| Australian Rules Football In Oceania |
Article Index for Australian Rules |
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Information AboutAustralian Rules Football In Oceania |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IN OCEANIA | |
| australian rules football outside australia | |
| sport in fiji | |
| sport in new zealand | |
| sport in papua new guinea | |
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AUSTRALIA Australian rules is the national sport of Australia and has over 600,000 players. FIJI While there is not currently an organised league in Fiji , the country is notable in Australian Football as several players of Fijian descent play professionally in the Australian Football League , including Port Adelaide's David Rodan and Alipate Carlile and Carlton's Setanta Ó HAilpín . Australian rules football has been played sporadically in Fiji, with efforts starting using . Football's South Pacific Paradise by Brett Northey for World Footy News. September 04 2004 The Australia Network began televising games in Fiji in 2002. David Rodan has acted as an international ambassador for the sport and has a passion to see the sport succeed in Fiji.[http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21991520%255E19770,00.html Rodan plans to put Fiji on footy map ] Nicholas Naitanui, AIS graduate AIS Athlete profile: Nicholas Naitanui and best on ground in the Western Australian Under 18s squad which won the Under 18s Australian Football championship is an almost certain pick for the 2007 AFL Draft .[http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,22059292%255E19742,00.html WA midfield pick of crop NAURU ''Main article: Australian Rules Football In Nauru '' Australian rules football in Nauru dates back to the 1930s and quickly established itself as the national sport of the country. NEW ZEALAND ''Main article: Australian Rules Football In New Zealand '' Australian rules football was introduced to New Zealand by Australian emigrants in the early 20th century and a New Zealand national team took part in one of the first State of Origin carnivals (1908). The game then died out in the country around the time of the First World War , later resurrected in the 1970s. The game is currently governed by the New Zealand Australian Football League , with regional leagues in Auckland , Waikato , Wellington and Christchurch . The New Zealand national team, dubbed the Falcons, are one of the strongest outside Australia, finishing third in the first Australian Football International Cup in 2002 and winning the competition in 2005. PAPUA NEW GUINEA ''Main article: Australian Rules Football In Papua New Guinea '' Papua New Guinea has the largest number of registered Australian rules footballers outside Australia, with senior and junior competitions in most major population centres. Australian rules football was the dominant sport in PNG during the 1950s and 1960s, although its position as national sport has largely been taken by Rugby League . The sport in PNG is controlled by the PNG Rules Football Council . SAMOA ''Main article: Australian Rules Football In Samoa '' Australian rules football in Samoa has been played since 1997. The national team, known as the Bulldogs first competed at the Arafura Games in 1998. The game is typically played under derived rules known as Samoa Rules and is played on rugby fields. There is a full time development officer funded by AusAid, a junior development program and a schoolboy's tournament. SOLOMON ISLANDS Australian Rules Football was first played in the Solomon Islands in 2003 with some junior clinics held by Garry McKenzie and members of the Australian Defence Forces , stationed in the country to help restore order after years of civil unrest. The first AGM of the Solomon Islands Australian Football Association was held in August 2004 at the National Sports Centre, with around 100 people attending, almost all being locals. The committee was elected and subsequently met to discuss plans for developing the code, especially for 12 to 18 year olds. By the end of 2004 there were two senior teams playing friendly matches and around 150 juniors had participated in games. Since then the program has been on hiatus, although there are still interested parties in the Solomons hoping to formally build a league. TONGA ''Main article: Australian Rules Football In Tonga '' Australian rules football in Tonga has been played since 2003, when the Tonga Australian Football Association was founded. A schools competition has been played yearly since then, including a tour to Samoa and the national team has competed against the Fitzroy Reds amateur team from Australia. EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES |
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