World Footy News

It may seem a small step, but to have AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou mentioning South Africa and other international leagues as potential sources of extra player depth for the AFL is still something noteworthy for the army of volunteers outside of Australia who have often felt that trying to grow the game they love is a lonely task. Some will no doubt wonder that if international talent is truly sought, where is the support to back that up.

But there's no doubt that the idea of international expansion has slowly but surely been percolating up through the system. It won over the AFL Commissioners sufficiently to have them back a strong push into South Africa, while Papua New Guinea continue as very effective but quiet achievers. So now it's nice to hear Demetriou also talking up the prospect as the league launches into a full-blooded drive into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney, and looks forward to the next 150 years of our game.

Yesterday the AFL met with the club Presidents at the Annual General Meeting and outlined the case for accelerating the expansion from 16 to 18 clubs. The move had already caused some disquiet so it was perhaps unexpected that the AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick would hold a press conference afterwards announcing that the clubs were unanimous in their support and pushing the AFL Executive to consider an even faster expansion. It will be interesting to see if any dissent emerges in the following days, but it seems it will be all systems go for two new sides.

Fitzpatrick said:

"And the clear message from that meeting is that today is an historic day in the history of the AFL and the AFL competition.

It is a day where the presidents have shared our excitement about the business case for expansion. They are excited by the future and they expressed their unanimous support for the principle of the expansion of the game from 16 teams to 18 teams".

Demetriou addressed the issue of player depth, and was reported as saying that the past decade had seen a transformation in Ireland, New South Wales and Queensland, all of which had become fertile recruiting grounds, and there was potential for others places, such as South Africa, to be future contributors to the pool.

He also spoke of engaging communities as footy experiences its most successful era. "We must engage, whether it be in south-east Queensland, the western suburbs of Sydney, the heart of Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth or in a yet unknown place or places anywhere in the world, we must engage". The AFL has been very keen to emphasise that the 150 celebrations are about the game as a whole, not just its history in Victoria. One wonders if they quietly regret the decision to allow one journalist to choose the top 50 players chapter to be solely VFL/AFL players.

The AFL's top employee also quoted from former Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, who in a 1908 toast to football said: "The time when there was a Victorian game is not far distant. I well remember it, and it is a great gain to find that displaced - and replaced - by the game played wherever the sea washes the shores of Australia, and all the interior between". In truth, the game was well established across the nation then, but it was through the following decades that it should have reached out to other shores, but instead foundered until the last decade or so of renewed growth.

Demetriou made an emphatic statement that the AFL will lead the community in social issues and will pursue growth as 2008 is used to launch Australian Football forward for the next 150 years. The sentiment is excellent, and we'll all watch closely hoping it is backed up by action in the next few years.

In related news, the AGM also saw Colin Carter leave the Commission after many years. It's believed he has been one of the stronger advocates for international growth, in which case he will be sorely missed.

Related articles:

Commission told to get going on 18th team

Clubs back 18 teams

We must be courageous: Demetriou