Oceania Cup helps to open up opportunities in NZ
- Monday, December 21 2009 @ 09:55 pm ACDT
- Contributed by: Rod Shaw
- Views: 5,311


New Zealand’s third place finish at the inaugural Oceania Cup may have made some believe that they had underachieved but AFLNZ CEO, Rob Vanstam, had clearly stated beforehand that the team the NZ Hawks would be represented by would be exceptionally young with many able to return for next years’ tournament. As such there are many positives to spring from their involvement in the tournament.
One of these is that New Zealand have announced, while at the Oceania Cup, the opening of an AFL New Zealand Academy in March 2010. Newly appointed chief of AFL's High Performance, Jason McCartney, was supportive of the initiative. AFL New Zealand has targeted 100 first choice athletes to become part of the academy by the end of 2012 with the hope of preparing suitable candidates for AFL International Scholarships. The new academy will assist AFL clubs with easy access to both monitor development and provide input towards potential stars at a minimum outlay.