World Footy News

AFL South Africa has held the first of three training camps to select their national squad for the 2005 Australian Football International Cup. The top players will also be fine tuning their skills as the Buffaloes search for their first win in international competition.

The squad features a more diverse cultural mix compared with the 2002 side. This is important in promoting the game in a country that is proud of its rich ethnic mix. The Rainbow nation has players training who are Afrikaans and Coloured (a socially acceptable term in modern, increasingly integrated South Africa), together with Tswana, Zulu and Xhosa players.

The players are being put through fitness and skill tests at the Potchefstroom Artillery base by students from North West University's Sports Science Department. Read more about "Buffaloes on the rise" on the AFL South Africa website.