It’s all about the kids AFL Cairns backs grassroots over NEAFL showpiece

AFL Cairns will reinvest cash into local junior programs instead of funding a NEAFL game to be played at Cazalys Stadium in 2019.

AFL club Gold Coast Suns requested to the NEAFL to take a home game to the Far North in 2019, following the region missing out on hosting NRL and AFL fixtures next season.

Cairns’s Cazalys Stadium was not handed a NEAFL game in 2019 when the full fixture was released on Friday morning.

AFL Cairns Football Manager Craig Lees would have liked to welcome a NEAFL game (the second-tier competition across New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory) but felt the funding would be better served elsewhere within the local league.

“Financially it was a little bit of a roadblock for us because it was a large investment for one game of football,” Lees said.

“We looked at if we were best to spend that money back into the development of the game and ongoing development for the next 12 months.

“We decided it was best to reinvest locally through our juniors and upskilling through diet and nutrition rather than one game.”

Lees remains hopeful of bringing AFL games back to the Far North in 2020.

AFL Cairns juniors Daniel Charlesworth, Fitzroy Greenwool, Jacob Heron and Peter Yagmoor, among others, featured in the NEAFL in 2018.

The NEAFL fixture for 2019 was released last Friday and Operations Manager Luke Gatti said the fixture aims to build a successful 2018 season, which was the most competitive on record.

“Our goal for the 2019 NEAFL fixture was to enable our clubs to engage with their communities and supporters by adding extra Sunday games, and additional matches on Good Friday, Friday night and in Alice Springs,” Gatti said.