Northern Territory steps up bid for 20th team as AFL puts full focus on Tasmania launch

The AFL remains uninterested in hearing pitches for the location of a 20th team as Darwin continues to provide frameworks of how a Top End big league side would look.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon. Picture: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images

The Northern Territory’s push for an AFL team has continued with the release of a plan for 10 potential sites for a new stadium in Darwin.

The AFLNT first revealed plans to build a multi-purpose stadium in December 2020 with a pricetag of $300 million, pencilling in the proposed location at the intersection of Garramilla Boulevard and McMinn St.

That site remains option A, but nine more potential locations have been earmarked including the Federal Tank Farm, the Sea Swift Freight Yard, the Esplanade, the Waterfront, Gardens Oval and One Mile Dam, with preferred options being walkable from the city centre.

Layout of potential sites for a Darwin City Stadium.

AFLNT chairman Sean Bowden said the stadium would be an iconic landmark that would anchor the opportunity for a 20th AFL licence.

“This stadium will be an iconic landmark, wherever it is built, and will be a key driver of not only Australian rules football, but a wide range of sports,” Bowden said.

The AFL has fielded numerous proposals from across the ­country to host the 20th team following Tasmania’s admission to the AFL in 2028.

A third team in Western Australia, South Australia or rugby league heartland states New South Wales and Queensland are all being pitched from various bodies.

Darwin’s TIO Stadium will host two Gold Coast Suns matches in May. Picture: Michael Willson/Getty Images

The AFL remains ­focused on guiding the Tasmania Devils into the competition before thinking of the next team, but it is accepted a 20th club would follow to eradicate the bye and provide 10 matches every weekend.

A new stadium in Hobart ­remains the vital part of Tasmania’s new team but AFL chief executive Andew Dillon said on Saturday he was not worried about the bogged-down planning process.

Final planning for the contentious stadium on Hobart’s Macquarie Point is pegged for September or October.

“We are in the middle of a really complex planning process in terms of the stadium and the stadium is going to be a critical piece of infrastructure for Tasmania not just for 2028 … but for 30-40 years,” Dillon told ABC Radio. “We are really comfortable with where it is at, at the moment and all systems go for a 2028 start.”