyramid Power sought to expand its supporter base through the use of social media and make genuine friends with Australian Football clubs all over the world. What started as a small group of clubs who commenced sending messages of support has now grown to include teams from almost 40 countries across the world. Many of these clubs jointly assist each other when needed as well as simply keeping in touch.

The following press release from the NTFL focuses on the upcoming driver safety message, something that affects everyone, way beyond the boundaries of footy in the Northern Territory. This weekend’s round is dedicated to this message.

Round 14 of the TIO NTFL season has been renamed “Road Safety Round” in a bid to raise awareness among high risk drivers of the need to heed road safety advice.

Sponsored by TIO and supported by NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services, St John Ambulance, Careflight and NT Road Safety, the NTFL Road Safety Day will bring together players, supporters and spectators to consider the issues of road safety.

Embedded below is the full 1996 documentary "100 Years of Australian Football", which of course refers to the VFL/AFL history rather than the age of the game.

Being a quiet time of the year for footy across the world, a good old-fashioned feel-good story can often plug the hole. The following story is of an event last year, but on reflection deserved to be told then. Instead, we will tell it now.

Mid-way through last year’s footy season, Elliott Takolu from the Salamanda Port Powers club in Lae, Papua New Guinea, put out a call on Facebook. He was seeking a set of football jumpers if any clubs had a set to spare.

Elliott contacted me direct as my club, Pyramid Power, had already established many links with clubs across the world through their Brother Club Project.