Australian rules football in the Northern Territory

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Australian rules football in the Northern Territory
Tiwi Islands Football League Grand Final 05/06 at Nguiu stadium—Mulluwurri vs Pumurali.
Governing body	AFL Northern Territory
First played	Darwin 12 February 1916; 108 years ago (12 February 1916)
Registered players	10,021 (2022)[1]
Club competitions
Northern Territory Football League Central Australian Football League Barkly Australian Football League Katherine District Football League Gove Australian Football League Tiwi Islands Football League Wilurrara Tjataku Football League Tanami Football League CAFL Country League
Audience records
Single match	17,500 (Aboriginal All-Stars vs Carlton; 2002; AFL pre-season practice; Marrara Oval, Darwin)

Australian rules football is the most popular sport in the Northern Territory (NT), particularly among Indigenous Australian communities in Darwin, Alice Springs and the Tiwi Islands. It is governed by AFL Northern Territory. In 2017, it was reported that 18% of Territorians participate in Australian rules football—the highest rate of participation in Australia.^[2] The sport also produces more professional AFL players per capita in the than any other state or territory.

The Northern Territory is home to several representative teams, most notably the Indigenous All-Stars and the Flying Boomerangs. Both Darwin and Alice Springs have strong local competitions, the semi-professional Northern Territory Football League and Central Australian Football League which draw a significant audience. A professional club, the Northern Territory Football Club (NT Thunder) was formed in 2008 and competed in the second tier semi-national NEAFL competition. Since 2020, the Northern Territory has been hosting two to three home premiership matches for the Gold Coast Suns AFL every year. Since the first matches were played in the NT (Western Bulldogs home games from 2004 to 2010), AFL attendances have averaged 9,320. They have steadily declined from a peak of 14,100 in 2006 to under 8,000, though attendances to local competitions have increased. In 2021, following a 2018 scoping study, AFL Northern Territory launched an official bid to enter a team into the national AFL competition. This bid is under consideration by the league for entry around 2030.^[3]

For a brief period, the Northern Territory had its own Australian rules team, making its interstate representational debut at the 1988 Adelaide Bicentennial Carnival. Selected under State of Origin criteria, the team, featuring Maurice Rioli, Michael Long and Michael McLean went through undefeated to take out the Division 2 premiership with big wins against Tasmania, the VFA and the national amateurs team. However, it has only ever appeared once. After taking over as governing body, the AFL Commission merged the Northern Territory with Queensland to create a composite side. The QLD/NT side featured only six Territorians and has not reappeared since. However, the AFL has created a talent pathway with the Northern Territory, fielding underage teams in the AFL National Championships which have won three Division 2 titles—Under 16 in 1999, and Under 19 in 2004 and 2012.

Since the debut of Reuben Cooper in 1969,^[4] a large number of born-and-raised Territorians have played in the AFL. However, a significant percentage have launched their professional football careers from other states, particularly South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Two dynasties from the Northern Territory have together produced numerous prominent footballers: the Rioli and Long families. Australian Football Hall of Famer Maurice Rioli was known also for his career in the WAFL prior to playing in Victoria. Hall of Famer Andrew McLeod is often considered the most accomplished AFL player born and raised in the NT, and Hall of Famer Nathan Buckley is the only Territorian to win the Brownlow Medal. Darwin-born Shaun Burgoyne holds both the Territorian AFL games and goals records, with 407 games and 302 goals. Shaun Burgoyne and Cyril Rioli have played in 4 AFL premierships, more than any other Territorian. In the AFL Women's, Danielle Ponter of the Rioli-Long family is the most prominent NT player, having kicked the most goals and played the most games for a born and raised Territorian.