Much like the logo for the proposed Greater Western Sydney team, a new dawn of Australian football has begun, a red dawn of Sherrins being kicked in faraway fields.
The AFL recently announced a combined World XV111 Under 16 team from mainly PNG, South Africa and New Zealand, with the rest from Ireland, Japan, Fiji, Tonga, Nauru, Canada, the US and Europe would compete in the Under 16 AFL Championships from 2010.
The growth and success of the amateur International Cup, where 16 teams competed, with only nationals (no Australian expats), may have been the catalyst for an expansion of the AFL’s game development strategy.
It has certainly taken the AFL long enough to realise the good work of Australian expats who started these overseas leagues over the last 10 years and that there is potential in other countries, if done well, to grow the game and expand the talent pool.
It’s difficult to know what plunged Australian football’s international expansion plans into darkness for most of the Twentieth Century from a promising start, albeit confined to an isolated part of the world.
Perhaps it was Melbourne’s weakening position against Sydney, which saw the sphere of influence move from Melbourne to Sydney post-Federation. Or the still dominant British ruling class in Sydney who hooked up with English and New Zealand sporting teams and prevailed to keep the empire games of rugby union and league at the forefront.
It’s history now and not relevant anymore.
Of course, the growing power base within Victorian football clubs like Collingwood, Melbourne, Essendon, Fitzroy did not help. Self-interest plagued the old VFL until a commission was formed in the late 1980s.
For most fans, this was fine and it’s still true largely to this day. We care more about beating Carlton, Collingwood or Hawthorn than a Sydney or Adelaide, let alone an Auckland or Jo’berg.
For all of the AFL’s massive crowds figures in Melbourne (per capita, up there with anywhere in the world), it has been almost too successful. So successful that looking further afield was considered unnecessary.
We have all we want just here with the MCG providing a world class sporting area and atmosphere.
From the 1960s to the 1990s, the VFL/AFL took exhibition games to various places around the globe, particularly London in the hope that miraculously grass roots Aussie Rules teams would spring up like Australian wild flowers on the British Moor.
That was never going to work.
Those exhibition games, which no doubt were great fun for expats to attend, simply became end of season footy extravaganzas for the players, and were treated as such.
The cart well and truly before the horse?
The World Under 16 team will create a pathway for all those leagues to use to attract young players to our game. Obviously South Africa is well advanced, PNG is of good standard, New Zealand is starting from scratch at junior level, but with the aid of Kiwikick and Hawthorn’s recent schools initiative, will hopefully produce results, Canada has a junior AFL program, the UK has managed to get Aussie Rues into schools, etc.
This pathway can create opportunities and clear direction where none existed before.
There is already talk of including a World XV11 Under 18 team down the track
Success is not guaranteed, but it’s entirely possible that eventually South Africa will field a team in its own right, PNG as well.
There’s a lot of work ahead, but who said AFL can’t become international in the future. As least now we won’t die wondering.
Redb
Roar Guru
In barely 12 months since I wrote this article, the mainstream Melbourne media now report regularly on international development of Australian football. This is a direct result of the AFL bringing in the South Pacific Under 16s into the NAB Aust U16 Championships. McLeod shares wisdom in Tonga. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/andrew-mcleod-gets-kick-out-of-sharing-wisdom/story-e6frf9jf-1225973559401
bever fever
Guest
http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20091205134627876 http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/sport/afl/story/0,26547,26445751-5016212,00.html Couple more stories about some Irish boys trying to make the cut at AFL level.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
I haven't seen this story in any other paper - about the four SA scholarship holders brought over for some intensive training, including a product of a rugby school where some sort of partnership arrangement has emerged: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/football-australian-rules/afl-is-kicking-goals-in-africa/1696906.aspx
Republican
Guest
Michael C I wholeheartedly agree with you re PNG being a neighbour which would be more beneficial talent wise than NZ. This country really has a passion and penache for our game that exceeds NZ by a long way. The reason NZ is AFL's current Internationalt focus is purely based on a Corporate criteria. It also has an advantage in it's geographic proximity to the Southern States and ease of travel between both countries. NZ is a devloped country with a standard of living much the same as ours as opposed to developing PNG and apparently NZ is culturally similar to Australia, although in my opinion this is grossly overstated. I think the AFL have seen how League and other Australian leagues have integrated NZ nationally with some success, so they are now looking to plant the seeds to that end also. Cheers
Redb
Roar Guru
is it? Older generations do hang onto their biases. The younger lot wont care that much if they like playing it. That is the point.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
"Aussies luring Kiwi kids into kicking and jumping game" !! But the name remains a bit of a problem.
Redb
Roar Guru
Article in the NZ Herald 29 Nov re grass roots/schools AFL footy development. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10612332
Redb
Roar Guru
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/hawthorn-goes-back-to-school-to-plant-afl-in-new-zealand/story-e6frg7mf-1225801844010 Re schools comp in NZ and Hawks Cup. "The competition, known as the Hawks Cup, was trialled in 28 schools this year but will move into 70 schools in the Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton regions in 2010. The best of the players will be invited into regional talent squads and it is expected than some of them will represent Oceania, which is to field a side in the annual AFL national under 16 championships from next year." Not quite accurate the side will be a nominal World XV111 not Oceania in the Under 16s.
Redb
Roar Guru
Might be the only reason Rex Hunt is hanging around, can't wait to call Karmichael Hunt :-)
Redb
Roar Guru
New International alliances: Port Adelaide and Tonga. http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20091118154704289
Michael C
Roar Guru
It's interesting that the Oceania Cup is being held in Fiji - - to help 'kick start' the game there with AFL-Fiji having only just been established. It'd be good to see some decent funding into a real AFL-PNG 'home base' and hold events like the Oceania Cup there. Effectively recognition for PNG as the biggest 'regional' AFL nation. And have the venue able to host an AFL Nab Challenge match at very least, if not a full NAB Cup game.
bever fever
Guest
Hope his kicking improves, when i saw him on the news his kicks were like 'up country punts'. K Hunt kicks up country punt. Would have liked to see Jack Dyer all over this one.
aix
Guest
I see Karmichael Hunt (Gold Coast) played his first game of rugby last weekend for a European XV v the French Barbarians in Brussels. There are no reports that he took out his Sherrin at half-time to practise his drop-punting.
Westcoast929406
Guest
The Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast Club are the logical clubs for PNG with the GCFC already having 2 PNG recruits on board. Currently AFLPNG are running a 4 team Super Cup series in Port Moresby featuring the best U23 talent in that country. What they did was select 4 teams and spread the talent over them. The 2 best players then go to the Coolangatta Club on Scholarships in 2010. However our game needs a boost over there with Australian Club visits. PNG should start favourites for the upcoming Oceania Cup in Fiji. It depends how organised Nauru are and NZ at that level should be ok but we do not know currently - However we will find out soon enough
Michael C
Roar Guru
Canada just seems cherry ripe - the Swans have a bit of a North America history......but, obviously also a strong Ireland link. North are seriously looking at the domestic multicultural aspects in relation to the new multicultural facilities at Arden St. Majak Daw then looks like the type of player that North MUST take a punt on. Beyond that, they should pursue Samoa in some degree. The International Cup desperately needs to develop a seeding and divisional structure. However, does that mean say div 1 in 2 pools and div 2 in 2 pools - and provide for promotion/relegation from div 1 to div 2?? That way, the top tier sides battle to be world champion, and the mid range teams fight to mix it in the top division and be most on the radar for development. The lower division allows an entry point including matches against reasonable quality but not absolute pantsing from the top flight nations.
Redb
Roar Guru
SSB, I think the tyranny of distance is a factor here. Whilst Ireland is on the other side of the world, the presence of Gaelic football makes some sense to scout the green hills. As a proposition I would think it smarter to look locally as much as possible (Pacific Isles, Southern Hemisphere, including cricket countries). So far... Hawthorn - New Zealand Western Bulldogs - Fiji Freo, WC, Coll, Carl - South Africa Several clubs - Ireland Would like to see Essendon followup in PNG. We already have strong indigenous links in Aust and have signed a PNG player as a rookie. North Melb are a natural for Samoa with Aaron Edwards,etc. MC has mentioned a few times several AFL clubs assisted different countries in the recent International Cup. It is the logical avenue to extend any allegiance and development. IMO North America and Europe (outside Ireland) would not be a priority in the short to medium term.. Redb
SideShowBob
Roar Rookie
Good work from the Doggies. But it brings forth a few initial thoughts.. Interesting to know who will be the first to really invest into the US & Canada? Collingwood? Sydney? And who will make the first significant, serious moves into Europe, Asia, and really push into the rest of Africa? Will any of these ventures be to the same degree as the Hawthorn/AFLNZ HanzUp program? At the moment, realistically only 3 teams can win the International Cup. For the good of the game elsewhere, for competition, and for the future healthiness of the internationalisation of the sport, it is preferable to have 6-8 countries as possible winners (as in soccer).
Redb
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs in Fiji http://fijidailypost.com/news.php?section=3&fijidailynews=25324
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Freo has spent some time in SA, and have even received sponsorship from an SA mining house.
bever fever
Guest
I am really hoping the Dockers and Eagles get on board in South Africa in a more serious way. Both the Eagles and Dockers have their fair share of members who have migrated out here from the UK and now call WA home, a good idea i reckon would be to sponsor some English kids to play footy out here for a year with local clubs. The game is certainly gaining more profile in the UK with a couple of divisions and plenty of teams and it is not all expats.