AFL wants South Africa to join series

AS GAA chiefs discuss the future of the International Rules series with the Australian Football League, the AFL are planning a tri-nation competition involving Ireland and South Africa.

The AFL is expected to discuss the schedule for South Africa’s entry with GAA later today in Australia.

Although there are widespread suggestions that the GAA may withdraw from the series entirely in the wake of violent incidents during last year’s games, the AFL website reports that the organisation is planning a three-match tour of South Africa by an underage team. The tour will be accompanied by a party of league officials hoping to set up a timetable for the nation’s inclusion in the proposed three-country Test series.

The AFL’s general manager of game development, David Matthews, said that the league hoped to have South Africa playing Ireland and Australia at U-17 level by 2008 and at senior level by the end of the decade.

“We want to determine the feasibility of bringing South Africa in as a third country.”

Almost 3,000 Aussie Rules players are registered in South Africa, mostly in and around Potchefstroom, where the sport is on the curriculum of the local sports academy. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou compared the aptitude for the game in the area with that of Gaelic footballers.

“I’ve got no doubt that whether it is a South African or an African, we will have players from the continent in future,” Demetriou told The Australian newspaper.