Australian rules football in Africa

Australian rules football in Africa is currently only played at an organised level in South Africa, although there have been attempts to introduce the sport in other African nations.

outh Africa

Australian rules football had been played in South Africa since around the time of the Boer War, although there was an eighty year period between World War I and the 1990s when the sport was not played at any level. In recent times, South Africa has been home to an increased amount of effort in introducing the sport both from the Australian Football League and the South African Government. The sport is now played widely in the North West Province and there are plans to increase registered playing numbers nation-wide to 20,000 by 2008. The sport is controlled by the AFL South Africa.

Kenya

There have been efforts to start the sport at junior level since 2004 [ [http://www.aussierulesinternational.com/kenya.php Aussie Rules International - Kenya] ] . Gus Horsey from the Baltimore Washington Eagles from the United States Australian Football League visited the country in February and September, running several footy clinics and organising a grand final between four local teams in Nairobi. During Gus' second visit to Kenya to coach Australian Rules, he regularly trained over 100 kids after school with help from local soccer coaches [ [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php?story=20041120043111196 World Footy News - Footy a welcome hit in Kenya] ] , although plans through USFooty Kids to continue the clinics in future did not go ahead and the sport is not currently played competitively.

enegal

Australian rules football was played sporadically in Senegal during the 1990s, after Darwin-based Mark Moretti visited Dakar for two months in 1991. Moretti had introduced the sport to local children originally as an example of overseas culture, but there was interest from both the children and some local soccer administrators in continuing the sport. When Moretti returned in 1997 there had not been any progress, so he organised some footballs and other material to be sent to Senegal and the country was represented at the International Australian Football Council AGM in Darwin in 1999 [ [http://www.aussierulesinternational.com/senegal.php Footy Kicks Off in West Africa] ] . Around this time, two teams were established, named the Crocodiles and the Hares, but the sport has since disappeared in the country.

A team representing Senegal appeared at the "World 9s" in Catalonia in 2008, consisting of Senegalese nationals resident in Spain and competing in the Catalan AFL.

Zimbabwe

The sport of Australian rules football is currently in its early stages of development in Zimbabwe, with [ [http://www.zimfooty.com Australian Football Zimbabwe] ] [http://www.zimfooty.com Australian Football Zimbabwe] in the planning stage, with its main aims being to combine Aussie Rules Football as a developing sport, with health clinics and information sessions to be run to assist disadvantaged and sick children.

Other countries

Ghana

Non-organised Australian football at junior level featuring locals has been played in Ghana in 2007 [ [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20070221101605676 West African kids kick the Aussie Footy in soccer's heartland] ] .

Uganda

Non-organised Australian football at junior level featuring locals has been played in Uganda in 2006 [ [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20070313135238200 Footy Shorts - Footy in Uganda ?] ] .

References