AFL making a mark in Europe

Each year the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) offers 30 young footballers a 12-month scholarship to the AIS-AFL Academy.

Previous graduates of the program have included Cameron Ling, Chris Judd and Luke Hodge and if the match at Dulwich College in London on 23 April was anything to go by, the AIS-AFL Academy has plenty more stars in the making.

The leafy grounds in South London played host to a historical match between the AIS academy youths and an Under 21 European Legion side, made up of individuals from various European amateur teams.

Read more: AFL in London

The European side were brought together for a three day training camp prior to the match and although the skills of team Europe were not up to those of the AIS elite youngsters, their commitment and perseverance could not be questioned. It was a convincing win for the Academy, although the spirited efforts of the European Legion players were well appreciated by the crowd.

The AIS-AFL Academy were in the UK as part of a European tour that saw them visit the AIS European training centre in the Varese Province of northern Italy, before heading to ANZAC Cove for a memorable end to their trip after their London victory.

The exhibition match was a great opportunity for the AIS players to showcase their skills in front of hundreds of spectators as well as AIS coaching staff Michael O’Loughlin, Matthew Lloyd, Tom Harley and Brett Kirk.

Following the game, David Matthews, the AFL’s general manager for National and International development, said: “The match was a wonderful opportunity for Australian football to display its talented youth in the international arena against a region that is growing in both its development and the way in which it has taken to the AFL code.”

The growth and development of AFL outside Australia has seen a steady increase in participation in regions such as Europe, which now has 17 affiliated nations.

We may still be a little while off from an AFL World Cup, but it’s encouraging to see measures aimed at expanding our great game into new cultures.