The Tiwi Bombers are the pride of the Tiwi Islands.

Made up of players from Bathurst and Melville Islands, the men’s and women’s teams compete in the Darwin-based TIO Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), proudly representing the Tiwi people each week.

Players from Wurrumiyanga, Pirlangimpi and Milikapiti make the journey from the Islands to Darwin by ferry and plane, before travelling by bus and car to train and play. They make that journey for the opportunity to pull on the Tiwi Bombers jumper, represent their families and communities, and play the game they love.

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Bombers return to Tiwi

Each year, players from our men's and women's visit the Tiwi Islands for a cultural immersion experience. Our most recent group saw Isaac Kako, Jayden Nguyen and VFLW player Tayla Hart-Aluni spend the week there with a focus on cultural connection, community engagement and education. They were lucky enough to watch the Tiwi Bombers take the field in a local match too. Here's what they got up to over the five days:

Like many remote communities across the Northern Territory, the Tiwi Islands face significant health and social challenges. Against that backdrop, football plays an important role in community life, creating opportunities for connection, participation, pride and wellbeing.

On the Tiwi Islands, health stakeholders also speak about the broader lift football season brings to the community. Football holds a particularly special place on the Tiwi Islands. It is deeply connected to Tiwi life and culture, from songs and celebrations to community gatherings and sorry business.

The connection between the Tiwi Islands and the Essendon Football Club runs particularly deep. Some of Essendon’s most celebrated Indigenous players, including Michael Long, Dean Rioli and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, proudly trace their roots back to the Tiwi Islands, helping shape the Club’s history and inspiring generations of footballers.

Today, that connection continues through Essendon’s ongoing partnership with the Tiwi Bombers. The Club works alongside the Tiwi Bombers to support talent pathways, community engagement and opportunities for Tiwi footballers, while helping strengthen one of Australian football’s most unique and culturally significant clubs.

Their achievements are part of a much bigger football story. For young footballers growing up on the Tiwi Islands today, that story continues.

The Tiwi Bombers give players the opportunity to pull on the jumper, represent the Islands, their families and communities, and compete in the TIO NTFL.

The men's Tiwi Bombers are now in their 20th year competing in the TIO NTFL, while the women's team is entering its fourth season. Through both teams, the club continues to provide opportunities for Tiwi footballers to compete, develop and proudly represent their communities.

For Essendon supporters, supporting the Tiwi Bombers is about more than backing a football club. It is an opportunity to support a community that has contributed so much to the red and black story, while helping ensure future generations of Tiwi footballers have the same opportunity to pursue their football dreams.

However, competing in a Darwin-based competition from the Tiwi Islands comes at a significant cost. Flights, ferries, buses, vehicles and accommodation are a necessary part of getting players to and from Darwin throughout the TIO NTFL season. The tropical wet season adds another layer of uncertainty, with cancelled flights and ferries creating the potential for unexpected travel and accommodation costs.

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Bombers back in Tiwi

The Bombers recently completed a powerful four-day trip to the Tiwi Islands, reconnecting with the local community through sport and education. Throughout the visit, Essendon players and staff worked closely with more than 30 coaches and engaged over 100 students, sharing football skills and supporting broader learning opportunities.

For most football clubs, getting to the game means jumping in the car. For the Tiwi Bombers, simply getting their men’s and women’s teams onto the field each week is a significant undertaking.

The Tiwi Bombers receives important support from local partners and businesses, but the cost of competing continues to place significant financial pressure on the Bombers. Without that support, the challenge isn’t simply winning games. It’s ensuring Tiwi players continue to have the opportunity to get there and play them.

Every donation will help the Tiwi Bombers meet the costs of competing in the TIO NTFL competition and continue giving Tiwi footballers the opportunity to take the field and represent their people.

The Tiwi Islands have given so much to Australian football and to Essendon Football Club. Now is an opportunity to give something back. Whether big or small, every contribution helps.

Please get behind the Tiwi Bombers and help keep this proud football club on the field in season 2026/27.

 Support the Tiwi Bombers through the Australian Sports Foundation

Learn more about the Tiwi Bombers

Follow the Tiwi Bombers on Facebook

For other ways to support the club, contact secretary@tiwibombers.com.au.