Men's Div 1, Div 2 and Under 18 fixtures for 2019/20 NTFL season released

Men's Div 1 grand final action from 2018/19

Today AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) has released the dates and games for the Men's Division 1, Men's Division 2, Under 18 Boys and Under 18 Girls competitions for the upcoming 2019/20 TIO NTFL season.
 
Each of the four divisions commences on Saturday 12 October, a week after the Men's and Women's Premier League Round 1, which has been purposely scheduled to allow for a new Regional Challenge Carnival (formerly the Umpires' Carnival) on the first weekend of October. More information to come soon.
 
The competing teams, dates and venues have been included in today's fixtures but the game times are TBC subject to the completion of the junior grade team nominations and fixtures as well as developments taking place with the Women's Premier League and the potential for a Women's Division 2. 

*PLEASE NOTE: Fixtures for Men's Div 1, Men's Div 2, Under 18 Boys and Girls were updated on Friday 20 September and have been reflected in the links below*
 
All 10 teams in the Men's Division 1 will play 17 rounds plus finals, with the exciting grand final rematch between Banks and Nightcliff scheduled for Round 9 at PSC BM Oval in Nightcliff. The battle for Gardens Oval between rivals, Waratah and Banks will kick the Division 1 season off before the teams meet again to battle for the turf in Round 11, just before the Christmas break.
 
In an exciting development for the Men's Division 2 competition, Wanderers has applied to enter a team for the first time since the 2014/15 season. With current indications suggesting it is an 11-side division over 17 rounds, not every team will get two 'bye' rounds, thus ladder positions will be determined by 'match ratio' (the percentage of games played and won over the season). The Men's Division 2 grand final rematch between St Mary's and Banks will make for an exciting first game back after the Christmas break.
 
The Under 18 Boys is sure to provide more entertainment this season, covering from Katherine (Big River Hawks) to Darwin's outer rural (Southern Districts). Wanderers will look to make it three-straight premierships and five consecutive grand final appearances by season's end but will face Nightcliff, its opposition in last season's grand final twice, in rounds 3 and 12.
 
The Under 18 Girls is set with nine teams after the Tiwi Bombers opted to not enter a side in this season's competition following its withdrawal from the 2018/19 season just after Christmas. The grand final rematch between the Darwin Buffettes and Palmerston Magpies will be played in Round 4, as the Buffettes look to make it five-straight premierships in the Under 18 division.
 
AFLNT Manager of Community Football Rosanna De Santis thanked clubs for their patience.
 
"This year we are trying to align club fixtures as much as possible but need to await the scheduling of the junior games and the Women's Premier League before locking in the exact times, so we appreciate the understanding shown by clubs and players as the NTFL continues to develop and expand.
 
"Last season we had several issues with having to change games last minute because of junior regrading and the like, so we're trying to avoid this by getting a clearer picture upfront but still provide  clubs playing in the senior divisions with enough details now to get organised for what's ahead."
 
De Santis said the organisation also hoped to be in a position to provide greater clarity around the Women's Premier League competition and fixture in the next week.
 
"The AFLNT Executive met yesterday and discussed the applications put forward by both the Big River Hawks and Tiwi Bombers to each field a side in the Women's Premier League. There's a little more work there to be done, but we hope to land on a decision in the coming days so we can progress the fixture," she said.
 
As always, AFLNT reminds everyone that all fixture information is subject to change.
 
One change to the Men's Premier League fixture has already been made to account for the AFLNT Hall of Fame event. The Round 5 game between Southern Districts and Darwin Buffaloes has been moved from 7pm Saturday 2 November to 7pm Friday 1 November.

The fixtures for the junior divisions will be released next week. 

Download PDF versions of the available fixtures...

*PLEASE NOTE: Fixtures for Men's Premier League, Men's Div 1, Men's Div 2, Under 18 Boys and Girls were updated on Wednesday 2 October and have been reflected in the links below*

Men's Premier League here

Men's Division 1 here

Men's Division 2 here 

Under 18 Boys here

Under 18 Girls here

Competition news