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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now discussions continue for an AFL club here in

(00:03):
the Northern Territory well as part of the AFL. And
while the Devil's in Tasmania there awaiting the results of
Saturday's state elections, so that's a bit up in the
air at this point in time. But the Herald Sun,
well they're reporting details of a fixture plan for the
Northern Territory club, colors and even a team name. Now
joining us on the line to tell us a bit

(00:24):
more is AFL NT's chair Sean Bouder And good morning
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, good morning, Cody, and thanks for having me on
the program again.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Mate, talkers through where things are at. So you know,
are we at the stage where we're choosing a name
and colors.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We're heading in that direction, Cody, but we're not there yet.
And I think what's important about the Herald Sun article
is you can see the interest that's been generated down
south in the football community and the football world, and
it's reflective of the great work that's been done by
the Northern Territory football community and wider. You would have

(01:03):
seen a terrific couple of AFL games in Darwin earlier
this year in May and then Alice Springs and Chief
Minister had an opportunity to meet with Andrew Dillon and
myself which was a really constructive catch up. And so
that's given I think people in the Southern States and
confidence that we're doing the work, that we're pointing ourselves

(01:25):
in the right trajectory. Show should that opportunity to come
up for a twentieth team, and we really do hope
it does, then we're doing the work and we're sitting
there positioned and could I just sort of say this
at the outset Katie as well, we stand one hundred
and ten percent behind Tasmania in their effort to get
the nine eighth team. They've got a terrific group of
people down there, Brendan Galac, Grant O'Brien, the chair, and

(01:48):
you saw when they've been challenged just the real passion
and drive of their football community to achieve the nine
eighth license. So we really stand with them. We want
them to get their license and then we have the
chance for the twentieth on.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
I am ever the optimist and I love sport, and
as a girl who was living in Townsville when the
North Queens and Cowboys got up and going I can
see what a team does, you know, for a region,
and the pride that a region feels in their footy team,
no matter what code it is. But I guess the
question I always go back to is how are we

(02:20):
going to fund it? And you know where are discussions at.
I guess in that space, like how really stick is
this for us?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
I think it's very realistic. We're a capital city, we're
a state, and we're a part of the football community.
That's the starting point, and we've produced great football people. Now,
the financials are so important. I think that's what you're
really getting at, Katie. Just if people just think about
the contribution made by the Federal government of the stadium

(02:51):
in Topmaine. It's four hundred million dollars. They'reabouts and there's
further discussions about the creation of that precinct Puppy New Guinea.
The Commonwealth Government of put in six hundred million dollars
towards a new team in Puppy in New Guinea. So
a new team in tas Nania four hundred million support
from the FEDS six hundred million for pupp New Guinea

(03:12):
for the NRL. That's a really good start and that's
something that you can start to engage with and discuss
and we've had very early discussions with the Commonwealth, but
these are discussions. I think it will start to take shape.
That sort of contribution. That's what we want for the
Northern Territory and that's what we deserve in the Northern Territory.
In fact, we warrant something more than that because of
our remote communities and the deficit of infrastructure out there.

(03:35):
They need to be up Those facilities in the remote
towns and communities need upgrade. So does our Springs. We
need to work with the Ollow Springs community and then
work our way up the highway for a tenant Creek
Catherine and then ultimately aim for that prize of a
fantastic multi purpose the stadium in Darwin. So that's the

(03:55):
infrastructure piece. Just quickly, in terms of the operational peace,
I think your people can have a look at Andrew
Demitro's comments in that article. The Extra Game brings a
significant amount of money to the AFL. And Andrews said
it one hundred million dollars a year contribution. That's what
his estimate is. That's why Tasmani is and the piece,

(04:16):
that's why Peter of Landis are seeking an extra team
with the Bears. I think we're called in Perce. That's
why Landis is projecting to pop in your guinea. He's
got his eye on the future as well. So that's
that's the financial matrix in terms of the AFL the

(04:36):
AFL broadcast. If you go back to what the team costs,
we've estimated if we're given the same contribution by the
AFL it's what they give and killed a Footscray North Melbourne,
those mid ranking teams. Our deficit it's about eight to
ten million. If we're given the same contribution as Gold Coast,

(04:56):
which we're not asking for and I don't think we
should have an expectation around but it's a level buying field,
so there is a gap. I'm not saying for one
minute that there's not a gap, and then we have
to raise funds, but the time's coming. Where As this
momentum builds, we have those discussions with the support of
the Northern Terretory government of course constructively working at the

(05:18):
Northern Terrety Girl and we start to talk to the
potential major sponsors, the corporates who'd like maybe to get
involved with what we're doing as well, because it's a
hell of a story, the Northern Territory football story, as
you know, the hell of a story. Yeah, and it
does complete it will complete the AFL if we can,
if we can keep doing the work and get ourselves
to that position.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
A couple of quick ones. Is the team going to
be called Lightning as has been.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
Reported, I think it was over reported. I think that
report came off the back of the Herald Sun article
which I think locked onto the idea that Lightning was
one of a number of options, and it is an option.
It's been discussed around the place. The football community is

(06:03):
having this discussion on getting members of the footy community
daily sometimes sending you any ideas about names and colors
and these things. But the colors we know, there's the
oak of black and white. Now that's got to be
worked out as well. And the name's got a bit
sorted out, but I think we need a name for
mine that links the whole of the Northern Territory. Now,

(06:25):
the crocodiles is a favorite. Well, there's no crocodiles in
our springs.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, true, very good point. Hey, what about though, I
mean when you talk about the fixtures, because this in
the reporting that's been done in the last twenty four hours.
I mean there's even sort of proposals being put forward
when it comes to the fixtures, right, Yes, So what
are we expecting.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Well early in the season. We all know that the
footy season the Ohson starts in late March early April,
still particularly warm in the territory. And I'm not saying
we wouldn't play a game in in the top end.
I wouldn't say when I want to play game in
the top end early, because that's to our advantage. Of course, Cody,
we want to play in those conditions. They're our conditions.

(07:08):
We thrive in those conditions. But to balance it, I
can envision the task force in visitors, there'd be a
number of games in our springs, home games and our
springs early in the year, two maybe three games over
that first part of the season. Then this time of year,
you'd be playing all your home games here, and I
think the teams from down south would have been joying

(07:28):
coming up and we've just stopped the most fantastic weather
or making the world for this time of the year.
So we'd be playing home games in Darwin and they'd
remember there's AFLW as well, so there'd be a lot
of football in Darwin during the dry. Then as the
season goes on it gets a little bit warm again
towards August, you could picture some games in our springs
again towards the end of the season'd be very hard

(07:49):
to imagine finals being played in Darwin, certainly until the
team's very very well established. So the season finishes in
late August and you know, we then move into our
warmer season, but they will be playing finals. So that's
the thinking. That's the basically simple thinking makes sense to me.
I then do something that brings Alice into the picture
as well, which is really really important Katie absolutely.

Speaker 1 (08:10):
Needs to happen. I agree, you need to have the
regions part of it. I mean, when you look at
the cost for a stadium and you look at the
location for a stadium, where is it going to happen?
Is there any progress on that.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
We've got the master plan out, We're receiving a lot
of feedback. It's really terrific. We're getting formal feedback. We're
getting informal feedback. I'll have people stop me over a
coffee or a beer and want to talk about it.
It seems to me there's a few sites that are
really in the mix. The Garrimilla site where you're coming

(08:42):
into town, the old shell tank farm that's that's popular,
The waterfront site we put there that's popular as well.
People are interested in that. People want to see more
detail about that as they do the garri Milla. And
then there's a real sentimental favorite over at Garden near
where the Garden's oval is oposite the casina, which would

(09:03):
be fantastic. It's just maybe a little bit out of
town and there's some water issues there. There's there's old
creeks and drainage running through there that make it a
little bit difficult and it's a bit tight. There's the
old cemetery there as well. But they're the three that
seem to be getting raised. Yeah, we're talking about developing

(09:23):
those old wharf site Perkins and that that would be
linked to it. That people say that maybe is a
second stage, which is quite exciting that if you know
we're activating, if you activate the city and you activate
the energy around our capital city and we bring in
the other great projects that are building in the territory,

(09:44):
you know, you could see that happening as well. You
have the stadium and then you have the development on
the waterfront down there.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
A few a few messages coming through. One here from
raw Rob says, how are we going to fill a stadium?
We need about forty thousand paying customers to fill a stadium.
Just can't rely on giving some away.

Speaker 2 (10:03):
Well, I don't think we gave a ticket away during
the last games. There was obviously complementary to stakeholders, but
we had to close the gates in the Hawthorne Sun's game,
Katie with nearly thirteen thousand people in and we're watching
the Suns and Hawthorpe. They're not local tames. The stadium
in Entazy's said at twenty three thousand. I think we'd

(10:28):
be maybe a little bit lower than that, fifteen to
twenty maybe with the option to build with some more
open areas. So I think we'd fill the stadium. I
think we fill it every time, and of course multipurpose.
You'd use it during the week as well. You'd make
sure there's conference facilities. And I mean, you've seen the
modern stadiums. They're fantastic.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
They're pretty different to what we use to see. Hey,
another one saying I get the potential growth and economic
benefit of footy team might generate, but talking about the feeds.
Giving four hundred million for a team seems crazy. That's
how much our health system is short by. I mean,
I guess there's always the argument of the economic benefit
that it's going to bring to the Northern Territory as well.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
Katie, You've really got to do both. I mean, a
lot of my career has been in the legal world,
has been dealing with deficits and these very difficult issues
that we confront here in the Norman Territory. I'm alive
to all of that and I continue to be. But
to have those things the long term and not for
one moment do we seek to impinge upon the health

(11:35):
or education budgets. It's just so important. But societies and
civil societies have built up economic development, functioning civic societies
that have education, jobs, something to do on the weekend,
and strong families. And the one we're trying to fill
here is something to do on the weekend and follow
and the pride that comes. I think we can do both.

(11:56):
You look at the com of Government support supports Tasmanu
with one hundred million dollars. I think our request is
going to be higher than that. When it comes to it.
We've put seven hundred million dollars on our infrastructure. We're
going to have that discussion in due course. I think
we can do this is the short answer. Mate.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
I've got Luke Gosling about coming on the show, so
I'll ask him what he thinks. We'll see how we go.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
What he thinks that would be great. He's been a
great support. He's a great footy supporter to Luke, so
that'll be great. And it's a great privilege to be
on the show again, Coatie, and thanks for giving me
the opportunity.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
No worries, it all good to catch up with you,
Sean Bowden, thanks so much for your time. Thank you.
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