World Footy News

Outspoken Hawthorn Football Club President Jeff Kennett, who is also a former Victorian Premier, has suggested the AFL will expand to 20 teams (up from 16 now, and soon to be 18 with the Gold Coast and Western Sydney). His prediction is that it will occur within 10 to 20 years, and that one of those new clubs may well be New Zealand based.

"I think in 10-20 years there might be 20 clubs. That will be the full bottle for the AFL", Kennett said. "I think there should be one in New Zealand because you think of the young Caucasian athletes over there, they find it very hard to get into their own football code (Rugby)" and "20 clubs, play each other once during the season and then move into the finals".

It was a wide-ranging interview with Kennett on Melbourne radio station SEN, including his disagreement of the way the AFL handled their investigation of the Lara Bingle-Brendan Fevola nude photo incident. Typical of some of the narrow minded Melbourne football media who still don't see the big picture, one journalist suggested that if not for Kennett's credentials he would be considered "a stark raving lunatic" and that "it's not going to happen".

Although Kennett often has some left field ideas that don't always gain traction, it is encouraging that the idea of New Zealand one day fielding an AFL side is beginning to arise in circles of influence.