The Dreamtime game between Richmond and Essendon, usually drawing a massive crowd at the MCG, will be one of two AFL games held in Darwin on election weekend, the AFL has announced.

Dubbed the ‘Dreamtime in Darwin’, it will be held on the night of the election, August 22, at Marrara stadium and is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Victorian teams having to relocate interstate.

There will also be a Gold Coast Suns ‘home’ game played against an as yet unidentified team on that weekend but the day it is played has not been announced.

The Suns were to have played the first of their games in Darwin this year as part of a deal with the NT Government to play so-called home games here but this was also upset by COVID-19.

AFL general manager of social policy and inclusion Tanya Hosch, said this year’s Dreamtime game will be a special moment for the communities across the Top End to come together and celebrate their love for football.

The game is part of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round which pays tribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their contribution to Australian rules football.

“Sir Doug Nicholls Round creates a platform to profile players who have changed the game’s history and faced racism and discrimination to fight for equality and recognition, such as Carlton Champion and Wongatha man, Syd Jackson, our 2020 Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree,” Ms Mosch said.

The Dreamtime at the G game was first played between the two clubs in 2005 and had a peak crowd of more than 85,000 people in 2017, achieving crowds of more than 80,000 people seven times in 15 years, with two more years where the crowd was more than 70,000 people.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the chief health officer will oversee strict protocols, including ensuring no player, official or broadcaster arrives from a hot spot area.

He said they were still trying to get an AFL game played in Alice springs this season, with the Melbourne Demons having a deal with the NT Government to play one game there each year.