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Henry Bruce, FAN: BRUC0094

LIFE-CYCLE PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORT OF


AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL
Introduction

Australian footballs rich history winds back to 1857 when founded in Melbourne by Tom Wills, his cousin
H.C.A Harrsion, W.J Hammersly and J.B Thompson. (Official AFL Website, 2017) . The idea of the game
was to keep cricket players fit throughout the winter months so they were in better condition for the summer.
Football grew rapidly, the establishment of the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1896 was quickly
adopted by other states across Australia. The history of state league football continued right up to 1987 with
the VFL, the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and the Western Australian Football
League (WAFL) regarded as the highest levels of competition football. 1987 saw the inception of the
Australian Football League (AFL) and the creation of the elite national competition which has evolved over
the past 30 years to the existing 18 team competition that dominates the football landscape across Australia
and is now exploring options with overseas markets. (Official AFL Website, 2017)

AFL is recognised as a national sport of Australia and is unique to this country. However while the elite
level of the game is getting stronger, and spectatorship continues to grow, the participation in the sport from
the grassroots level is only regarded as the third biggest sport in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics,
2017). This paper will discuss the factors affecting participation in Australian football and what the lifecycle
of the sport looks like if a young player is aspiring to make it to the top level in reference to Cotes long term
athlete development model.

Stage 1 - Early Development

The nation-wide football program known as Auskick has been a very successful platform for most young
children to begin participating in Australian Football. The programme aims to develop childrens basic skill
base from an age as young as 4 years old. Auskick is mostly facilitated by volunteer parents at local
metropolitan and regional football clubs and schools. With just under 3000 Auskick centres across Australia
and over 180,000 participants (in 2015) there is expected to be an opportunity for almost every child to
participate in football. (AFL, 2017)

Local clubs and schools that host Auskick programs will look to continue a young players development and
inspire them to join their local football club or junior school team. Which will compete in an organised
competition run by an officiating league. This transition from Auskick begins with the 7-8 year age group
with an Under 8s competition and maintains a similar structure through the primary school years up to an
U13 competition.

In this age group, children are often encouraged to play multiple sports. This period of experimenting is
possible for this group due to the limited time commitment to training and games. The focus is always on
fun, individual and team development. This means there are less expectation on winning and an individuals
ability and skill. This focus during their formative years helps in keeping players motivated to remain within
the sport. However, parents negative input into the childs participation does see children fade away from the
game even at this early age. Parents who yell and carry on the sidelines are often a good reason why children
decide to give up on the sport. (Noonan, 2017)

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Henry Bruce, FAN: BRUC0094

Stage 2 Middle Years

The time period between Under 13s to Under 17s can be considered as stage two in the pathway for a
footballer. At local metropolitan and regional level there is a sudden drop off in numbers of participation.
(ABS, 2017) A number of factors do contribute to this, such as the importance of schooling, increased
commitment to other sports as well as a higher demand on parents to get children to more training sessions
as the focus of these sporting teams shifts from team development and participation to winning games.

During this phase an individual players ability becomes more intensely assessed. Their ability is considered
as to the value they bring to the team to support the importance of winning. This weight of personal value
will influence a players commitment to the sport. When they identify that their value is not important they
may choose to explore other options away from the game where they can have an impact or find greater
personal satisfaction.

At this stage an individuals abilities are assessed and considered for representative teams. In South
Australia, this is managed by the SANFL and children live in a specific zones are aligned to a SANFL club.
For example a player who lives in Rostrevor will be aligned to Norwood Football Club, and a player who
lives in Mt Barker will be aligned to Sturt Football Club. Age group develop squads for U13 to U16 bring
together talented players in a concentrated elite environment to prepare them for a higher level of football
and accelerate their development. South Adelaide Football Clubs talent pathway model as shown below
(Image 1) showcases the steps towards the elite level within the South Adelaide zone.

Image 1 - SAFCs talent pathway diagram developed by talent manager Tony


Bamford.

For families who live in metropolitan zones the commitment is usually easier, however distance for country
based players does become a factor in the elite development pathway of football. For example, the Glenelg
Football Club in South Australia has a regional recruiting zone based around the south-east area of the state.
It is difficult for these players to access the elite programme as it requires a 4 hour drive to get to training.
This extra commitment of time and money does limit the opportunities for young footballers to continue into
the elite pathway. Often talented players who live in these zones choose to continue to play for their local
clubs as the commitment for their families is too much.

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Henry Bruce, FAN: BRUC0094

However, some families see the opportunity the pathway holds and they take the option to relocate to the
city or board their sons at a private college such as Prince Alfred or Sacred Heart. Studies have shown that
children are more likely to make it to the elite level when attending a private school, not matter what sport
they compete in. This may suggest why so many AFL stars are picked out of private schools more often than
public ones. Current players such as Ryan Burton (Hawthorn), Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide) and Harrison
Wigg (Adelaide) are all SA based players who have been selected by AFL clubs from a private school
background. (Argent, 2014)

Stage 3 Senior Football

The elite level pathway now takes a microscopic look at players in their 18th year, their draft year as AFL
clubs search for new footballers. Most of these players are selected from their respective state level Under
18 competitions and are representatives of their state team in the national carnival. In South Australia the
best 18 year old players are playing for SANFL sides in the U18 competition or have been elevated into the
senior squad and play in the reserves or league competition. For these players who have been identified as
players with the talent to be considered to play at the highest level they are most likely to be fully committed
to the sport of Australian Football. This now requires a committed lifestyle where eating, sleeping and social
life all have to be considered to perform at the top level. Players who cannot meet these extra demands will
find they do not progress and will return to local football.

Normally, the average age of retirement at the elite level is around the age of 30-33 years. However, we do
see retired players from the elite level return to country football for a bit of fun at the back end of their
careers. This is a positive for the player and the local club as the player can enjoy stepping onto the football
field again and the football club can generate some money from spectators who want to watch a former elite
player have a kick. (Waterworth, 2017)

Retired players at all levels are usually interested to keep involved within a football club in some shape or
form. Its common to see at the AFL level for former players take on coaching roles within the league. Even
at State-league level former players have comeback to take up a career path in coaching. For example, past
Geelong midfielder Garry Hocking currently coaches South Adelaide and has taken his playing knowledge
into the coachs box. However not all choose to coach, some become team managers or help out in
administration roles around the club for their sons or daughters who are following the same football dream.
(Waterworth, 2017)

Womens Participation

The participation of women in sport is high on the agenda of most sporting codes and communities. The
recent inclusion of the Womens AFL league has opened doors for young girls aspiring to make it to the top
level by now providing them with an elite level to aim for. With a history of limited organised competitions,
facilities and lack of experienced coaches within the female code, women have often drifted towards playing
better organised sports such as soccer or netball. The SANFL are supporting the pathway of women into the
elite competition by providing a state level competition in 2017. This had been described earlier in this paper
as a clear pathway for boys but is now totally replicated for women in the game of Australian Rules football.
(Lane, 2015)

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Henry Bruce, FAN: BRUC0094

Multicultural Participation

A final factor to consider that is contributing to participation in Australian Football is the multicultural
society that we have here in Australia. Although we have superstars from foreign countries reach the top
level, the majority of our multicultural society are participating in sports that are more readily associated
with their country of origin. This is clear in Soccer which is recognised as the World Game and is it the
most popular sport in Australia with a participation rate of 19.9%. (Australian Beureu of Statistics, 2017)

Summary

Australian Rules Football seems to be heading into the correct direction when looking to boost its
participation at the grassroots level. Opening up the game for women is a monumental advance and the
rewards for making this AFLW competition could be substantial. The games willingness to include the
multicultural society that Australia has is also positive in allowing more people to participate in the sport.
The variety of competitions this game has formed into has allowed people of all levels to participate.

References:

AFL Auskick. (2017). What is Auskick? NAB AFL Auskick

Argent, P. (2014). AFLs top talent pool wins again. InDaily.com.au

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Adult Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation. Year Book
Australia

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Variables affecting childrens participation in organised sport and
dancing. Perspectives on Sport

Kennedy, P. (2016). Want to keep kids in Sport? Then make it fun. ABC News

Lane, S. (2015). AFL to launch womens league in 2017 in push to put female football on professional basis.
The Age

Noonan, K. (2013). The real reason why our kids quit sport. The Courier Mail

Official AFL Website. (2016). 2016 Annual Report. Official Australian Football League Website

Official South Adelaide Football Club Website. (2015). Club Talent Pathway. South Adelaide Football Club
Talent Pathway

Waterworth, B. (2015). SuperFooty lists axed, retired AFL players whove joined local clubs for the 2015
season. Fox Sports

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