Australian Rules Football, or footy as it is more commonly known, is the most popular sport in Victoria and also widely followed in other states such as Western Australia and South Australia. Many young boys dream about playing AFL when they grow up. Statistically, the odds are very low, 0.3% of boys who play junior football actually get drafted1. With these odds in mind, it is worth looking at how one does develop into an AFL footballer. This is an insight into the most common pathway from local grassroots to professional level and the key developments at each stage.
Juniors
Young children at 5-11 years of age commonly start out joining a program or local junior football club that is fun with a focus on developing fundamental motor skills such as running and jumping2. One such program that is widely known in Australia is the Auskick program where children are also able to learn the basic skills and rules of the game. At this stage, there is no need for the child receive any specialised training or attention, they are just too young. Rather, allowing the child to play multiple sports at this age would actually benefit their development. There are many examples of AFL footballers who played multiple sports growing up and basketball and footy seem to be a very common combination.
Development
At 12-14 years of age, the focus starts to shift towards physical and skill development while playing at their local junior football club. Examples of physical development include learning to use their own strength or speed to their advantage and skill development includes kicking, handballing and marking amongst other things. Players at this age are also introduced to learning how to play positions on the field, tactics and strategies as well as how to warm up, cool down and recover after matches2.
Representative Football
15 years of age can be a critical period because this is when players aim to be selected onto a representative football team after years of playing at their local junior football club. Coaches may observe and nominate players who they deem to have potential which highlights the importance of players demonstrating the right attitude on and off the field. These representative teams will also hold casual try out sessions and scratch matches to recruit players. From here and onwards through to the elite level, there will be a stronger focus on skills, especially kicking ability on both legs, athleticism and decision making on the field3.
High School Football
In addition to playing for a representative team, players can also play for their high school team while they are completing the final years of their secondary education. In Victoria, there is a disproportionately high number of AFL players who attended a select few private schools4. The reasons are these private schools actively recruit young stars by offering scholarships and have a dedicated and well-resourced football program lead by elite coaches. Cyril Rioli who attended Scotch College is a good example. High school football can have a strong impact, with players in high school teams as well as representative football having been scouted and selected into squads in the NAB League.
NAB League
The NAB League is the elite level for emerging footballers at 16 to 18 years of age. Getting selected on an under 17 or under 19 (used to be under 16’s and 18’s5) regional development squad to compete in the NAB League is a big step. On the Dyl and Friends podcast, Christian Petracca spoke about training in the NAB League being two nights a week from 5:30pm to 8pm as players complete their secondary schooling. These teams such as Calder Cannons and Oakleigh Chargers in Victoria invite players and usually hold try out sessions and scratch matches to select for their teams. The equivalent level in the other states would be under 19 sides in the SANFL, WAFL etc6. Gary Rohan is one example of a player who did not make an under 16 team but subsequently made the under 18 team and drafted onto an AFL list which shows how some teenage players develop at later stages.
National Championships
From the NAB League the state teams are selected to compete in the National Championships. This is a round robin tournament for the best young footballers to display their skills and AFL recruiters will be closely watching. The national under 19 championships in particular is where AFL recruiters can see whether a player can perform on the big stage or crack under pressure. Although AFL recruiters still observe high school and NAB League games, the National Championships is where young players have the best opportunity to showcase themselves7.
AFL Combine
Prior to the AFL Draft, a national combine is held in October to assess prospects on their athleticism and skills. These include the running time trial, the vertical jump and kicking ability on both legs. In addition, players are interviewed and medically and psychologically screened. State combines are also held for players who miss out on the national combine8. These invitation-only combines are an opportunity for AFL teams to test players with results from the Combine closely analysed and factored in when determining who to draft in the AFL Draft the following month.
AFL Draft
For every aspiring 18 year old AFL footballer, the AFL National Draft is the main draft and the most important day for them as they hope to get drafted. Players who miss out subsequently have opportunities in the rookie draft, mid-season rookie draft or recruited in the off season as a rookie1. Rookie players are slightly different as they are not allowed to play a game in the AFL unless they are elevated onto the main list. This can only happen when a place is made available due to a long term injury or retirement. Players can also nominate for the draft again in the following years if they do not get drafted. These are known as mature age recruits. A great example is James Podsiadly who was drafted as a rookie twice by two different teams but was never elevated onto the main list and play a senior game. He played in the VFL for seven years before being recruited as a rookie again by Geelong where he finally played his first AFL game at the age of 28. He retired from the AFL after playing over 100 games and winning a premiership with Geelong, a great success story after years of perseverance.
Final words
To finish off, it is obvious there are many levels to pursuing a professional AFL career and it is certainly not easy. With that said, here some points to keep in mind:
1. There is no exact science to getting noticed and recruited. While recruiters are all over Australia on the lookout, individual players also have to make the most of opportunities and accept invitations to try out for a team.
2. Reaching the AFL Draft is already a tremendous achievement in itself but the harsh nature of the draft means the majority of prospects will miss out and it is still devastating for each of them.
3. Players getting drafted by an interstate team and having to move interstate is a common occurrence. There are instances where a young player still dependent on his mother to do his own laundry has unsurprisingly struggled to live independently and play AFL interstate9.
4. Players should not compromise on their education because of their football pursuits. There is continually greater emphasis on education and for them to have skills outside of football.
5. When children are still young it is important for them to have a dream, but what is even more important is for them to simply have fun and enjoy running around playing football.
Reference:
1https://www.afl.com.au/news/149356/how-do-i-get-drafted-by-an-afl-club-am-i-eligible
2http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Play_AFL/Participation_Pathway/03._Stages_of_development___participation_and_talent_pathways.pdf
3https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/what-are-afl-recruiters-looking-for/
4https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/how-private-schools-have-taken-over-the-afl-20191121-p53cso.html
5https://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/latest-news/homepage-news-feed/afl-talent-pathway-programs-second-tier-football
6https://anybodysfan.com/how-to-get-drafted-into-the-afl/
7http://www.approachingplayers.com.au/talent-pathway/afl-u18-championships
8http://www.approachingplayers.com.au/talent-pathway/state-leagues-158515067
9https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/from-fat-shaming-to-spelling-backwards-the-secrets-of-afl-recruiting-20201126-p56i4p.html