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Katie Woolf spoke with AFLNT CEO Stu Totham · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hello, Katie Wolf and three point sixty online at Mix
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: one O four.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Nine dot com.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: You now, we do know that due to the current
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: COVID nineteen situation in Victoria and advice from the Northern
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Territory Government's Department of Health, afl NT, I have had
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: to confirm that the game that we are expecting or
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: we were expecting, i should say, to have played in
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs this weekend is not going to be going ahead.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Joining us on the line, afl NT CEO Stu Totham,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, stukot akd. How you going not
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: too bad? Mate? How are you guys going at afl NT.
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: Oh, look, we're not living the dream, no, we really no.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: A bit disappointing, but to be to be really fair,
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  Speaker 2: it wasn't unexpected when we got the newsplate yesterday, but
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: really disappointing for people of our springs.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Ad.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not going to get to see afl foot at
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  Speaker 2: this stage. Yeah, but again we've got to keep perspectives
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: public if he comes first. So yeah, yeah, it's just
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: a challenging little period. So everyone really, yeah, it certainly is.
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  Speaker 1: And as you said, you know, we're all all making
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: sure that we try our best to keep it in perspective,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: but no doubt the community of Alice would be pretty disappointed.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: I know you have people head across from the various
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  Speaker 1: communities nearby as well. Everyone loves their footy in Central Australia.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, it was definite to be a sellout Melbourne
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: versus Brisband first versus third Friday night footy and Alice
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  Speaker 2: for the first time. So yeah, really disappointed, disappointed for
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: the fans, disappointed for everyone really that it's not going ahead.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: But we'll be in there cracking on to try and
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: get to AFL footy in the territory this season.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, what's the plans do with, you know, with the
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: rest of the season and trying to sort of you know,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: at some point have a couple of games to replace
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  Speaker 1: the ones that now we've missed.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, it's reasonably complex, but we'll be in there,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: in there batting with you know, with head office, talking
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: to the government here and the two clubs in Melbourne
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: and gold Case about potentially rescheduling other games and those
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: those conversations have started, so we'll get into it and
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: we've just got to wait and see how things progress.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Ave Covid and how the rest of the season progresses.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: It could come in a rush like it did last
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  Speaker 2: year when we were three weeks out and we're told
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: we're going to have three games in eight days. We'll
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: have to get to organized. So it could happen like
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: that again and we'll be ready to go if that's
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: the case, and we sort of hope that's the case.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: We hope we can get footy here in the territory
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  Speaker 2: because the thing people do forget is we're only get
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: two games and there's an old saying you can't be
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: what you can't see. So we need to footy here
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  Speaker 2: for lots of reasons, but one of them is to
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  Speaker 2: inspire our next generation of young footballers.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, one hundred percent. And I know you and I
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  Speaker 1: spoke about this last Friday as well, when we you know,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: with the game here in Darwin being canceled. It's it's
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  Speaker 1: one of those things too where you have those teams
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: head out, they visit the school kids, they talk to
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  Speaker 1: young people around the territory. It has such a positive
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: impact in other ways aside from just the game.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, And we were lucky enough with the game
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  Speaker 2: not in Darwin last week. We had a good crew
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: from the Gold Coaster did a heap of work around
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: schools and I was kick centers and so forth around
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: the community and were really visible. But yeah, you're right,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Unfortunately we do miss out on that and around our springs,
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: you know. But hopefully, let's say, if we can get
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: some games we scheduled, being Alison Darwin, we'll be able
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: to activate those things again.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: And so obviously in talks with the AFL, how far
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: along are you in those talks and when do you
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  Speaker 1: reckon you'll know?
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Well, look, you know the talks have started in ern
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: it's probably late yesterday and into this morning already. I
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: don't know when we'll know Christal ball stuff. When we
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: could find out soon, It could be a while, Like
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  Speaker 2: I said, it could be you know we get notification
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: late as well. But rest assured, you know, through myself,
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Sean Bowen and others, we'll be having a good crack
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: at trying to get the games back. Mate.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: I reckon, if there's one thing we know about you
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  Speaker 1: guys that you'll be making sure that you do your
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  Speaker 1: bets to try and get the footing back to the territory. Absolutely,
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  Speaker 1: Oh good on you guys. I know it's been a tough,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: tough you know, a few weeks or a couple of
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  Speaker 1: weeks with this situation in Victoria. But let's hope that
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  Speaker 1: at some point we do end up with a couple
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: of games or maybe even more here in the territory.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, yeah, good on you, Stu.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you so much mate. We always appreciate your time.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: That is Stuart Totham there, who is the CEO of
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: AFL here in the Northern Territory. And as we've heard,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: you know, it is disappointing when those footy games that
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: were anticipating do end up getting canceled, but you know,
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: the health of territorians is obviously paramount, but it's also
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: about the AFL trying to juggle everything. But as you've
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: just heard there as well from Stu, they're going to
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: be doing everything that they can to try to get
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: a couple of games back in the territory, maybe even
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: more so. Time will tell. We'll keep a very close
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: eye on that.