The AFL, along with major partners Nab and Virgin Australia, have confirmed the prizes for the respective NAB AFL and AFLW Goal of the Year, and Virgin Australia AFL and AFLW Mark of the Year in 2024.
Recipients of the Mark of the Year awards will receive $50,000 and two million Velocity Frequent Flyer Points, while the NAB Goal of the Year winners will receive $50,000 and NAB will donate a further $10,000 to the winning players' junior footy club.
The winners from the Toyota AFL season and NAB AFLW season will be determined by the AFL Game Analysis Committee and by public voting, with the winners announced at the respective 2024 Brownlow Medal and W Awards.
Like previous years, fans will still be able to vote for their favourite candidates for a chance to win $5,000.
AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said the new prizes will entice players to take the kick or leap for the hanger, ultimately rewarding fans with more extraordinary marks and goals throughout the Toyota AFL and NAB AFLW seasons.
“We've seen some incredible goals and marks so far this season, and the AFL is delighted to join forces with Virgin Australia and NAB to offer these amazing prizes, to celebrate the great moments of our game," Rogers said.
“In conjunction with our partners we are thrilled to offer the same prizes in both the men's and women's competitions, and can't wait to see who in 2024 will top last year's incredible back-with-the-flight AFLW Mark of the Year from Courtney Hodder, or Will Ashcroft's unbelievable mid-air snap for AFL Goal of the Year.”
The confirmed 2024 prizes are a massive improvement from last year's reward with 2023 Mark of the Year winner Harry Himmelberg receiving $10,000, a pie warmer and a year's supply worth of meat pies, owing to the award's sponsorship by meat pie manufacturers Four'N Twenty.
In previous years gone by, cars have generally been the prize of choice from the sponsors, with high-flyers Tony Modra, Warwick Capper and Shaun Smith winning their fair share of keys to four-wheelers.
Himmelberg's fruitless reward from his screamer in 2023 has followed previous prizes handed out, like a year's supply of Weet-Bix, something that West Coast athlete Nic Naitanui received for his efforts in 2015.
