AFL General Manager – Broadcasting, Scheduling and Major Projects Simon Lethlean today announced the fixture for the 2016 NAB Challenge and said the AFL was delighted that all 27 matches in the pre-season would be exclusively broadcast on television live by Fox Footy, and in addition, every match will also be made available live to fans via the AFL Live App.
In a continuation of the initiative introduced for the 2015 NAB Challenge, AFL club members with game access will be entitled to attend next year's NAB Challenge matches free of charge.
"The NAB Challenge continues to take our game across the country to regional and suburban grounds that don't normally host AFL football during our regular premiership season," Mr Lethlean said.
"The support of NAB, by taking our games in the pre-season away from the major metropolitan venues, enables our game to strengthen its roots in the community.
"The NAB Challenge is the first occasion the young players chosen in next month's NAB AFL Draft will have to showcase their wares for their new teams and the AFL is also greatly appreciative of the support of Foxtel and the Fox Footy Channel, who will be broadcasting every game live."
National Australia Bank’s Acting Chief Marketing Officer, Michael Nearhos, said NAB was pleased to continue its long-standing support of the AFL through the NAB Challenge.
“Together with the AFL, we’re committed to growing the game and we’re delighted to support the NAB Challenge for the 11th consecutive year,” Mr Nearhos said.
“It provides us with an exciting opportunity to bring the game to fans and this year is no exception, with matches taking place in all corners of the country,” he said.
The 2016 NAB Challenge will be the first time that all matches in non-traditional regional locations have been broadcast live by Fox Footy, after 21 matches were broadcast in 2015, Foxtel Executive Director Sports and Content Partnerships Ben Buckley said.
“We are bringing our subscribers more matches of the pre-season competition than ever before and Foxtel is delighted to be the exclusive television broadcaster of all 27 matches of the 2016 NAB Challenge live on Fox Footy,” Mr Buckley said.
Mr Lethlean said every match across the opening three weeks would be played at regional or suburban venues, while the fourth and final week would see matches staged at metropolitan AFL venues to optimise team preparations ahead of the Premiership Season.
Six matches will be played across each of the first three weekends of games - giving all clubs one bye - with every club playing on the final weekend, Mr Lethlean said.
“This structure will again be in place for the 2016 NAB Challenge as it accommodates the needs of our clubs in terms of managing player workloads and planning their preparations during a very important month before the premiership season gets underway,” he said.
2016 NAB Challenge Fixture Released
The 2016 NAB Challenge fixture was released by the AFL today with Gold Coast set to face Brisbane, West Coast and Adelaide.
