AFL Chief Operating Officer Gillon McLachlan today said the AFL was finalising its schedule of venues for matches in the 2010 NAB Challenge, with a continued emphasis on regional locations that don't normally host elite AFL football.
The NAB Cup fixture was released in October and Mr McLachlan said the AFL was in the process of planning a draft schedule for matches in the NAB Challenge, once teams were eliminated from the NAB Cup, to give all clubs the best possible preparation in terms of understanding potential travel requirements.
As part of the joint commitment with NAB to take matches to venues that don't normally host regular AFL football, Mr McLachlan said games would be played in Alice Springs (NT), Blacktown (NSW), Joondalup (WA), Morwell (Vic), Mt Gambier (SA), Narrandera (NSW), North Ballarat (Vic), Southport (Qld) and Yea (Victoria), as well as Elizabeth in outer suburban Adelaide and Casey Fields in outer suburban Melbourne as the competition progressed.
"NAB and the AFL will continue with our focus to take the majority of NAB Challenge matches across Australia to venues that don’t normally host premiership season matches," Mr McLachlan said.
“The NAB Challenge is a vital development tool for the AFL to promote our game, our clubs and our players to areas that can’t normally access matches easily. The matches in regional SA, regional WA and regional Victoria will continue to be shared around different parts of each state to give the competition the widest exposure from year to year."
National Australia Bank’s General Manager of Corporate Responsibility and Brand, Tim O’Leary, said NAB was delighted that the NAB Cup and NAB Challenge would again extend to reach many Australian communities.
““The great thing about the NAB Cup and NAB Challenge is that it allows us to take the AFL to thousands of people around the country who don’t often get a chance to experience footy at this level," Mr O'Leary said.
"We are particularly pleased to see a match scheduled for Yea. This will no doubt be important to all levels of the local football community after the devastating bushfires that struck Victoria in early 2009.”
Mr McLachlan said games would also be played at Visy Park, with the remaining matches to be scheduled to traditional AFL venues depending on which sides were eliminated from the NAB Cup.
"The AFL has already determined which clubs will be programmed into which NAB Challenge venues in week one, after they are eliminated from the NAB Cup, so that all teams can prepare their likely training and travel schedule in advance," he said.
Mr McLachlan said the AFL was extremely appreciative of the support of NAB and of the respective state and regional leagues around the country in confirming venues for NAB Challenge matches, and the amount of preparation that had gone into arranging venues.
WEEK 1 – February 25-26 2010
The indicative NAB Challenge fixture is as follows:
Friday – Matches to be played in Alice Springs.
Saturday – Match to be played in Yea.
WEEK 2 – March 5-6 2010
Friday - Matches to be played in Southport and Visy Park.
Saturday - Match to be played in Elizabeth, Joondalup, North Ballarat.
Dates to be confirmed - Match at one other venue location.
WEEK 3 – March 12-13 2010
Friday – Match to be played at Southport
Dates to be confirmed - Matches to be played at Mt Gambier, Subiaco, Morwell, Visy Park, Narrandera and Casey Fields.
Article courtesy of the Australian Football League.
Gold Coast to host AFL action live in 2010
AFL Chief Operating Officer Gillon McLachlan today said the AFL was finalising its schedule of venues for matches in the 2010 NAB Challenge, with a continued emphasis on regional locations that don't normally host elite AFL football.
