Players Who Have Converted From One Football Code To Another Article Index for
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Players Who Have Converted From One Football Code To Another




The main reasons can be:
  • Easily interchangeable skills or body types

  • Increased professionalism in the new sport

  • Change of location

  • Career longevity

  • Higher salaries



NOTABLE CONVERTS



Rugby League / Rugby Union

Two of the closest codes, they share some similar skills. Until 1995 union was officially amateur and union players were offered money to switch codes. That trend has since reversed.


Rugby league to Rugby union



Rugby union to Rugby league



Gaelic Football / Australian Rules



Gaelic football to Australian rules football

Like rugby union and league, the two codes share similarities, making switching between them a possibility. International Rules representation for players of both codes is common.
The GAA is fully amateur, meaning that there is a financial lure for players to compete in elite Aussie Rules competitions in Australia. {Link without Title}


Gaelic Football / Rugby League



Gaelic football to Rugby league



Rugby Union / American Football

Rugby union and American football share the same origins, but have evolved into very different games. Both are very physical and require similar body types.


Rugby union to American football



Australian Rules / American Football

The punting position requires similar skills to those found in Australian football players. Salaries are up to 5 times higher and the position lends itself to longevity. Australian football players generally retire at around 30, whereas American football punters can play well into their 40s. Initially Australians sought out American football careers although now NFL scouts are more often actively seeking punters from Australia [http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17795003%255E20322,00.html


Australian rules football to American football


:See Also Australian Rules Gridiron Punters


Rugby League / Australian Rules

Early in the history of the two codes in Australia, players would interchange the codes and even had discussions of merging them. Rugby league has since specialised in physicality and body type making it more difficult for conversion between the two. Many players, such as Paul Kelly and Darren Lockyer played one or the other in juniors before going on to play professionally in one code or the other.


Australian rules football to Rugby league



Soccer to American football


Numerous American football placekickers grew up playing football (soccer); however, very few have competed at a very high level in their original code. A large number of the first "soccer-style" placekickers of the 1960s and early 1970s were Europeans and Latin Americans who changed codes in adulthood. Eventually, kickers who changed codes in adulthood were largely, though not completely, displaced by players who were either born and raised in the U.S. or immigrated to the U.S. at a relatively early age, thus receiving more exposure to that sport than most of the first soccer-style placekickers.


Rugby Union / Australian Rules

As in rugby league/Aussie rules, early in the history of the two codes in Australia the two codes were interchangeable. Such is the divide today and rarity for any conversion that comments from Australian rules players such as .


Gaelic Football to Soccer



Converts to football codes from other sports