World Footy News

There has been a sprinkling of former AFL players who have drifted to foreign lands and played footy on foreign shores. But as far as we know Ariel Steinberg could be one of the first Australian to play in a foreign local competition prior to being drafted to an AFL club.

The 18 year old looks to be a good chance to be drafted in the 2010 AFL draft which will take place on the Gold Coast this Thursday. At the start of 2009 he moved to Edmonton with his parents on a teaching exchange, and played in his high school football team as a punter and outside linesman. But he also took advantage of keeping in touch with Aussie rules at the Edmonton Australian Rules Football Club as well as helping to coach and umpire the Edmonton Emus women's team.

In 2010 he returned to Mildura and has played with his club Imperials as well as representing the Sunraysia league and then playing in the TAC Cup with the Bendigo Pioneers. You can read more about Ariel in Emma Quayle's article in The Age.