The AFL has told Alice Springs Council it will consider moving the June match between Melbourne and GWS from the town unless the council reverses its decision to withdraw support for the local football match.
In an email sent by the AFL to Alice Springs Town Council, agethe league said it would consider the impact on the community of hosting the game and “review the feasibility of holding the round of 16 AFL match between Melbourne and the GWS Giants in Alice Springs”.
Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett scored six goals in Alice Springs last year.Credit: AFL photos
However, in a statement released on Friday afternoon, Alice Springs Town Council said it would “not allow the AFLNT to enter Treg Park to hold matches in 2023”.
“This result is the result of AFLNT’s failure to meet its obligations for the 2023 season, under its licensing agreement with the council, which expires in September 2025,” read the rest of the council statement.
In late February, the committee withdrew its support for the Central Australia Football League community game, Anti-social behavior and crime spike in Alice Springs after months.
The crime spree comes at a time when alcohol use increased last year after a decade-long agreement to restrict and ban certain Aboriginal lands expired.
An AFL game was originally scheduled to be played at Traeger Park in Alice Springs in late June.Credit: Getty Images
In effect, the council’s decision means players and fans of community games will not be able to access any council-owned playing fields in Alice Springs. Community races are usually played on Sundays with teams from remote communities, while Saturday races feature teams from towns and cities.
Part of the council’s concerns centered on people who traveled to Alice Springs for football on Sunday and then stayed for days, in some cases missing school.But a council source who was not authorized to speak publicly told age Another problem is that the AFLNT is not doing enough to support the race in remote communities with limited electricity and water supplies, as well as medical services.
