The Dolphins will play a regular season home game in Darwin for the next three years.
The Phins have reached agreement with the Northern Territory Government.
They will play a home game in Darwin each year from 2026 to 2028 at TIO Stadium, building on their highly successful Top End debut in 2024 where they defeated the Parramatta Eels 44–16.
The announcement follows the conclusion of the Northern Territory’s 12-year partnership with the Eels.
NT Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, said “we’re proud to continue delivering on our year of action, certainty and security by locking in our new NRL team for Territorians”.
“Securing this three-year deal with the Dolphins demonstrates our commitment to top-tier sport in the Territory,” she said.
Mrs Finocchiaro said the Dolphins’ professionalism, community values, and regional focus made them an ideal fit.
“The Dolphins are already part of the Territory community; they’ve run clinics in Darwin and Katherine, and we know they’ll keep investing in our grassroots game and our people,” she said.
The 2024 Dolphins-Eels match generated more than $5 million in spending and 12,688 visitor nights.
Some potential contenders for the team’s Territory name include ‘Top End Dolphins,’ ‘Darwin Phins’ and ‘Darwin Dolphins’.
Dolphins Chief Executive Officer Terry Reader said “the Dolphins know the Northern Territory well after playing a game there last year and have also been involved in several community engagement tours there with existing partners over the past two years.”
“We are excited about locking in three NRL matches in Darwin over the next three years and the opportunities that will provide us to continually engage with the people of the NT,” said Mr Reader.
“The Dolphins were impressed with the number of supporters we had when we played there last year, and we are determined to grow both our number of fans and the game of rugby league in general across the Northern Territory.”
Dolphins’ members and fans will continue to have access to 11 home games at Suncorp Stadium and Kayo Stadium in 2026 and beyond.
The annual Darwin game will be played outside of standard membership entitlements.
