AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) today confirmed the schedule for upcoming men’s and women’s remote carnivals in the Katherine region.
There are four weekends set on the calendar, one in May, July, August and September scheduled at remote grounds in the Big Rivers Region.
The NT WorkSafe BRFL Challenge Cup will comprise of teams from remote areas who nominate in the lead-up to each event.
Along with this, Challenge Cup teams are encouraged to compete at Barunga Festival in June even though it is not part of the BRFL competition.
The 2018 Challenge makes football more accessible than ever with carnivals scheduled at remote grounds meaning reduced travel demands on the teams and more resources allocated to local competitions.
The Men’s NT WorkSafe BRFL town competition will play their Round 10 matches at community grounds, with several remote players featuring in the line-ups.
NT WorkSafe is once again the major sponsor, and its key message is; “Play hard, work safe. Injuries can happen off the field”.
Men’s Challenge Cup:
Sunday 6 May – Ngukurr
(June 9-10 Barunga Festival)
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 July – Kalkarindji/Dagaragu as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations
Saturday 5 August – Jilkminggan/Minyerri
Saturday 15 September – Nitmiluk Oval (aligned with NT WorkSafe BRFL Grand Finals)
Women’s Challenge Cup:
Sunday 6 August – Jilkminggan/Minyerri
Saturday 15 September – Nitmiluk Oval (aligned with NT WorkSafe BRFL Grand Finals)
Julie Hunter, AFLNT Regional Development Manager for Katherine, said the restructuring of the remote programs in 2018 empowered the local communities to run their competitions.
“Taking Australian football to the communities ensures men, women and children can participate in football on a regular basis, while still having the opportunity to represent their community at a regional level.
“This is an important step in aligning our talent and development pathways; players can play in their local league, before going on to represent their community at the Challenge Cup and then possibly being selected for regional and NT Thunder Academy programs,” she said.