A taskforce has been announced to make the case for a Northern Territory team to be included in the AFL moving forward.
Channel 7 Melbourne Managing Director Lewis Martin and former Melbourne and Essendon CEO Peter Jackson are two of the people named on the taskforce, with a report into the feasibility of a team to be tabled in 2022.
AFL NT Chairman Sean Bowden, who is also on the taskforce, said that if Tasmania is eventually named the League’s 19th team, then Northern Territory also had a strong case to be included.
“It’s been our view that if the Tasmanians can have a team then we should have a team too,” Bowden said on SEN Breakfast.
“We’re very supportive of their steps forward and I guess we’re now doing the hard work that’s required to put our hand up.
“If a license is available, then our hand will be up and ready to take advantage.”
Bowden said the case for Northern Territory’s AFL inclusion was more than about the team, saying it would be a vehicle to promote sustainable long-term social change.
He said the team would bring a “sense of pride” to the local community.
“We know that footy brings a lot of social change, especially in our remote communities," Bowden said.
“Aboriginal people and the community are participating in football at unbelievable levels, we’re also aware of terrible social and economic disadvantage in some of our communities, so we want to use football as a real pathway to uplift those communities.
“The young people in those communities are drawn to football, so we want to harness that. We’re not going to pretend that footy is a silver bullet for everything, but joining with government, we can bring a sense of pride with people.”