Contributed by: Ash Nugent Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 11:15 pm ACST
According to a recent article on the AFL website[*1] , Vanuatu has joined a growing list of Australian football-playing nations.
Football arrived in the country "when a Gold Coast couple living there introduced Rec Footy." Whilst a senior league is yet to develop, eight teams participated in Rec Footy over the summer. These matches were initially played by expatriates at an international school but before long had attracted "broader interest". AFL Queensland Auskick Manager, Fiona McLarty has since visited the island to help establish a NAB Auskick[*2] program, with eighty children signing up after participating in introductory clinics.
Participation in the sport by Vanuatuans adds weight to calls for football's inclusion in future South Pacific Games[*3] .