By Ben Somerford
November 12th 2009 @ 7:37am
Related coverage
AFL clubs beginning to think outside the square
Brisbane Broncos rugby league player Karmichael Hunt poses with a Gold Coast AFL franchise jersey following a press conference on the Gold Coast, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, to announce his three year contract with new AFL franchise Gold Coast Football Club. Hunt will commence his AFL playing career in May 2010. AAP Image/Patrick Hamilton
The AFL’s expansion to 18 teams means the talent pool will become more diluted and clubs are reacting to this by seeking new ways to find players. It presents a new challenge for footy clubs and it’s interesting to observe their different methods.
When the Gold Coast and West Sydney clubs do arrive on the AFL scene in 2011 and 2012 respectively, they’ll be allowed squad lists of 44-50 players each along with nine rookies, meaning the league will suddenly need over a hundred extra players.
It’s obvious this will stretch the pool of Aussie Rules talent available and its already been said this year’s draft is thin on talent as a result of concessions given to the newboys.
This fact didn’t seem to be lost on clubs at Trade Week last month, which was an unusually busy period with plenty of movement between teams.
Ross Lyon, who took St Kilda to the Grand Final this year, has had plenty of success with recycling players (there were seven players in the Grand Final team who started their AFL careers elsewhere) and perhaps some clubs are keen to follow that example.
But offering footballers a second chance is just one method which clubs are opting for as they brace for the arrival of the two new clubs.
Collingwood perhaps have made the biggest splash this week by signing an American former professional basketballer by the name of Seamus McNamara.
McNamara, who is 24-years-old and stands at 204 centimetres tall, excelled at soccer and high jump as a youngster before going onto play college basketball in his native US and then onto Germany where he played professionally for a year.
Collingwood’s national recruiting manager Derek Hine commented, “Seamus comes to the club with a unique skill set, having played basketball at an elite level and participated at a state level in soccer while at school. We feel that Seamus has scope to potentially play both in the ruck and as a key forward.”
Signing a foreigner who is unfamiliar with the game is a gamble, but the Pies, like Sydney did with Canadian Mike Pyke last year, see potential in the athlete and hope to develop that talent.
Our footy fields have also been graced by several foreigners from Ireland in the past and there have been a number of Irish players mentioned by clubs in the close season.
Former Gaelic Young Footballer of the Year Tommy Walsh headlines that list after he signed with St Kilda, while Richmond and Brisbane have a few Irish lads training with them in pre-season with a view to drafting them should they impress.
But it isn’t only abroad where clubs are looking, with Gold Coast landing the most famous cross-code signing in Karmichael Hunt from rugby league (although he’s curiously off in France playing union these days).
But Hunt isn’t alone in switching sports, with Port Adelaide signing Melbourne-born Daniel Bass after he’d spent the last four years in the US playing college basketball.
Power footy operations manager Peter Rohde interestingly commented last month, “We keep a pretty close eye on basketball, especially some of the bigger blokes, given we’ve had some success there with Dean Brogan.”
Rohde added, “Being a Melbourne boy he’s familiar with footy and played a little growing up, so he’s not starting completely cold there,” before admitting the club weren’t expecting much from him in 2010, as they viewed him as a two-to-three year development player.
Indeed, recruitment is one thing, while development is a totally separate matter.
And that’s part of the challenge for AFL clubs who do decide to think outside the square.
And while the AFL hope their expansion into the Gold Coast and West Sydney will get youngsters in those regions playing footy and eventually feeding into their local clubs, those anticipated results are a generation away, at least.
In the meantime AFL teams still need good footballers, so stories like the aforementioned may become more common and clubs who find the right formula to identify, recruit and develop talent from outside the usual sources may just get a foot up on the rest.
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andrewMc said | November 12th 2009 @ 4:19am | Report comment
So what if the quality goes down. Collingwood and Essendon are still going to get 90,000 at the G. The quality has been going down for years. It is a rare occasion when a player backs themselves from 50 these days
BigAl said | November 12th 2009 @ 10:35am | Report comment
I would totally disagree with the statement that ‘… the quality has been going down for years’ !
Just take a look at some old replays.
Jason Dunstall has been quoted as saying that players don’t ‘…back themselves from 50 …etc’ is because they are just so much more leg tired these days as a result of the greatly increased running involved with the game now.
Also increased professionalism leads players to make hard and split second decisions which have a better chance of benefitting the whole team rather than the old – slowly strolling back – back to the play – not observing the action – backing yourself – giving it a great big hoof – hoping for the best!
Michael C said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
yes – agreed.
The quality has been increasing at an astounding pace for quite some time…..the skills and speed of the game are just astounding, the variety of strategy and tactics is so far beyond just playing a loose man in defence or a ruckman dropping into the hole!!!
Defensive pressure and skills have improved.
It’s not all about just the ‘pretty things’.
WA said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
Ha! Leg tired. Classic.
Kick to kick said | November 17th 2009 @ 11:49am | Report comment
The idea that the quality has been going down for years is laughable. Look at some tapes of elite footy in late 80s and early 90s. Every second kick is a turnover (which didn’t matter because the ball came back sooner rather than later). There’s almost almost no serious tackling. Tactics are crude if existant at all. Hardly any player runs at full speed for more than a four seconds. Clearances lack real commitment to the ball. Handballing is in slow motion. If you teleported a top team from that era into today’s comp to play say Melbourne, the old champs would never see the ball and be walloped by 200 points.
Tifosi said | November 12th 2009 @ 5:17am | Report comment
The real “code war” is the battle for the next generation of players.
The AFL cant keep on expanding without them, thats why they are being super aggressive on this front.
Michael C said | November 12th 2009 @ 5:21am | Report comment
15 years ago a lot of this would seem ever so much more speculative….but, then, heck, back in the mid 80s I remember when North picked up Mark Lisle, a former basketballer, and out he came and booted 6 goals on debut…….and not much after that, but his son was listed this year at Hawthorn.
The main things now that encourage this are:
- a regulated draft/trade process. This is ‘restrictive’ (be it for good, bad or just the way it has to be).
- vastly improved off-field development skills/knowledge/facilities – with salary caps, the off-field area is one area to gain an advantage
- the ‘low cost’ of bringing in ‘rookies’, or ‘international rookies/scholarship’ or ‘NSW scholarship’ players
- the realisation that many, many of the AFL’s best players have come off the ‘rookie’ list, that outside the top 10-20 draft picks, the rest is pretty speculative.
the best thing that’s happening out of all this is that clubs HAVE started looking outside the square, and doing so with such earnestness – that the AFL has been seriously creating proper talent pathways and high level facilities etc to help increase the chances of kids making it from QLD, NSW and internationally.
And will the standard drop?? perhaps…….or, perhaps, it’s at times like this that the next generations ‘unfashionable’ stars will find their way into the game……because, after all – - who would’ve drafted a Tony Liberatore, Micky Martyn, Greg Williams or even Warwick Capper – - all would’ve been ruled through on being very limited with minimal ‘up-side’!!!!
Lazza said | November 12th 2009 @ 11:50am | Report comment
I struggle to think of any other sport where you can ‘convert’ at such a late age and become a professional player. It would never happen in highly skilled sports like cricket or soccer. If you haven’t perfected your skills by your early teens then you’ll never make it as a pro.
All these ‘converts’ are making the sport a laughing stock because it proves you don’t need a lot of skill to play modern AFL. I blame the current generation of coaches for focusing on the physical aspect of the game and not bothering too much with skills training. The draft doesn’t help as clubs have no incentive to nurture young talent.
Develop players overseas in domestic AFL leagues by all means but converting these players from other sports is just a joke.
Michael C said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
you reckon.
How many would you say have walked in straight away and shown it to be easy?
I’d have thought the opposite applies. These ‘converts’ have shown how hard it is.
Rugby U to L and vice versa is an over night thing. And that illustrates a higher ratio of complimentary skills such that strategy and team play is the main hurdle.
In Aust footy – - the complimentary skills for a ‘convert’ is generally going to be achieved across a couple of sports……such as soccer and basketball. Much ‘team play’ is able to find a parallel in other sports.
The main thing about Aust Footy is that it’s not so ‘technical’ in a rules perspective as say Rugby Union, and it’s not so narrow and huge refined a skill set such as soccer.
That may be deemed a weakness on your behalf – - – but, it’s also a strength of the game. It also allows ‘naturals’ to play it, and people to be a little more ‘instinctive’. Which, I reckon a lot of us watching it prefer…..we hate seeing ‘robots’ running around.
BigAl said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
So who are all these converts ?
A couple of guys from Ireland who were exceptional athletes and also brought up on a very similar game (Gaelic),
that Canadian Rugby guy with the Swans (whose name eludes me now) – my tip is he won’t play any more games, and Charmichael Hunt whom I also tip not to play any more games – just a very clever marketing move.
PastHisBest said | November 12th 2009 @ 11:58am | Report comment
I agree Lazza. If you can run all day and handball it doesn’t matter a damn if you can kick or not. It’s a different game.
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
Lazza
If you think you’re up to it, you can nominate for the draft and earn a sweet $250,000 per annum – it will be the easiest money you’ve ever made in your life!!
There are at least three AFL footballers that started palying American Football professionally (for big money) in their 30s.
Niall Quinn went from Gealic Football to English Football to become a successfull player.
In fact there are probably stacks of well known soccer players in Europe that come from a futsal background.
Lastly, let’s not forget that Hans-Peter Briegel was originally into athletics, and only started playing soccer at the age of 17, but ended up playing 72 internationals with West Germany.
The big difference between soccer and aussie rules is that millions of people play it around the world – so there’s no shortage of people who can play the game to a decent level.
But stacks of professional players grew up learning the game by kicking around rolled up socks.
People tend to exaggerate how difficult different sports are – there are 8 year old kids on YouTube who can do keepings up for hours on end – so what.
Lazza said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
If AFL players are so skilled then why don’t they convert to soccer and earn 500k per week?
We’ll never see highly skilled players like Daicos or the Jarman brothers again because of the draft and modern coaching. American Football special teams require just one skill like punting so it’s no surprise that some athletes can convert and take up the game. Are you saying that AFL is similarly one dimensional?
Don’t you think that Quinn or Breigel would of played Football in their youths? The hardly took up a new sport at age 25 and became a pro. All those examples were over 20 years ago anyway. The game is even more competitive these days.
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 1:21pm | Report comment
Lazza
but these questions can easily be turned around.
Why don’t plodders like the Roar’s Malcolm or GCU’s Rees play aussie rules and earn triple what they’re earning now?
It’s a silly question and discussion to be honest.
There are hockey and water polo players out there earning nothing – but I’m not going to tell them that they should play something else!
Now there is a debate to be had about athlete versus footballer – it’s not a debate peculiar to aussie rules, but it is one that has plenty of resonance in aussie rules because:
1. we do place a lot of emphasis on athleticism (although why people try and make that out to be a dirty word is beyond me); and
2. it’s true that elite levels of athleticism will overcome flaws in general skill level to a certain degree and in certain contexts (and that’s what we see with Mike Pyke and the new American just signed) – but I wouldn’t call 2 or 3 such examples as being a pattern (there are over 700 professional players involved in the AFL, soon to rise to 800.
Now, once upon a time the draft camp used to focus solely on athletic and physical requirements, but last camp they introduced a kicking test – admittedly quite crude.
There were targets set at 20m, 30m and 40m on both the left and right sides. The player had his back to the targets, as the ball was handballed to him, he was told to go onto his left or right foot and which target to hit, e.g. 30m left, and the player would immediatley spin around and go for the target off one step, i.e. he’d get a split second to view the target to replicate match conditions.
The test was not only about accuracy, it was about quickness of thinking, which partly helps test decision making, as crude a test as it is.
Now I can promise people here – use a Sherrin, use a round ball, use a steeden, I don’t care, but to turn around onto your non-preferred foot and hit a target at 40m is pretty difficult (these are 17 and 18 year old kids and they will get better at that).
Put it this way, an average corner kick is about 35 metres, kicked from a fixed position – and there are very few players in the world that can put accurate corner kicks in with their non-preferred foot.
I’m sure Pyke, the new American and Hunt can’t do that – but the coaches would have roles in mind for them where they don’t have to be doing that too often.
The game allows for that sort of possibility – there are 22 players on the team – 18 out on the ground – if one or two can’t hit a target with their non-preferred foot – it’s not an absolute disaster.
Lazza said | November 12th 2009 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
The problem is that old players from different sports with completely different skill sets can take up the game at such a late age? That’s impossible in any highly skilled sport. Even Gaelic football, while superficially similar, requires completely different skills – it’s an amatuer, non-collision sport played with a soccer ball and yet these players have been able to convert over at such a late age.
I’ve grown up with Aussie Rules so I know it’s a potentially skillful sport and I remember some of the great skillfull players from the past. Other sports fans don’t and this just proves to them that you don’t need a lot of skill to play the game. The problem is the draft and modern coaching – you need a mechanism to develop and nurture young talent properly. When that happens you won’t see anymore ‘converts’.
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
Lazza
In 25 years of experimenting with Irish players, only two have made a success of it, both of whom came across as 17/18 year olds and had to work hard for three years before they debuted.
If anyone thinks its easy for these blokes, they’re wrong.
As for the more extreme examples, all trying at 24 years of age: Mike Pyke, the American basketballer and Hunt – let’s see what they are capable of before getting our knickers in a twist.
If they can manage it – good luck to them – but they’ll all have to work their @rses off to be even half a chance.
I look at the positive side of it – others might want to have a crack at it – and hopefully they’ll do so at a younger age.
Gatto Nero said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:11am | Report comment
Lazza, you remember the greats, but forget all the players who only ended up playing a handful of VFL/AFL matches, and who make up the vast majority of players. Watch the Daniel Motlop video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvUjDBSXGyE) and tell me that current players have terrible skills sets. And consider that elite players from many sports switch to try something new. Remember Michael Jordan? Deion Sanders? It’s really not as uncommon as you make it out to be.
Pippinu said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:23am | Report comment
Hey – Gatto Nero – I’ve come across your name before?
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
In fact, Australia must be full of budding sportsmen who would love to earn a living from sport.
All they need to do is put their name in the draft, see how far they get – it’s very democratic.
Gibbo said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
the standard will go down, as compared too….?? if you listen to the old blokes they’ll always tell ya about how things were better in the old days, but that’s all nostalgia. we dont have a concurrent point of reference in afl so i think any perception in standards dropping will be an arbitrary criticism.
there are plenty of quality footy players toiling away in state leagues and on the fringes. dilution isn’t a big worry, i think key factor in the new forms of recruitment which are being explored relate to, as mentioned above, these left-field signings come at a cheaper cost – they come outside of the draft so they dont cost a pick, and you’re not losing anything on the trade table.
just look at the cats, rookie listed some big kid from the country a few years back and he’s developed into Mumford – one of the most promising ruckmen in the comp. we effectively got him for nothing and then sold him on for a reasonable draft pick to the swannies (and yes, i’m still bleeding we lost him).
Michael C said | November 12th 2009 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
all you need do is look at the guys who HAVE come off the Rookie lists,
a lot are the bigger fellows and late developers, like Dean Cox and Aaron Sandilands and Mumford.
Guys like Brett Kirk, Aaron Davey and Danial Pratt as well our their careers to the rookie list.
If 100 extra spots means more of these type players get a chance…….I’m not complaining!!!!
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
A doggies example is Dale Morris – he wasn’t overly blessed with natural talent – but he’s a fierce competitor, and that can sometimes make up for average skill in certain roles: run with role, standing the 2nd or 3rd best tall, etc.
He made it off the rookie list through sheer hard work and will power.
Redb said | November 12th 2009 @ 2:16pm | Report comment
Gibbo,
Yeah I laugh at the standard comment. Watching vision from the 1970s and 1980s is fun but the play is a lot less organised – more of a kick and hope type of game – man on man who wins? – often the ball just came back.
The game today is super fast and pressurised – have to be a marathon man to last to the end, albeit interchange helps.
All converts struggle when the pressure is really on, the skills evident in training go to shite.
We have to get them earlier at 12-13, not 16-17 or older. it will happen as the pathways improve.
As for the rugby/basketball/GAA converts there are only a few anyway out of a 700 players in the AFL.
Redb
tifosi said | November 12th 2009 @ 4:51pm | Report comment
redb, 12 -13? You must be listening to the Arsene Wenger theory of developing footballers!!
Quote :
Well known for developing youthful talent for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger insists that good players be identified early.
He says “Nowadays kids have many opportunities to be exposed to football at a very young age.
This is a good thing because I think a kid at 12 should have all the basic techniques that a football player needs. If a 12-year-old still doesn’t have all the basic techniques, it might be too late for him to develop them.
In fact, many of the world’s best players are like that. Take Lionel Messi as an example, he was recruited by FC Barcelona at 12 because his football skills were already well developed by that age.”
Redb said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:39am | Report comment
taught him everything he knows
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 4:35pm | Report comment
I just noticed on WorldFooty news that there is a new video up on Shae McNamara (the American basketballer), that’s just showing some of his early training runs here in Melbourne (with the obligatory pre-season chuck – and no one should laugh unless they have ever attempted an elite level pre-season!!)
http://www.worldfootynews.com/
scroll down to 10 Nov.
It’s also interesting that someone has started a facebook page:
AMERICANS WHO SUPPORT AFL’S SHAE MCNAMARA
The interesting thing is: if he somehow makes a success of it (and we need to be honest – it’s a big if) – but the publicity that is generated from it could be big for the game – it might inspire others – more importantly – it might inspire them to take the game up early – give themselves a chance.
AndyRoo said | November 12th 2009 @ 4:53pm | Report comment
I don’t remember the gist of it but there was a Dutch conditioning coach on TWG not long ago talking about how players should prepare for a season and it was a lot more scientific than the Australian way (for all codes), it still sounded hard mind you.
I think 10 years from now we will look back at the footage of guys running up sand hills being flogged and laugh at how barbaric and unfocussed it was.
I wish I could track it down because what he said made sense.
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 8:13pm | Report comment
AndyRoo
things have changed considerably from 25 years ago – it’s definitely more scientific (back then there was no such thing as conditioning coaches, or it was a fairly novel concept).
But in fairness – aussie rules is very different to the other codes in terms of the distance most players have to run and the average speed at which they are running it – so there ain’t no way round it – but to run your guts out pre-season.
One day I might do a summary of one pre-season I did about 23 years ago which might be worth recounting.
AndyRoo said | November 12th 2009 @ 9:15pm | Report comment
I think going hard right at the start of pre season is likely a big mistake. Probably does more damage to the body than they should that no one realises is a waste because there is still a lot of time to recover.
Not a sports scientist but surely it should be a daily schedule slowly going incrementally up until you get to the amount you need for a full game.
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 10:35pm | Report comment
AndyRoo
there’s no doubt that there’s a greater matching of individual needs to training requirements than ever before (in my day, basically everyone just did the same work).
But the way the modern game is played, most of the 22 are running between 15 and 18 kilometers – marked by many sprints and then running at 50% pace during which you are expected to recover to be able to go again.
There’s no way round it – you need to get that sort of running into your legs pre-season, otherwise, you can’t see out a game – it’s as simple as that.
Now I take your point – that if players are uniformly flogged with no close examination of individual needs – some will get wear and tear injuries before the season begins (and it’s something that has become more common in the modern game – such are the demands placed on players today).
But which ever way you look at it – you have to get that sort of work into your legs, lungs and heart, othewise, you can’t play the game at this level.
A few of us talked about a recent article in the Australian on the differences in demands between the rugby codes and aussie rules – very different players, different body shapes, different physiological demands (some rugby positions get close to some aussie rules positions in physical shape).
They used the analogy that it was like comparing a 400m runner to a 3,000 metre runner (or something similar). The point being – there ain’t no use training for 400m if you have to run a 3,000 metre steeplechase – and vice versa.
Michael C said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:22am | Report comment
I’m pretty sure a lot of the old style ‘flogging’ is in the past. What we invariably see in the media is the first 2 or 3 km time trial and things like that….and those are simply done to establish bench marks for the individuals.
The focus on not over working individuals is increasing not just off the field, but on the field – - – there’s a heap of sports science going into it. Especially the young kids coming through. There’s too often examples of kids coming into the system who have just pushed themselves too far, and too hard through their junior ‘career’. And I reckon that’s the bigger issue – the access to sports science for the elite juniors. That’s were AIS academies and the like come into it.
However, special ‘bonding’ camps still do tend to happen – - and it’s on those that you would do the equivalent of the famous (Hawthorn of the ’60s under John ‘Kanga’ Kennedy) Kennedy’s Commandos days. Hawthorn this time around are returning to Kokoda, Collingwood do high altitude camps in Arizona, St Kilda a couple of years back I think went to South Africa.
bever fever said | November 12th 2009 @ 8:52pm | Report comment
Here’s how Hawthorn are thinking outside the square … very god fit for NZ IMO.
http://www.worldfootynews.com/
Pippinu said | November 12th 2009 @ 10:37pm | Report comment
I really like the new NZ guernsey.
Interestingly, the national team will change their name from the falcons to the Hawks because of this deal.
allblackfan said | November 12th 2009 @ 11:37pm | Report comment
Big friggin’ deal!!
Pippinu said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:20am | Report comment
Who is the one making the deal?
Midfielder said | November 12th 2009 @ 11:13pm | Report comment
Pip
You make me smile … and older but still brings a smile to my face …you see I worked in NZ for three and a half years…
Hurry up mid get to the point… OK OK OK ..
The ACDC song … Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap….
We loved saying the Kiwis had another version .. Dirty Deeds Done with Sheep…. and you want their colours HMmmmmmmmmmmm Pip if you change the world Cheap to Sheep OHHHhhh LOL
Redb said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:38am | Report comment
Republican said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:11am | Report comment
It has been suggested previously by myself and others, that if we had less players on the bench we would slow the game down, which might rekindle some of the hall mark skill set sadly lacking in todays game.
I tend to agree with Lazza that our game has been dumbed down to the point of being easily accessible to all manner of athlete, especially those at the end of their career, which does create a poor image of the code.
We certainly require some balance in this respect, however this does not mean returning to the 60’s, 70’s or even 80’s but it does require some creative tweeking in order to maintain the very skills that distinguish our game from the rest.
I believe the recent VAFA U 18 visit to NZ highlights this dilemma quite profoundly since the opposition were Kiwis who have a very small window in which to play our game, yet they appeared quite competitive despite having Union backgrounds.
I am aware that some licence was given in order to make the game appear more even however, the winning margin of the Ammos should really have been far greater and most certainly would have under the old style of play. I put this down in part, to the degeneration of any aireal contest whereby most of our game is now played at ground level and sadly often resembles a Brittish Bulldog type grovel for the pill, at best.
Cheers
Republican said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:20am | Report comment
allblackfan
To what do we owe the pleasure?
I reckon the old ra ra guard may well be starting to take note of the steady as she goes infiltration of our game due to a growing Australian diaspora in NZ.
We have endured a Kiwi one for too long really so it only seems fare that the shoe may well about to be planted well and truely on the other ‘foot y’ – so to speak.
Oo roo
Pippinu said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
some interesting stories from world footy news today
http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20091112061200568
1. Four Irish blokes have returned home to Ireland. A couple were on the verge of achieving real success, and were offered contract extensions, but returned due to home sickness. A couple didn’t break into the senior side and called it a day.
2. Kennelly has agreed a two year contract with the Swans.
3. Hawthorn has signed its first international rookie, from NZ, a 14 year old basketballer – this will give him four or five years to receive specialist training in the game – which is a good solid period.
davelee said | November 14th 2009 @ 12:18am | Report comment
i was playing in germany recently and there’s some talent over there.plenty of expats but some of the locals went alright.
gazz said | November 14th 2009 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
There’s a big German league isn’t there davelee. I’m surprised to hear there were locals even playing!?! Is there TV coverage of the AFL in Germany, or how have they kind of got into it?
bever fever said | November 14th 2009 @ 2:11pm | Report comment
As far as i know its a very small league, The UK and Danish leagues are much larger, pretty sure the UK league has a few divisions.
gazz said | November 14th 2009 @ 2:05pm | Report comment
Pip, thats an interesting website that worldfootynews.com
Seems like some kind of Aussie pipedream of a global AFL game, which football fans enjoy. But still it’s got some interesting reads there.
Michael C said | November 16th 2009 @ 9:35am | Report comment
Gazz
In Germany, there’s 6 main teams, Rheinland, Munich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt, these make up Div 1, Div 2 is the reserves for Rheinland and Munich plus the main team for Berlin and Stuttgart.
The German national team has not yet travelled to Australia for an International Cup – however, have focussed on local development and have played a couple of years of tri-nations tournaments vs ‘local rivals’ Denmark and Sweden.
The Germans played an all local line up for developmental reasons (i.e. International Cup eligibility criteria).
This article from the Age is a really good run down on footy over there.
The key things are about the locals being the most passionate (they get to represent their country internationally), and the pretty well minimal support from the AFL. This is typical in most places.
The main thing is – that when the local vs expat ratio drops from 20:80 to 80:20, and when in some countries successful juniors and schools programmes are running….the AFL really is NEEDED to do something to ’support’. Thankfully both HQ and some clubs are getting right on board now.
Is it a pipedream?? For some driven individuals, no doubt. For many of us here at home – we discounted it as drunken expats for many, many years. But, over the last 10 years that has changed in so many ways and in surprisingly many places.
davelee said | November 20th 2009 @ 4:25pm | Report comment
i was involved with the koln team. we did a big roadtrip once to stuttgart. rather mental those germans on roadtrips.
Landie said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:25pm | Report comment
Thats right Michael C,
Over in Germany there is some Aussie Rules in the big cities and alot of the English-speaking communities get together for this. Some Germans get involved, but from my experiences, it’s very much an Aussie get-together type deal.
Jim said | November 22nd 2009 @ 1:18am | Report comment
they are playing a game in China next season. maybe there wil be a Yao Ming in the afl soon.