Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to the Northern Territory (Top End) of Australia. People of the NT are passionate about sport. Darwin and the NT have a relatively small population compared to the other Australia state and territories, though they are represented well on the national stage in many sports.
Australian Rules Football is the most attended sport in Australia, and so it would also be in the NT. Of the Major Sporting events in Australia, the Arafura Games is the only major event on the NT sporting calendar. The Arafura Games, held every two years in Darwin, attracts teams from around the world, though predominantly from the south east Asian region. The Games includes an international Aussie Rules Football competition. The NT provide a good number of talented AFL players to the national competition, many of them Aboriginal athletes.
Popular sports of the NT
NT Sporting Success
Famous Athletes from the NT
- Cadel Evans (cycling) - born in Katherine, Northern Territory.
- Michael Ah Matt - inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. He was the first Indigenous Australian to represent Australia and the first Territorian to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
- Damien Martyn (Cricket)
- Michael Long (AFL)
- Maurice Rioli (AFL)
- Nova Peris-Kneebone (hockey / track & field)
Northern Territory Sports trivia
Past and future sporting events in the NT
- In July 2003, Darwin hosted its first international test cricket match between Australia and Bangladesh, followed by a match between Australia and Sri Lanka in 2004.
- The Arafura Games are held every two years in Darwin. The last event was in May 2011.
- Alice Springs Masters Games (held every two years)
Annual sporting events held in the NT
- Tiwi Islands Aussie Rules grand final
- NTFL Grand Final
- Darwin Cup (horse racing)
- V8 supercars (held at Hidden Valley, Darwin)
- Finke Desert Race
Sporting Facilities in the NT
- NTIS
- TIO Stadium, Marrara
More
- Sport in Australia
- Unusual sports in the NT:
- AnnualĀ Beer Can Regatta at Mindil Beach Darwin.
- Henly on Todd.
- Alice SpringsĀ Camel Cup.
Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let me know.