The Alice Springs council has made the decision to ban all football from Traeger Park, just days before the Central Australian Football League's senior men's competition was expected to start.

The decision comes after the council had originally banned the CAFL competition, citing the potential for anti-social issues to occur in the town.

The council however said the ban, which will prevent all junior, men's and women's teams from training and playing at the ground, was due to an alleged licence breach from AFLNT.

"AFLNT have breached their contract with the Alice Springs Town Council, so at this stage there'll be no football of any kind at Traeger Park," Mayor Matt Paterson said, viaย The ABC.ย 

"Anย agreement is an agreement, andย so they're signed by both parties. AFLNT haveย unfortunately breached that, and so we'll go from there.

"We'll continue to work to make sure that the town competition is delivered. We don't want anyone to miss out in town."

The AFLNT released a statement in the aftermath, stating that they were disappointed by the decision with competitions set to begin this week, causing logistical issues.

"AFLNT is disappointed by the decision made by ASTC to block access to Traeger Park for the Town competition, with notification going to CAFL clubs within hours of the U16 women's competition commencing on Wednesday night," a spokesperson said.

"In addition to removed access for all competitions, AFLNT has been informed by [the council] that Traeger Park will not be available for football programs such as the 'Footy for Life' all abilities program.

"Not all alternate council venues are suitable for senior football. As a result of access continuing to be denied to Traeger Park, AFLNT has developed a revised fixture for the remainder of Round 1 of the 2023 town competition this weekend."

Traegar Park is scheduled to play host to Melbourne vs GWS in Round 16 of the 2023 AFL season, with the AFL considering moving the game after the council's initial decision to ban CAFL games on Sundays. The league is yet to make a call on the fate of the July clash.