After three seasons and two premierships, the Crows AFL team and AFLNT have mutually decided to part ways
It’s been a dream partnership, delivering unprecedented on-and-off-field success, but as women’s football continues to grow, the alliance between the AFLNT and the Crows has ended.
- Erin Phillips speaks for the first time about her knee rehab
- Chloe Scheer is back up and running again after tearing ACL
- Behind the scenes with the Crows AFLW team
- Crows grand final heroes presented with their premiership rings
IT’S been one of the most successful alliances in the burgeoning AFLW competition — culminating in two premierships in only three seasons — but the partnership between the Crows AFLW team and AFL Northern Territory has come to an end.
The Adelaide Football Club and AFLNT formed their alliance in 2016 and together successfully bid for a licence to field a team in the inaugural season of the AFLW in 2017.
The partnership gave the Crows access to players from the NT Women’s Football League, as well as training facilities at Darwin’s TIO Stadium, where the club also played one home game each year.
However after three seasons and two grand final wins, both the Crows and AFLNT say the time is right to separate.
AFLNT chief executive Stuart Totham said at the end of the 2019 AFLW season, that the AFLNT and the Adelaide Football Club mutually decided that “given the ever-changing landscape of the women’s game, the time was right to look at other opportunities”.
“The three-year partnership we enjoyed with the Crows has no doubt directly contributed to the growth of women’s footy across the NT and the success that our players experienced via two premierships will remain a legacy of the relationship,” Totham said.
“AFLNT will continue to focus on the development of young, aspiring Territory talent and forge pathways that will see more of our players become the next crop of AFLW stars.”
The Crows echoed those sentiments.
“Our partnership with AFLNT played an integral role in increasing the popularity of women’s football and improving talent pathways in the central corridor of Australia, while also helping to deliver on-field results including two premierships,” a Crows spokesman said.
“Given the changing landscape and growth of the women’s game, it is an appropriate time to look towards fresh opportunities and partnerships which can further add to the strong platform we have established.”
The alliance with AFLNT also meant the Crows headed to Darwin for their pre-season camps and this year the players came face-to-face with crocodiles .
While the AFL said it wasn’t in a position to comment, there is widespread speculation that the NT’s talent pool will be diverted to another club in the future.
There are still a number of players in the Crows AFLW squad that were picked from the NTFLW including joint vice-captain Angela Foley and 2019’s leading goal kicker Stevie-Lee Thompson. But those players have now relocated to Adelaide and the only remaining Darwin-based Crows player is this year’s AFLW rising star nominee Danielle Ponter.
In the off-season many of the Crows players take to the field with the NT Thunder, a team which plays in the VFLW. While Adelaide players will no longer play for the Thunder beyond this season, it is unsure what will happen in terms of off-season football for the Crows.