THE AFL is pleased to announce it has reached agreement on a new historic streaming partnership for the 2021 NAB League Boys Season with media partner News Corp Australia.
With this partnership, the AFL has expanded its coverage of the NAB League to reach a broader audience, taking it into the homes of more football fans than ever before.
The partnership will support the existing broadcast through the NAB League App with thanks to Telstra.
The deal between the AFL and News Corp Australia will see a Match of the Round from the AFL's biggest feeder competition, the NAB League, streamed live each week, exposing the competition and its best players to a new expanded audience.
AFL Executive General Manager of Football Steve Hocking said the live streaming would kick off this weekend and expose the boys' competition to a broader audience showcasing the great talents of all players.
"The NAB League is an exciting competition where many young Victorian and Tasmanian under-19 players make their transition to becoming Australian Football League players," Hocking said.
"NAB has been a fantastic supporter of our AFL talent pathways for 19 years and it is exciting that this commitment will be highlighted as part of the live streaming opportunity for fans via the Herald Sun and other News Corp websites.
"The young men in the NAB League represent the future of our game and will excite and engage fans across the country for years to come."
Subscribers will be able to access the live stream at News Corp websites including the Herald Sun, The Geelong Advertiser, The Adelaide Advertiser, The Hobart Mercury and more.
News Corp Australia's national sports editor, Matt Kitchin, said the live streaming of pathways competitions such as NAB League was a natural extension of the company's commitment to comprehensive sports coverage.
"Our audience is absolutely footy mad and hungry for more," he said. "So we naturally jumped at the opportunity to live stream a weekly NAB League match on our websites.
"The increased digital exposure to the competition and its players will help our audience learn more about draft prospects across the entire season, not just around draft time."
Live streamed games will feature any of the 13 clubs participating in the NAB League with the first game starting this Saturday May 22 from 11.00am when the Sandringham Dragons host the Western Jets at Trevor Barker Oval.
The partnership will look to extend to the NAB League Girls in season 2022 after a successful 2021 season which saw the Oakleigh Chargers defeat Geelong Falcons in the Grand Final on Sunday.
The remaining games will be streamed live and free through the NAB League App with thanks to Telstra.
