Northern Territory Football League
| Formerly | Northern Territory Football Association (NTFA) Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Inaugural season | 1916, Darwin, Northern Territory |
| Country |  Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | St Mary's |
| Official website | ntfl.aflnt.com.au |
The Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.
The premier grade is the largest Australian rules football league in the Northern Territory. The league consists of a four level division with under 12's, under 14's, under 16's, under 18's, reserves, also known as Division 1 ("B Grade") and Division 2 ("C Grade"), and open, which is Premier League ("A Grade"), (professional) levels of competition.[1]
Most NTFL matches are played on Marrara Oval (TIO Stadium).
The NTFL regularly attracts high profile semi-professional players from interstate leagues due to its lack of salary cap and its season which allowing players to extend their playing season into their off-season.
The NTFL is one of the only, and the highest level, Australian Rules competitions played during the Australian Summer with the season beginning in October and ending in February to avoid worst of the Northern Territory sun.
Clubs[edit]
Current clubs[edit]
Premier League Clubs
| Club | Nickname | Home Ground | Location | Entered competition |
Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin | Buffaloes | TIO Stadium | Marrara | 1917 | 23 |
| Nightcliff | Tigers | Nightcliff Oval | Nightcliff | 1950 | 3 |
| Palmerston | Magpies | Northline Oval | Durack | 1971 | 3 |
| Southern Districts | Crocs | Norbuilt Oval | Freds Pass | 1984 | 2 |
| St Mary's | Saints | TIO Stadium | Marrara | 1952 | 30 |
| Tiwi Bombers | Bombers | Tiwi Oval | Wurrumiyanga | 2007 | 1 |
| Wanderers | Eagles | TIO Stadium | Marrara | 1917 | 12 |
| Waratah | Warriors | Gardens Oval | The Gardens | 1917 | 14 |
Division One/Two Clubs
| Club | Nickname | Home Ground | Location | Formed | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks | Bulldogs | Gardens Oval | The Gardens | 1978 | 17 |
| Central Australia | Redtails | Traeger Park | Alice Springs | 2012 | |
| Jabiru | Bombers | Brockman Oval | Jabiru | 1982 | 5 |
| Mindil | Sharks | Gardens Oval | The Gardens | 1991 | 1 |
| Olympic | Spartans | TIO Oval No. 2 | Marrara | 2011 | 1 |
| PINT | Greenants | Marrara Cricket Ground | Marrara | 1982 | 7 |
| Tracy Village | Razorbacks | Tracy Village Oval | Lyons | 1978 | 1 |
| University | Rats | TIO Oval No. 2 | Marrara | 13 | |
| Wadeye | Magic | Wadeye Oval | Wadeye | 2011 |
Jumpers[edit]
History[edit]
While most other Australian rules leagues in Australia operate during the southern hemisphere winter, the NTFL chooses to play in the Northern Territory's 'wet season' from October to March, primarily due to hard playing surfaces during the 'dry season'.
The NTFL was founded in 1916 with The Wanderers Football Club and Waratah Football Club as founding members. Waratahs are the only club to have competed in every season of the NTFL. Darwin (Buffalos Football Club) was formed in 1917, Nightcliff in 1950, St Marys in 1952, Palmerston in 1973 (as North Darwin), Southern Districts in 1987 and the Tiwi Bombers in 2006 (with full entry in 2007).
In the 1990s, the league ran into financial problems primarily due to the Northern Territory government luring the league to the new purpose-built stadium at Marrara Oval after its construction in 1991. The move pushed the league's operating costs up drastically despite contrary promises from the NT government. Marrara Oval is now known as TIO Stadium, as part of a naming rights deal with NT health insurance company Territory Insurance Office.
During this history of the league it has exported successful players to other leagues, notable players have included Michael McLean, Maurice Rioli and Michael Long.
In 2006, it was announced that a team representing the Tiwi Islands, called the Super Tiwis would be added to the 2006/07 season for eight games against teams that would normally have the bye. They became a permanent part of the league in the 07/08 season as the Tiwi Bombers, clad in Essendon Football Club style guernseys of black and red.
There was also a push for an NTFL representative club to compete in the Adelaide-based South Australian National Football League (SANFL). The first of a series of trial matches was held in 2006, with a long term view of admitting a Darwin side into the SANFL. A strong crowd at Marrara Oval witnessed SANFL club North Adelaide defeat a composite NTFL squad by 27 points, demonstrating that a Darwin team could be competitive. There was a push to make the event an annual match,[2] however, the NTFL decided on fielding a side in the AFL Queensland State League from 2009 (which became the Northern Conference of the North East Australian Football League in 2011) and the Northern Territory Football Club was formed.
In 2010 it was decided to merge the NTFL with the Top End Australian Football Association (TEAFA) to create a three division competition in which the NTFL would make the Premier League whilst the NTFL reserve competition and clubs from the TEAFA would incorporate the First Division and Second Divisions.
The 2012/2013 season saw Banks Bulldogs and the Central Australian Football Club placed on a four-match trial in the Premier League, for possible full-time inclusion. The Bulldogs, originally a part of the TEAFA competition, would stay in the NTFL Division One competition. But the CAFC team would continue their trial run in the Premier League, the number of games extended to 10 for the 2013/2014 season.
Audience[edit]
Attendance[edit]
The NTFL attracts strong local crowds. The 2005 Grand final attracted a crowd of over 5,000 people. One of the biggest crowds was the 2010/11 Grand Final between St Mary's and Wanderers, with the Muk Muks(wanderers) prevailing with a 28 point win, which attracted an over 9,000 strong crowd.
Media[edit]
Television[edit]
In 2006, NTFL matches were broadcast nationally for the first time ever on ABC2 each Sunday afternoon from February to March. Previously the matches had only been shown in the Territory on ABC Darwin. In 2008, it reverted to local broadcasting. Internet broadcasting commenced through YouTube during the 2012/2013 season, followed by its inclusion on the ABC iView on-demand service the 2013/2014 season which uses the recordings taken from the match day broadcast.
Premier League[edit]
2011-12 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Premier League | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nightcliff | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2525 | 1434 | 176.08% | 60 |
| Tiwi Bombers | 12 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2682 | 1626 | 164.94% | 50 |
| St Marys | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1760 | 1394 | 126.26% | 48 |
| Wanderers | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1778 | 1623 | 109.55% | 40 |
| Waratah | 9 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1979 | 1756 | 112.70% | 38 |
| Southern Districts | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1660 | 1644 | 100.97% | 32 |
| Palmerston | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1648 | 1811 | 91.00% | 20 |
| Darwin | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 762 | 3506 | 21.73% | 0 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Wanderers | 29 | 15 | 189 | Waratah | 14 | 6 | 90 |
| Qualifying | Tiwi Bombers | 11 | 19 | 85 | St Marys | 10 | 12 | 72 |
| 1st Semi | Wanderers | 19 | 14 | 128 | St Marys | 12 | 6 | 78 |
| 2nd Semi | Tiwi Bombers | 26 | 20 | 176 | Nightcliff | 11 | 6 | 72 |
| Preliminary | Nightcliff | 16 | 11 | 107 | Wanderers | 7 | 13 | 55 |
| Grand | Tiwi Bombers | 9 | 20 | 74 | Nightcliff | 9 | 6 | 60 |
2012-13 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Premier League | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Marys | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2297 | 1053 | 218.14% | 68 |
| Tiwi Bombers | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2279 | 1734 | 131.43% | 56 |
| Southern Districts | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1929 | 1708 | 112.94% | 44 |
| Waratah | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1571 | 1557 | 100.90% | 40 |
| Wanderers | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1530 | 1630 | 93.87% | 40 |
| Nightcliff | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1453 | 1887 | 77.00% | 16 |
| Central Australia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 407 | 377 | 107.96% | 12 |
| Palmerston | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1185 | 1854 | 63.92% | 12 |
| Darwin | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1219 | 1958 | 62.26% | 12 |
| Banks | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 348 | 460 | 75.65% | 4 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Wanderers | 13 | 7 | 85 | Waratah | 10 | 5 | 65 |
| Qualifying | Tiwi Bombers | 26 | 12 | 168 | Southern Districts | 9 | 7 | 61 |
| 1st Semi | Wanderers | 22 | 12 | 144 | Southern Districts | 6 | 8 | 44 |
| 2nd Semi | St Marys | 19 | 9 | 123 | Tiwi Bombers | 10 | 12 | 72 |
| Preliminary | Tiwi Bombers | 18 | 9 | 117 | Wanderers | 9 | 12 | 66 |
| Grand | St Marys | 16 | 6 | 102 | Tiwi Bombers | 11 | 5 | 71 |
2013-14 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Premier League | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Marys | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2156 | 1011 | 213.25% | 68 |
| Wanderers | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1515 | 1347 | 112.47% | 52 |
| Nightcliff | 11 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1660 | 1282 | 129.49% | 44 |
| Southern Districts | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1457 | 1384 | 105.27% | 38 |
| Waratah | 8 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1261 | 1431 | 88.12% | 32 |
| Palmerston | 6 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1294 | 1608 | 80.47% | 24 |
| Tiwi Bombers | 4 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1628 | 1878 | 86.69% | 18 |
| Darwin | 2 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 1033 | 1838 | 56.20% | 8 |
| Central Australia | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 624 | 849 | 73.50% | 4 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Waratah | 13 | 15 | 93 | Southern Districts | 5 | 9 | 39 |
| Qualifying | Wanderers | 20 | 7 | 127 | Nightcliff | 12 | 8 | 80 |
| 1st Semi | Waratah | 16 | 11 | 107 | Nightcliff | 10 | 17 | 77 |
| 2nd Semi | St Marys | 14 | 9 | 93 | Wanderers | 8 | 11 | 59 |
| Preliminary | Wanderers | 11 | 11 | 77 | Waratah | 4 | 11 | 35 |
| Grand | St Marys | 11 | 11 | 77 | Wanderers | 8 | 8 | 56 |
Division One[edit]
2011-12 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Division One | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1798 | 578 | 311.07% | 64 |
| Waratah | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1773 | 823 | 215.43% | 52 |
| Nightcliff | 11 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1473 | 971 | 151.70% | 44 |
| Southern District | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1295 | 874 | 148.17% | 40 |
| St Marys | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1340 | 990 | 135.35% | 40 |
| Wadeye | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1088 | 534 | 203.75% | 32 |
| Pints | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1148 | 1148 | 100.00% | 32 |
| Palmerston | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1048 | 1377 | 76.11% | 28 |
| Wanderers | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1011 | 1559 | 64.85% | 16 |
| Tracy Village | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 960 | 1397 | 68.72% | 12 |
| Darwin | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 247 | 2930 | 8.43% | 0 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | St Marys | 14 | 4 | 88 | Southern Districts | 7 | 3 | 45 |
| Qualifying | Nightcliff | 11 | 12 | 78 | Waratah | 10 | 7 | 67 |
| 1st Semi | Waratah | 9 | 19 | 73 | St Marys | 4 | 7 | 31 |
| 2nd Semi | Banks | 16 | 4 | 100 | Nightcliff | 16 | 3 | 99 |
| Preliminary | Waratah | 21 | 10 | 136 | Nightcliff | 10 | 3 | 63 |
| Grand | Banks | 10 | 9 | 69 | Waratah | 7 | 5 | 47 |
2012-13 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Division One | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | MR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1355 | 619 | 218.90% | 85 |
| Waratah | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1431 | 827 | 173.04% | 82 |
| Pints | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1322 | 906 | 145.92% | 76 |
| Wanderers | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1587 | 981 | 161.77% | 66 |
| St Marys | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1166 | 1097 | 106.29% | 52 |
| Wadeye | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 761 | 774 | 98.32% | 50 |
| Nightcliff | 7 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1181 | 1225 | 96.41% | 41 |
| Southern District | 6 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1039 | 1120 | 92.77% | 35 |
| Tracy Village | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 979 | 1180 | 82.97% | 33 |
| Palmerston | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1024 | 1344 | 76.19% | 33 |
| Darwin | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 413 | 2185 | 18.90% | 0 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Wanderers | 22 | 9 | 141 | St Marys | 9 | 4 | 58 |
| Qualifying | Waratah | 8 | 11 | 59 | Pint | 8 | 3 | 51 |
| 1st Semi | Pints | 7 | 11 | 53 | Wanderers | 6 | 15 | 51 |
| 2nd Semi | Banks | 13 | 5 | 83 | Waratah | 11 | 5 | 71 |
| Preliminary | Waratah | 13 | 8 | 86 | Pint | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| Grand | Waratah | 10 | 12 | 72 | Banks | 10 | 5 | 65 |
Division Two[edit]
2011-12 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Division Two | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1865 | 636 | 293.24% | 68 |
| Banks | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1914 | 541 | 353.79% | 64 |
| Jabiru | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1630 | 573 | 284.47% | 60 |
| University | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1282 | 1007 | 127.31% | 44 |
| Waratah | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1811 | 1016 | 178.25% | 40 |
| Pints | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1073 | 1686 | 63.64% | 24 |
| Southern District | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 865 | 1712 | 50.53% | 24 |
| Mindil Sharks | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 787 | 1598 | 49.25% | 20 |
| Palmerston | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 672 | 1772 | 37.92% | 12 |
| Tracy Village | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 496 | 1854 | 26.75% | 4 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Waratah | 10 | 15 | 75 | University | 9 | 4 | 58 |
| Qualifying | Banks | 12 | 9 | 81 | Jabiru | 9 | 6 | 60 |
| 1st Semi | Jabiru | 9 | 11 | 65 | Waratah | 7 | 8 | 50 |
| 2nd Semi | Banks | 13 | 4 | 82 | Olympic | 8 | 10 | 58 |
| Preliminary | Olympic | 15 | 9 | 99 | Jabiru | 4 | 5 | 29 |
| Grand | Olympic | 13 | 10 | 88 | Banks | 5 | 5 | 35 |
2012-13 Ladder[edit]
| NTFL Division Two | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1623 | 791 | 205.18% | 60 |
| Olympic | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1401 | 590 | 237.46% | 56 |
| Jabiru | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1661 | 792 | 209.72% | 56 |
| Banks | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1587 | 793 | 200.13% | 52 |
| Mindil Sharks | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1300 | 1118 | 116.28% | 44 |
| Pints | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1181 | 1102 | 107.17% | 36 |
| Waratah | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1157 | 1147 | 100.87% | 28 |
| Southern District | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 767 | 1652 | 46.43% | 12 |
| Tracy Village | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 580 | 1726 | 33.60% | 8 |
| Palmerston | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 471 | 2017 | 23.35% | 8 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Banks | 12 | 14 | 86 | Mindil Sharks | 9 | 2 | 56 |
| Qualifying | Jabiru | 16 | 6 | 102 | Olympic | 6 | 6 | 42 |
| 1st Semi | Banks | 10 | 6 | 66 | Olympic | 5 | 5 | 35 |
| 2nd Semi | Jabiru | 10 | 6 | 66 | University | 7 | 8 | 50 |
| Preliminary | University | 11 | 5 | 71 | Banks | 4 | 5 | 29 |
| Grand | University | 12 | 11 | 83 | Jabiru | 5 | 6 | 36 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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