2018-19 ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS Chairman's Report 2 Remote Projects 16 CEO's Report 3 Michael Long Learning & Leadership Centre 18 Directors 5 Facilities 19 Executive Team & Staff 7 Talent 20 Strategy 9 Commercial & Marketing 22 Community Football 10 Communications & Digital 26 Game Development 14 Financial Report 28 AFLNT 2018-19 Annual Report Ross Coburn CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Welcome to the 2019 AFLNT Annual Report. Thank you to the NT Government for their As Chairman I would like to take this continued belief and support of these opportunity to highlight some of the major games and to the AFL for recognising that items for the year. our game is truly an Australian-wide sport. It has certainly been a mixed year with We continue to grow our game with positive achievements in so many areas with participation growth (up 9%) and have some difficult decisions being made and achieved 100% growth in participants enacted. This in particular relates to the learning and being active in programs discontinuance of the Thunder NEAFL men’s provided through the MLLLC. In times and VFL women’s teams. This has been met when we all understand things are not at with varying opinions on the future their best throughout the Territory it is outcomes and benefits such a decision will pleasing to see that our great game of AFL bring. It is strongly believed that in tune with still ties us altogether with all Territorians the overall AFLNT Strategic Plan pathways, provided with the opportunities to this year's decisions will allow for greater participate in some shape or form. participation, AFL game involvement, talent identification and drafting growth in the What a great night it was at the Hall of years to come. Fame induction with 15 worthy recipients becoming members of the elite AFLNT Alice Springs again put on a fantastic Hall of Fame. Well done to the organisers exhibition of our great game at a a great night. magnificent venue with the perfect back drop and a lead up game that showcased In closing I thank Stuart and his team at the amazing skills of our Territory talent to a AFLNT for their resilience and an Australia-wide audience. Thank you to all commitment to ensure the best future who were involved locally and to the AFL and success and development of Territory Channel 7 for their support and coverage. Football for all Territorians. We can only achieve all that we have with the support It was great to see a strong NT contingent of our Clubs, Committees, Volunteers, participate in and return victorious from the Competitions and Supporters and to you National Inclusion Championships. A big all I say a big thank you. congratulations goes to our team, coaches, assistants, volunteers, sponsors and My thanks to the AFLNT Board members supporters for the work you all put in and for their ongoing commitment to ensuring for the way the team has grown and integrity and governance remains the developed over a very short period of time. underpinning focus in their support of our great game and in particular of myself as A new NT-based AFL Game agreement Chairman. I take this opportunity to advise has been achieved this year and we look that I am stepping down as Chairman after forward to continuing the Melbourne some 8 years in this role. It has been an partnership in Central Australia and growing amazing journey. To reflect on the newly-formed Gold Coast partnership in achievments over the past two decades the Top End for the next five years. whilst I have been involved has been both fantastic and most gratifying. I have the It is great to see Gold Coast drafting Mally utmost comfort in knowing that Sean Rosas this year and to have four Territory Bowden as the incoming Chair will women in the GCS AFLW inaugural team. continue the growth and integrity of our This is something that we are looking great game of AFL in the Northern forward to building on in future years. Territory. 2 AFLNT 2018-19 Annual Report Stuart Totham CEO'S REPORT It is with great pleasure that I present my report community support. During the year we engaged for the 2018/19 year. Reflection is critical to being in a collaborative way with the AFL, Northern able to appreciate the journey you have been on. I Territory Government, Gold Coast Football Club & feel pleased with some of our achievements and Melbourne Football Club to deliver AFL & AFLW look back on some of the challenges and learning games in the NT for 4 years – a fantastic outcome that you can take forward. for Territory football and I thank the NTG , AFL and clubs for their ongoing support of football in the It has been a busy year with lots of change at NT. We will be working closely with all stakeholders AFLNT. to make these games a success, build on them as key community events and ensure that they This year we delivered a new Strategic Plan that will continue long after the current agreement expires. guide and position the organisation across the next 5 years. The plan is deliberately designed to Our relationship with the Gold Coast will be be aspirational and ensure that we are focussed important as we look to partner with them in the on delivering strong outcomes across Community AFLW to continue a strong presence at this level. Football, Talent, Game Development and our With a recruiting concession in Darwin that allows outstanding Community Programs. them to pre-list AFL talent, we expect our numbers on the Suns’ AFL list to steadily improve over the During the second part of the year we made the coming years. tough decision to not enter Thunder teams in the NEAFL & VFLW in 2020. The investment of dollars The participation in our game continues to grow, and time across our organisation was not we grew a further 12% on our 2018 numbers to providing the outcomes that we were after and 53,865 people involved in our game as either what these teams were set up to achieve. This has registered participants or engaged in our allowed us to reinvest into community football and programs. Female participation continued to grow our talent programs. We are very focussed on with 18,487 participants, up 13% on 2018. This is making our community football clubs and an outstanding result on the back of a declining competitions stronger and producing more talent population and is a result of our focus on the ready to take on the AFL & AFLW. Palmerston region and the fantastic work of the Game Development team. As a result of this change in Thunder’s operational focus, declining revenues and a desire to set up Congratulations to the premiers across all grades our organisation in the optimum way to achieve in each of our community competitions that are goals as outlined in our Strategic Plan, the detailed further on in this report. organisation went through some significant change. This resulted in a new Executive Team A special mention and congratulations to Nightcliff structure and changes within work teams to Football Club who broke a 54-year premiership support and focus our efforts. During this process drought in the TIO NTFL. Nightcliff deserved the we had two long term employees leave to explore victory and should be congratulated not only on new opportunities: A big thank you to Liz Cruse their success but the manner in which the club is and Andy Hood for your contribution to AFLNT governed, an outstanding example of a successful over extended periods of time and all the best for football club. your next challenge. To TIO, a special thank you for their ongoing The AFL games in Darwin and Alice Springs support of community football in the Territory continue to be a great success and attract strong through our partnership, which includes NTFL competition, TIO Stadium and Traeger Park. 3 AFLNT 2018-19 Annual Report The broadcast and social media reach of the game Our focus for 2020 will be on settling in our new continues to grow. This year we saw the CAFL structure, focusing on the delivery of the outcomes broadcast for the first time in many years with 10 in our strategy, our people, building stronger games being broadcast. The NTFL season was internal/ external stakeholder relationships and broadcast across NITV, C7 and across AFLNT Live after a challenging and disappointing financial digital channels. AFLNT’s social media audience result in 2019, ensuring that we exceed our budget continues to grow with nearly one million video and financial targets in 2020. views on Facebook. There was a massive increase of viewership on our Youtube channel, growing I would also like to acknowledge the contribution from 2.354 million minutes in 2018 to 4.891 million of our outgoing Chair Ross Coburn. Ross has been minutes in 2019. a significant contributor during his time on the Board and as Chairman of AFLNT. I thank Ross Our Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre personally for his support and counsel and wish programs continue to thrive with the number of him all the best in the future. students increasing from 220 in 2018 to over 400 across all of our programs. A big thankyou to AFLNT Board, AFLNT Staff, Executive Team, AFL, the Northern Territory Other highlights during the year include: Government, corporate partners and all our We proudly became the focus of national stakeholders for your support of the game here in attention during the year when Michael long the Northern Territory.