NT’s top 10 most powerful sportspeople revealed for 2022
There’s no shortage of sporting talent in the Territory and even more people are working behind the scenes to ensure sport is a big contributer to the NT economy. Check out the most influential identities for 2022.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Territory is synonymous with sport but it’s not just the people on the field who yield the most power.
As part of the NT News’ Most Powerful list this year, we’re launching a series of top 10 most powerful across the Territory’s leading sectors.
Today, we reveal the 10 most powerful sports movers and shakers in the Northern Territory, including former Richmond AFL player Sean Bowden and Finke Desert Race president Antony Joffa.
All of these Territorians worked hard on and off the field during 2022 and will still have an impact in 2023, whether its through their physical talent or business minds to ensure sport is s big contributer to the NT economy.
But where will they end up on the final Most Powerful 120 list?
The series of top 10s will culminate in the countdown to the much-anticipated Most Powerful 120.
10. Ken Vowles
A talented cricketer in his own right, the 51-year-old is an outspoken personality when it comes to matters relating to local sport, particularly cricket.
An Under-17 and Under-19 national representative and Australian Cricket Academy member who played grade cricket in South Australia for many seasons, Vowles also coached the NT’s national Indigenous cricket championship side in 2020.
A former NT Cricket development officer based in Alice Springs, he once said representing the Territory at the Imparja Cup was his proudest moment.
Post-career, the former Member for Johnston is a former board member with NT Cricket and has strong sporting opinions on Mix 104.9.
With a new chief executive officer starting at NT Cricket early next year and Darwin becoming a more attractive location during the southern states’ off-season, local cricket fans will turn to Vowles again in 2023 for a forthright opinion.
9. Danielle Ponter
It was a big 2022 for Territorians performing on the national stage and Ponter has perhaps soared the highest.
The 22-year-old cemented her position in the Adelaide Crows forward line in a year when her side found plenty of success.
The St Mary’s junior is a proven finals performer kicking three goals in the 2019 preliminary final against Geelong and she scored three more a week later against Carlton to secure a premiership.
And last season against Melbourne she kicked two more goals to see her side on the way to another premiership, and at the same time she took the record for most goals scored in AFLW finals.
It was a feat befitting one of the Territory’s best ever sporting exports and the scary thing is Ponter still has a long career ahead of her.
In the off-season she continues to give back volunteering every week at her junior club, St Mary’s.
8. Sam Gibson
Now in his second year at AFLNT, Gibson has overseen another massive year of growth in the premier NTFL competition.
The former Tennis NT leader has overseen an unprecedented 41 new teams for the 2022-23 NTFL season, including the Tiwi Bombers’ first ever Women’s Premier League team.
He originally joined the AFLNT as Stadium, Facilities and Government manager but quickly found himself in the top job when former chief executive Stuart Totham departed.
Gibson has continued to support AFLNT’s relationship with the NT News allowing the publication to exclusively live broadcast NTFL matches to screens across the country.
The partnership is currently in its third season and continues to benefit both parties, particularly with an added Women’s Premier League match each week.
Prior to heading up sport organisations, Gibson worked in NT government roles and studied a Bachelor of Business and Sport Administration.
7. Michael Long
There are few bigger Territory names in AFL football than Michael Long, more than two decades after his retirement from the game at the highest level.
The opinions and philosophies of the two-time Essendon premiership player carries as much clout as anybody’s up north, whether it be a sporting, social or Indigenous issues.
Long, whose individual career began at St Mary’s in the mid-1980s, was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2007 and was granted Legend status three years later.
However, post-retirement he has dedicated his time to improving the lives of First Nations people through his annual Long Walk.
It started, unofficially, in 2004 when he made the trek from Melbourne to Parliament House to draw attention to the plight of Indigenous people.
Long’s social legacy was strengthened further in early 2015 with the opening of the Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre, while his foundation continues to make a difference.
6. Russell Davey
A former player, Women’s Premier League coach and now president at Palmerston Football Club, the twin brother of former Essendon star Alwyn has carved a path of his own down at Cazalys Arena.
Davey, who started his playing career in Under 14s, became a life member in 2015 after playing his 150th game in the black and white.
His nephews, Alwyn Jr and Jayden, were drafted this year by Essendon, enhancing the Davey name in Darwin football circles.
However, one of his biggest achievements at Palmerston was helping draw two of the biggest names in AFL history to play at Cazalys.
First was former Adelaide and Carlton champion Eddie Betts in 2021-22.
Then came Gary Albett Jr in November for a one-off match, with some assistance from former Pies junior Mathew Stokes.
5. Antony Yoffa
The Finke Desert Race president has been involved in the iconic event for more than two decades, while overseeing the most tumultuous two years in its history.
Yoffa, a former ABC broadcaster in the Alice Springs, joined the race’s committee in 2000 and has helped ensure hundreds of entrants come to the remote town of Finke each year ever since.
Held on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June, “Finke” has become an event synonymous with Territory motorsport.
Most importantly, however, Yoffa remained a consistent voice and face of the event amid two years of turmoil: the 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid, while a spectator died the following year after being struck by a vehicle that veered off course.
Twenty-seven people were also hospitalised with injuries sustained that weekend, with eight medically evacuated from Alice Springs to Adelaide.
Crucially, he helped usher in major changes, including additional fencing and exclusion zones.
Plenty of local revheads will be keen to see what Yoffa has in store for the 2023 edition.
4. Kerri Savidge
The current executive officer of the Darwin Basketball Association, Savidge has achieved plenty over her six-year reign.
Savidge, who arrived in the Territory in mid-2016 after running basketball in Bundaberg, has been one of the driving forces behind the birth of the Darwin Salties in their inaugural NBL1 North season this year.
There have been some big wins at a community level with Darwin hosting a number of national championships for the first time at Marrara, during her tenure.
That includes the Australian Under 16 championships in 2018 and the National Wheelchair Basketball League finals this year.
The association also has the highest number of registered players in 70 years.
No shrinking violet, Savidge has also been a strong voice calling out and implementing new initiatives to crack down on anti-social behaviour at Darwin Basketball Stadium.
Local fans will be eager to see how Darwin basketball evolves in 2023 with the Salties - including men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams - entering their all-important second season.
3. Tony Crowe
While the NTFL is king during the wet, it’s the NRL that dominates the Territory sporting scene in the dry season.
Crowe took up the NRLNT mantle ahead of the 2022 season with a clear vision to grow the sport across the Territory.
Crowe has an incredible background in the sport with over 30 years’ experience at community rugby league level.
He came to the Territory on the back of a seven-year stint at NRL WA where he was the operations manager and oversaw a variety of initiatives and competitions.
And in his first season in the NT he’s already pushed the competition to new heights driving clubs to increase participation in the league.
Growth at junior level and in the women’s comps is the most important for the sport to survive but with a strong and well-establish league community Crowe has plenty to work with.
2. Sean Bowden
The man with his finger on the pulse on all things Territory.
The esteemed lawyer and AFLNT chairman is almost unmatched in his passion for the NT and is driven in developing the bush and provide equal opportunities.
When it comes to sport he had been the major driver behind the push for a NT-based AFL team.
In 2021, Bowden formed a taskforce that he co-chairs with Sport Minister Kate Worden to meet that goal but there are still significant hurdles to overcome.
Chief among those hurdles is the Territory’s need for a world class stadium to field a NT team and potentially international events.
The stadium is something Bowden has talked up time and again as he seeks to both put Darwin on the map and stimulate the Territory economy.
At a local level, participation levels in his sport are soaring to new heights, particularly in remote areas.
1. Gary Clarke
You would be hard pressed to find someone who has had a more successful and dominant year than this champion Darwin trainer.
Originally from Queensland, Clarke has had a lifelong affiliation with the racing industry and made an instant impact upon arrival in the Top End.
In 2022 he bagged a record-breaking 10th successive Champion Trainer title with 55 wins from 288 starters, pleasing owners and punters alike.
He was a dominant force all year, particularly during the Darwin Cup Carnival where he won both the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint with Syncline and then the $200,000 Darwin Cup with Playoffs.
And if that wasn’t enough he also finally won the Alice Springs Cup, the one major Territory trophy that had eluded him, with Count of Essex.
There’s no doubt the Clarke Racing Stables are a true family affair with wife Sharlene and daughter Ella both playing prominent roles in the continued success.
REPLAY: Magpies impress in first outing of new campaign
Is this a changing of the guard moment in the NTFL women’s competition? A young Palmerston side has overcome a rebuilding Waratah to kick off their season in style. Check the REPLAY.
REPLAY: Waratah kick 14 goals in a row on way to massive win
Palmerston actually led this at the end of the first quarter, but Waratah weren’t long in finding form and showed their class with a devastating burst of majors. Watch the REPLAY now.