Northern Territory Football League
The Northern Territory Football League is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.
The league 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 March, because cricket cannot be played during the wet season, due to high levels of rain, resulting in the football and cricket seasons being swapped. The league regularly attracts high-profile semi-professional players from interstate leagues due to its lack of salary cap and the timing of the season, which allows players to play extra matches during the rest of Australia's off-season.
History
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 was formed in 1917, Nightcliff in 1950, St Marys in 1952, Palmerston in 1972, Southern Districts in 1987 and the Tiwi Bombers in 2006.
The 1974-75 season was abandoned due to Cyclone Tracy.
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. 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, however, the NTFL decided on fielding a side in the AFL Queensland State League from 2009 and the Northern Territory Football Club was formed.
In 2010 it was decided to merge the NTFL with the Top End Australian Football Association 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. However, the side did not become a permanent team in the competition.
League structure
The league consists of both junior and senior divisions. The A Grade competition is known as the NTFL Men's Premier League and includes eight clubs. The reserves are divided into two divisions known as Division 1 and Division 2. Division one includes all Premier League clubs, excluding the Tiwi Bombers, and four other clubs which were formerly in the TEAFA competition. Division 2 consists of nine clubs with the inclusion of Jabiru. The A Grade Women's competition consists of eight clubs, including all Premier League clubs, except for the Tiwi Bombers replaced by Tracy Village.The junior division is broken into age groups, under 18's, under 16's, youth girls, under 14's, and under 12's, with all age groups split into two divisions, except for under 18's and youth girls. Under 18's is the only junior division with a fixed number of clubs, including all Premier League clubs, except for the Tiwi Bombers replaced by Big River Hawks. The rest of the junior divisions vary based on participation levels each year, however, the clubs with juniors are all the Premier League clubs and Tracy Village.
Clubs
Current clubs
Premier League Clubs| Club | Nickname | Home Ground | Location | Entered competition | Premierships | Most Recent |
| Darwin | Buffaloes | TIO Stadium | Marrara | 1916 | 23 | 2005/06 |
| Nightcliff | Tigers | PSC BM Oval | Nightcliff | 1950 | 5 | 2019/20 |
| Palmerston | Magpies | Asbuild Oval | Durack | 1972 | 3 | 2001/02 |
| Southern Districts | Crocs | Norbuilt Oval | Freds Pass | 1987 | 3 | 2017/18 |
| St Mary's | Saints | TIO Stadium | Marrara | 1952 | 32 | 2016/17 |
| Tiwi Bombers | Bombers | Tiwi Oval | Wurrumiyanga | 2007 | 1 | 2011/12 |
| Wanderers | Eagles | TIO Stadium | Marrara | 1916 | 12 | 2014/15 |
| Waratah | Warriors | Gardens Oval | The Gardens | 1916 | 15 | 1999/00 |
Division One/Two Clubs
| Club | Nickname | Home Ground | Location | Formed | Premierships |
| Banks | Bulldogs | Gardens Oval | The Gardens | 1978 | 17 |
| 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 |
Former Clubs
Former Premier League Clubs
Coverage
Media
Television
In 2006, NTFL premier league 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. During the 2014/15 season, the Saturday 3.00pm premier league match was broadcast live on ABC in Darwin. During the 2017/18 season, Southern Cross TV broadcast one game a week on Sunday afternoons. Since then National Indigenous Television broadcasts nationally replays of one game a week throughout the week starting Sunday afternoons.Radio
During the 2014/15 season, one premier league match was broadcast on ABC Local Radio, the match was either the late or early Saturday game and was an alternate match to the TV-broadcast game. In 2017/18, ABC will continue to broadcast one game a week on the digital radio frequency 105.7FM with a commentary team including Dominic McCormack, Natasha Medbury and Kieran Davis.Internet
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. The TV broadcast match was simulcast live on ABC Grandstand on YouTube during the 2014/15 season.Attendance
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 Wanderers prevailing with a 28-point win, which attracted an over 9,000 crowd.Premier tally
Wooden Spoon tally
Competition timeline
ImageSize = width:1400 height:580
PlotArea = width:800 height:500 left:130 bottom:50
AlignBars = late
BarData=
bar:KR text:Katherine
bar:WN text:Winnellie
bar:GS text:Garrison
bar:RM text:Rovers/Magpies
bar:MF text:Mobile Force
bar:AF text:Air Force
bar:NY text:Navy
bar:WA text:Wallabies
bar:MW text:Magpies/Wanderers
bar:WW text:Waratah
bar:WE text:Wanderers
bar:TB text:Tiwi Bombers
bar:SM text:St Mary's
bar:SD text:Southern Districts
bar:PM text:Palmerston
bar:NT text:Nightcliff
bar:DB text:Darwin
Colors =
id:grey value:gray
id:lgrey value:gray
id:vlgrey value:gray
id:premier value:brightblue legend:Premier
id:spoon value:rgb legend:Last_place
id:rup value:powderblue legend:Runner_Up
id:minor value:orange # legend:Minor_Premier # need more data
id:rup&minor value:lightpurple # legend:R-Up&Minor_Premier # need more data
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1916 till:2020
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1916 gridcolor:lgrey
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1916 gridcolor:vlgrey
PlotData=
color:lgrey width:12
bar:KR from:1987 till:1988
bar:DB from:1916 till:1942
bar:DB from:1946 till:end
bar:NT from:1950 till:end
bar:PM from:1972 till:end
bar:SD from:1987 till:end
bar:SM from:1952 till:end
bar:TB from:2007 till:end
bar:WE from:1916 till:1942
bar:WE from:1946 till:end
bar:WW from:1916 till:1942
bar:WW from:1946 till:end
color:premier width:12
bar:WE from:1916 till:1920
bar:WW from:1920 till:1921
bar:DB from:1921 till:1922
bar:WE from:1922 till:1924
bar:DB from:1924 till:1927
bar:RM from:1927 till:1928
bar:WW from:1928 till:1931
bar:DB from:1931 till:1932
bar:WW from:1932 till:1933
bar:DB from:1933 till:1936
bar:GS from:1936 till:1937
bar:WW from:1937 till:1938
bar:GS from:1938 till:1939
bar:MF from:1939 till:1940
bar:WW from:1940 till:1941
bar:WW from:1946 till:1948
bar:DB from:1948 till:1952
bar:WW from:1952 till:1954
bar:SM from:1954 till:1956
bar:NT from:1956 till:1957
bar:WE from:1957 till:1958
bar:SM from:1958 till:1960
bar:NT from:1960 till:1961
bar:SM from:1961 till:1962
bar:DB from:1962 till:1964
bar:NT from:1964 till:1965
bar:SM from:1965 till:1967
bar:DB from:1967 till:1971
bar:SM from:1971 till:1972
bar:DB from:1972 till:1973
bar:WW from:1973 till:1974
bar:DB from:1975 till:1976
bar:WW from:1976 till:1977
bar:SM from:1977 till:1979
bar:DB from:1979 till:1980
bar:PM from:1980 till:1981
bar:WE from:1981 till:1983
bar:SM from:1983 till:1988
bar:DB from:1988 till:1989
bar:SM from:1989 till:1992
bar:WE from:1992 till:1993
bar:SM from:1993 till:1997
bar:SD from:1997 till:1998
bar:WW from:1998 till:2000
bar:PM from:2000 till:2002
bar:SM from:2002 till:2005
bar:DB from:2005 till:2006
bar:SD from:2006 till:2007
bar:SM from:2007 till:2010
bar:WE from:2010 till:2011
bar:TB from:2011 till:2012
bar:SM from:2012 till:2014
bar:WE from:2014 till:2015
bar:SM from:2015 till:2017
bar:SD from:2017 till:2018
bar:NT from:2018 till:2020
color:rup width:12
bar:WW from:1916 till:1919
bar:DB from:1919 till:1920
bar:WE from:1920 till:1922
bar:WW from:1922 till:1924
bar:WE from:1924 till:1925
bar:WW from:1925 till:1926
bar:RM from:1926 till:1927
bar:WW from:1927 till:1928
bar:RM from:1928 till:1929
bar:DB from:1929 till:1931
bar:WW from:1931 till:1932
bar:DB from:1932 till:1933
bar:WW from:1933 till:1935
bar:WA from:1935 till:1936
bar:DB from:1936 till:1939
bar:GS from:1939 till:1940
bar:DB from:1940 till:1941
bar:DB from:1946 till:1948
bar:WE from:1948 till:1950
bar:WW from:1950 till:1951
bar:WE from:1951 till:1952
bar:DB from:1952 till:1955
bar:WW from:1955 till:1956
bar:DB from:1956 till:1957
bar:NT from:1957 till:1958
bar:DB from:1958 till:1960
bar:SM from:1960 till:1961
bar:DB from:1961 till:1962
bar:SM from:1962 till:1964
bar:DB from:1964 till:1965
bar:NT from:1965 till:1966
bar:DB from:1966 till:1967
bar:SM from:1967 till:1971
bar:DB from:1971 till:1972
bar:SM from:1972 till:1973
bar:NT from:1973 till:1974
bar:PM from:1975 till:1976
bar:SM from:1976 till:1977
bar:PM from:1977 till:1978
bar:NT from:1978 till:1979
bar:PM from:1979 till:1980
bar:WE from:1980 till:1981
bar:SM from:1981 till:1983
bar:DB from:1983 till:1984
bar:WE from:1984 till:1985
bar:NT from:1985 till:1986
bar:DB from:1986 till:1987
bar:DB from:1987 till:1988
bar:WE from:1988 till:1989
bar:DB from:1989 till:1990
bar:DB from:1990 till:1991
bar:DB from:1991 till:1992
bar:SM from:1992 till:1993
bar:DB from:1993 till:1994
bar:DB from:1994 till:1995
bar:SD from:1995 till:1996
bar:WW from:1996 till:1997
bar:SM from:1997 till:1999
bar:PM from:1999 till:2000
bar:DB from:2000 till:2001
bar:NT from:2001 till:2002
bar:PM from:2002 till:2003
bar:NT from:2003 till:2004
bar:WE from:2004 till:2005
bar:SM from:2005 till:2006
bar:WW from:2006 till:2008
bar:WE from:2008 till:2009
bar:TB from:2009 till:2010
bar:SM from:2010 till:2011
bar:NT from:2011 till:2012
bar:TB from:2012 till:2013
bar:WE from:2013 till:2014
bar:SM from:2014 till:2015
bar:WE from:2015 till:2017
bar:DB from:2017 till:2018
bar:SD from:2018 till:2019
bar:SM from:2019 till:2020
color:spoon width:12
bar:DB from:1916 till:1919
bar:WW from:1919 till:1920
bar:DB from:1920 till:1921
bar:WW from:1921 till:1922
bar:DB from:1922 till:1924
bar:WW from:1924 till:1925
bar:RM from:1925 till:1926
bar:WW from:1926 till:1927
bar:DB from:1927 till:1929
bar:MW from:1929 till:1930
bar:WE from:1930 till:1934
bar:GS from:1934 till:1935
bar:WE from:1935 till:1936
bar:WW from:1936 till:1937
bar:GS from:1937 till:1938
bar:AF from:1938 till:1940
bar:GS from:1940 till:1941
bar:WE from:1946 till:1947
bar:WN from:1947 till:1948
bar:NY from:1948 till:1949
bar:WW from:1949 till:1950
bar:NT from:1950 till:1951
bar:WW from:1951 till:1952
bar:NT from:1952 till:1953
bar:WE from:1953 till:1957
bar:WW from:1957 till:1960
bar:DB from:1960 till:1961
bar:WW from:1961 till:1963
bar:WE from:1963 till:1972
bar:PM from:1972 till:1974
bar:WW from:1975 till:1976
bar:WE from:1976 till:1977
bar:WW from:1977 till:1979
bar:WE from:1979 till:1980
bar:WW from:1980 till:1981
bar:PM from:1981 till:1982
bar:WW from:1982 till:1985
bar:PM from:1985 till:1987
bar:KR from:1987 till:1988
bar:WW from:1988 till:1989
bar:WE from:1989 till:1990
bar:PM from:1990 till:1991
bar:SD from:1991 till:1992
bar:NT from:1992 till:1993
bar:WW from:1993 till:1994
bar:PM from:1994 till:1995
bar:NT from:1995 till:1996
bar:DB from:1996 till:1997
bar:WE from:1997 till:2002
bar:SD from:2002 till:2004
bar:PM from:2004 till:2005
bar:SD from:2005 till:2006
bar:DB from:2006 till:2007
bar:WE from:2007 till:2008
bar:DB from:2008 till:2010
bar:NT from:2010 till:2011
bar:DB from:2011 till:2014
bar:WW from:2014 till:2016
bar:TB from:2016 till:2017
bar:PM from:2017 till:2018
bar:SM from:2018 till:2019
bar:PM from:2019 till:2020
Legend = left:50 top:20 columnwidth:90
Women's Premier League
The Woman's NTFL competition was all started in 2004 and currently has 10 teams enrolling.Teams
Premier League Clubs| Club | Nickname | Premierships |
| Big River | Hawks | 0 |
| Tracy Village | Razorbacks | 0 |
| Pint | Greenants | 0 |
| Darwin | Buffettes | 1 |
| Nightcliff | Tigers | 0 |
| Palmerston | Magpies | 1 |
| St Mary's | Saints | 5 |
| Southern Districts | Crocs | 1 |
| Wanderers | Eagles | 0 |
| Waratah | Warriors | 8 |