World Footy News

In the 1890s Australians working as miners in Transvaal played Australian football and organised a successful competition. The game was also played in South Africa during the Boer War, when a large contingent of Australian soldiers was on service there. Some were former League players.

Norman Waugh played in the 1897 Essendon premiership side, then left to live in South Africa. He believed there was a good future for the game there.

Evidence of the game's early existence in South Africa comes in the form of a trophy held at the Australian Gallery of Sport at the MCG. The trophy was awarded to the premier of a South African Australian Football competition (1905), the Commonwealth team.

The growth of the game stalled about this point. The most obvious explanation is World War I, but there is little available historical evidence in Australia tracing the game beyond 1905.

In 1997 the North West Province of South Africa had a party representing the province in boxing at the Arafura Games in Darwin. They witnessed a game of Australian football and were very impressed with the sport. So impressed that on returning to South Africa reports of the game quickly filtered through the Department of Arts, Culture and Sport of all the nine provinces with great interest.

Later that year a contingent of Army Defence Personnel, led by Major Marty Alsford, played exhibition games and conducted coaching clinics in an attempt to introduce the game to the South Africans.

During the tour Alsford was flown to Cape Town to brief the nine Provincial Heads of Sport and Recreation Departments on the game. It officially endorsed Australian football as "the new sport for the new South Africa".

Just five months later, in February 1998, the first international Ansett Cup match was played at the Newlands stadium in Cape Town. Brisbane defeated Fremantle 18.17 (125) to 16.7 (103) before an enthusiastic crowd of 10,000 people.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu tossed the coin at the start of the game and participated with children from the surrounding townships during "little league" football clinics held on the ground at half time. The AFL provided the children with footy gear; jumpers, shorts, socks and a ball each to thank them for their participation.

An under-16 South African team competed in the Jim Stynes Cup in Canberra in September 1998. They got within 11 points of the ACT side, which was made up principally of representative players.

In October 1998 the Adelaide Crows conducted coaching clinics for approximately 2000 under-privileged children in South Africa. Further, in September 1999 Level 3 coach Mark Motlop traveled from Darwin to the North West Province to conduct football and coaching clinics.

In July 2001 the AFL sent a Development Officer to South Africa. Based in Mafeking, Dale Alsford introduced a primary school teams competition, conducted Auskick clinics and trained coordinators, coaches and umpires.

The world's greatest game is growing at an amazing rate in South Africa and the future looks bright.