The Northern Territory's AFL governing body has said it is "committed [to] working" on the sport's "positive role" in the community in response to calls for more to be done to stamp out domestic violence in the competition.
The No More campaign, an Aboriginal initiative for preventing domestic and family violence, is calling for the AFL NT and clubs part of the NT Football League (NTFL) to take stronger action against domestic violence, including by conducting police background checks on potential players.
It comes after news earlier this week that a NTFL player has been stood down and referred to police and the AFL's Integrity Unit for allegedly assaulting his former partner.
The player's club, Saint Mary's Football Club, has said it is aware of the allegations and acted on them immediately.
Asked about the campaign for better background checks, AFLNT said: "AFL Northern Territory are committed [to] working with our leagues, clubs, players and the broader community around the positive role our sport can play in developing leadership, responsibility and action".
Both St Mary's and the AFL NT said they took the allegations extremely seriously and police were currently investigating.
Campaign calls for stronger checks
Amid growing focus on sporting codes and their efforts to tackle family and domestic violence, the No More campaign is calling for further funding from the AFL to allow Northern Territory football clubs to access background checks for players.
Campaign founder Charlie King said it was time clubs took a "strong stance" against family and domestic violence.
"We just think it's time to up the ante, because of the high levels of family violence that continues to happen," he said.
"We're not saying players shouldn't play at all if they've got domestic violence offences, but we are saying that those that have, the club needs to know about it. We think it's a duty of care issue."
Mr King acknowledged background checks carried the risk of being intrusive and making some players uncomfortable, but said it was now necessary given the scale of the issue within sporting codes.
"Because right now, even as we talk, another victim has emerged as a result of family violence. That's how big the problem is," he said.
"I'd love to see all sporting codes in the Northern Territory have these domestic violence action plans. Many do, but we need to up the ante."
Collaboration with sport important for change
Alice Springs-based domestic violence researcher Chay Brown said sporting organisations were "really important places" to help combat family and domestic violence.
"Working with sporting organisations is a really important part of preventing violence against women and children, just to address that culture and make sure that culture is supportive," she said
"Rather than punitive responses, I think we need to be working with whole communities, with men, with people who are using violence."
But Ms Brown added that background checks could prove ineffective at screening for alleged perpetrators of domestic and family violence.
"The vast majority of domestic, family and sexual violence is never reported."
"So a background check is not necessarily going to show anyone's use of domestic violence anyway, and then even if we were to find that in their background, what do sporting clubs do with that anyway?"
