‘Don’t give up on footy’: AFLNT boss

AFLNT CEO Stuart Totham has implored fans of the Territory game to keep the faith as yet another weekend passes without any football due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Totham released his third open letter to the NT football community in as many weeks on Friday night.

And he said there was still plenty to be optimistic about.

“Without football on our fields, we have embraced the important role that football can still play in our lives,” Totham said.

“With the power of social media and technology, we have seen an overwhelming celebration of football on our small screens – from trick kicks, skills and drills, family footy at home and some ingenious training techniques in isolation.

“We thank you for playing your part in flattening the curve, and we are optimistic that we will get our game under way at some stage, in some format, later this year.

“Rest assured, the AFL and its state/territory affiliates have a dedicated team of people working diligently to explore what this might look like.

“Understandably, we are still uncertain about the exact date of commencement for our game, but we want to provide you with some certainty about the actions and next steps we are taking from a national AFL approach.”

Those

AFLNT:

• Constantly reviewing the situation and the different levels of advice being provided by state/territory and federal governments and relevant medical authorities.

• Developing key principles of decision making for a return to football around government policies and restrictions, guidance for schools, workplaces and medical recommendations.

• Paying close attention to international benchmarks and behaviours, and how other countries are treating their return to sport.

• Working closely with government, medical advisers and the AFL’s chief medical officer Peter Harcourt to secure the very latest advice and insight around when it might be possible to restart the game.

• Exploring modified formats in endeavours to get a season under way in 2020.

“We have not given up on this season,” Totham said.

“We are hopeful that we will be back on the field as soon as it is safe to do so.

“And you can be confident that you will have our full support to ensure this return is as safe and well prepared as possible.”