After over 15 years of active involvement with football in the Northern Territory, Wanderers Football Club Life Member Peter Leonard has been awarded the 2019 AFL Merit Award for the Northern Territory.

Leonard gave ten years of service to NT Thunder from its inception in 2009 through to the end of the 2018 NEAFL season filling roles including assistant coach, specialist coach, runner and he also worked with players one-on-one to develop their skills.

His involvement with the Wanderers Football Club included coaching juniors, Division 1 and as assistant coach in the Men’s Premier League to Paul Motlop and later Andrew Hodges before taking over the reins himself in the 2018/19 season.

Leonard was NT Thunder’s premiership runner in the 2011 season and in 2016 was awarded the Thunderstruck Unsung Volunteer of the Year Award.

As well as working with Thunder’s NEAFL team, he also volunteered his time as a water carrier for the club’s VFLW team in its inaugural year.

As recipient of the Merit Award, Leonard will represent the NT at the official AFL Volunteer of the Year celebrations in Melbourne during AFL Grand Final Week.

AFLNT CEO Stu Totham said he was pleased to see Leonard received this well-deserved accolade.

“Peter exemplifies the great work volunteers do for footy in the NT and I couldn’t think of a better person to represent the us this year.

“He has been part of the footy community since he was a young kid playing NTFL and then involved in volunteer roles from junior to senior teams, and he is a true supporter of the sport who deserves one of AFL’s most prestigious awards for overall service to football,” he said.

Leonard will be officially recognised for this efforts at the AFLNT Volunteers Awards evening at Government House in October; where all 2019 Volunteers of the Year awards are presented.