World Footy News

Necessity is the mother of invention. So the saying goes. And there are times in the international world of Australian Rules football when that saying is very close to the mark. In the case of teachers trying to introduce the Australian game into every day can be a new invention to find ways to generate and maintain interest up against so many other options.

 

It is not that teachers do not have access to resources – a visit to the AFL website, or even a half decent scroll around google can unearth plenty of free documents, manuals, videos as well as a host of subscriptions for more.

 

 

But the isolation of a teacher who might be the only person for many miles trying to kick-start the game can be profound. In my own case I am lucky to have another keen teacher in the same school, but in past schools I have been a lone voice competing against rugby codes, soccer, basketball and more. And that’s here in Australia.

 

So a recent idea, hatched by a couple of teachers on opposite sides of the world, may help.

 

Purely and simply they have decided to link by email a network of teachers across the world and trade contacts, resources, ideas, documents and anything else that might be of value to other teachers. The teaching landscapes across the world, and especially the Australian Rules football world, are not homogenous. One teacher’s experience may be another’s new idea. What works in one school to generate interest or develop a certain skill might well work in another. Sometimes all it takes is a forum or communication device that can allow that trade of information to occur.

 

It is early days and there is no telling how successful, if at all, the idea will be. But the signs are there that open forums and idea exchanges might just help grow the game.

 

In terms of the UK, we are at a crucial stage in terms of recruiting volunteers to help drive the sport upwards. Clearly with juniors as the focus, PE teachers are crucial to this.

 

Ian Mitchell, president of the Wolverhampton Wolverines in England, is also a teacher at the Brownhills School near Walsall. Ian recognises the challenges of teaching the game in schools where it is a lesser known sport in the following way.

“I see it as a three-fold process: up-skilling teachers so that they are confident/enthused to deliver the sport, creating resources to aid the delivery of CPD and subsequent lessons and the provision of resources and equipment [with associated cost implications].”

 

It is these areas which might be aided if a cross-pollination of ideas and resources can be established, working in conjunction with existing assistance through education bodies and local Australian Rules football organisations.

 

The following excerpt from a previous World Footy News article (http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20130105035451155 ) gives another insight into the value of school footy internationally.

 

“Mike McFarlane is the president and head coach of the North Delta Junior AFL in British Columbia, Canada. Mike is even more reliant on school based Australian Rules clinics and players than any Australian club. Mike states that “For us, doing clinics in schools is our main recruiting ground for our league and has been the reason for our growth. It also allows us to educate people about our sport so they actually know what it is about. From our standpoint there is not enough done to promote footy in schools because we are basically on our own with little or no support from AFL Canada or the AFL [in Australia].” Mike points out that most Australian-based teams are at least tapping markets where people have some idea of the game. In Canada this is not the case, with Mike having to educate as he goes, long before getting to the stage of recruiting.”

 

It would undoubtedly help Mike and others in similar positions to him to know that there are other teachers across the world that may provide assistance when he needs it.

 

The idea is already growing legs elsewhere with Kevin McSorley (ARFLI and the NRC Eagles in Northern Ireland) and Don Cruttenden (Greensteds International School, Nakuru, Kenya) keen to be involved.

 

It will be interesting to see how this small but practical idea will benefit teachers in passing on the game to new and existing players, but the scope is there for a huge trade in ideas and resources. If you are a teacher and would like to hop aboard, or just seek more information contact: wesleyhull2@gmail.com