AFL captains call Northern Territory favoured location for 20th team

The AFL captains and club leaders have named Darwin as the ideal location for a 20th team. Read what they said.

The 2024 AFL skippers have backed the potential of the AFL setting sights on the Northern Territory as the location of the competition’s newest team.

When asked the important questions at Tuesday’s captain’s day almost half the skippers chose the NT as the ideal location for a 20th team.

Adelaide’s Jordan Dawson, Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee and St Kilda’s Jack Steele were among eight captains in favour of a 20th licence coming to Darwin.

“I feel like the Northern Territory definitely deserves it. I’m from Canberra, so it’d be pretty cool to see a team there,” Steele said.

While Dawson said “if there was to be one, I think one up in Darwin would be pretty cool”.

And Rozee also threw his support behind the idea stating, “I’m not sure how the logistics work but it’s be nice to see a team in the Northern Territory at some stage”.

Essendon’s Zach Merrett, North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin, Sydney’s Callum Mills and Brisbane’s Harris Andrews also named Darwin as the ideal location.

AFL Captains day at Marvel Stadium. Picture: Jason Edwards

Four of the captains, including Carlton’s Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps, backed the potential of a third team in Western Australia to sit alongside Fremantle and West Coast.

West Coast’s Oscar Allen pushed for one in WA’s south in Dunsborough or Margaret River calling it “a beautiful part of the world”.

However, Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce pushed back against another team in the country’s west, instead joining the overwhelming call for one in the north.

“I don’t know if we could have another one (in WA). Let’s say NT, Darwin,”

Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield also considered the viability of a team in Perth looking to the economics perspective, though couldn’t hold back from mentioning the NT either.

“I reckon Perth could house another team,” Dangerfield said.

“If you are talking purely about the economics of being able to fund themselves then Perth could easily handle another team.

“But is that robbing, say, the Northern Territory of a licence?”

There was also support for a team in Far North Queensland from the likes of Gold Coast’s Touk Miller and GWS’ Josh Kelly.

Hawthorn’s James Sicily was the only one to call for a cap at 19, once Tasmania came aboard.

For the past three years a taskforce headed by AFLNT chairman Sean Bowden and Sports Minister Kate Worden have been working behind the scenes on ways to bring a team to Darwin.

Those works include the design and foundation work for a new stadium in the CBD which has an estimated cost of about $400m.

Originally published as AFL captains call Northern Territory favoured location for 20th team