Australian rules football in Africa
Australian rules football in Africa is only played at an organised level in South Africa, although there are programs under development in Ghana, Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and there have been attempts to introduce the sport in other African nations.

A handful of South Africans of European heritage have played Australian rules football professionally in the VFL/AFL with the earliest known being Aubrey MacKenzie (Melbourne 1914, St Kilda 1922–1924), while the first indigenous African born in Africa to play in the AFL was South African born Stephen Lawrence. Ian Perrie, born in Zimbabwe, was the first African to be born outside South Africa drafted into the AFL.
Botswana
The government of Botswana approached the AFL in 2009 with a view to extending the FootyWILD program from South Africa across the border into Botswana. Australian football in South Africa began in the North West Province, an area bordering Botswana and with numerous cultural, linguistic and historical ties to the neighboring country.[1]
Ghana
Australian football was played on a non-organised level in Ghana in 2007, where traveling Australians played with children.[2]
In early 2009, AFL club the Western Bulldogs announced that they were in talks with Azumah Nelson regarding the introduction of Australian rules football at the Azumah Nelson Foundation (AZNEF) Sports Academy.[3] Nelson was quoted as saying "Once we become familiar with handling the oval shaped ball, I am sure that Ghana will produce many champions for the AFL Clubs in Australia"[4] The Bulldogs also stated that they may travel to Ghana to visit the AZNEF Sports Academy in future.[4]
Kenya
There have been efforts to start the sport at junior level since 2004.[5] Gus Horsey from the Baltimore Washington Eagles from the United States Australian Football League visited the country in February and September, running several footy clinics and organising a grand final between four local teams in Nairobi. During Horsey's second visit to Kenya to coach Australian rules, he regularly trained over 100 children after school with help from local soccer coaches,[6] although plans through USFooty Kids to continue the clinics in the future did not go ahead.
The AFL reported in 2009 that junior clinics were being conducted in Kenya under the same model as FootyWILD in South Africa.[1]
In 2015, schoolboys international matches were held on the Kenya Tanzania border.[7]
Senegal
Australian rules football was played sporadically in Senegal during the 1990s, after Darwin-based Mark Moretti visited Dakar for two months in 1991. Moretti had introduced the sport to local children originally as an example of overseas culture, but there was interest from both the children and some local soccer administrators in continuing the sport. When Moretti returned in 1997 there had not been any progress, so he organised some footballs and other material to be sent to Senegal and the country was represented at the International Australian Football Council AGM in Darwin in 1999.[8] Around this time, two teams were established, named the Crocodiles and the Hares, but the sport has since disappeared in the country.
A team representing Senegal appeared at the "World 9s" in Catalonia in 2008, consisting of Senegalese nationals resident in Spain and competing in the Catalan AFL.
South Africa
The Witwatersrand Gold Rush brought miners from Australia to South Africa and records indicate that it was played from the 1880s to 1909 and was for a time during 1904, the most popular football code in the colony. It was reintroduced by the Australian Defence Force in 1997 and in the 2000s became one of the fastest growing places for the sport outside of Australia, becoming widely played in the North West Province with tens of thousands of players. The governing body is AFL South Africa.
Uganda
Non-organised Australian football at junior level featuring locals has been played in Uganda in 2006.[9]
Western Sahara
Australian football was played on an informal basis in Western Sahara in 2008.[10]
Zimbabwe
The sport of Australian rules football is in its early stages of development in Zimbabwe,[11] with Australian Football Zimbabwe[11] in the planning stage, with its main aims being to combine Aussie rules football as a developing sport, with health clinics and information sessions to be run to assist disadvantaged and sick children.
Indigenous African Australians
An increasing number of players descended from the Indigenous peoples of Africa have played professionally in the Australian Football League, holding African Australian identity. The successful career of Majak Daw in the AFL is credited as having inspired many children from the South Sudanese migrant community in Australia to take up the sport.[12]
The list below excludes South Africans (listed in Australian rules football in South Africa) such as Damian Cupido and Jason Johannisen:
Currently on an AFL senior list |
Player | AFL/AFLW Years* | AFL/AFLW Matches* | Connections to Africa, References |
---|---|---|---|
Martin Frederick | 2021- | 7 | South Sudanese parents |
Michael Frederick | 2020- | 17 | South Sudanese parents |
Joel Amartey | 2018- | 3 | Ghanaian father |
Isaac Quaynor | 2019- | 35 | Ghanaian parents |
Buku Khamis | 2019- | 17 | South Sudanese parents |
Isaac Quaynor | 2019- | 35 | Ghanaian parents |
Tom Jok | 2019- | 1 | Born South Sudan |
Bigoa Nyuon | 2019-2021 | - | Born in Kenya to South Sudanese parents[13] |
Changkuoth Jiath | 2018- | 23 | Born Ethiopia, South Sudanese parents |
Akec Makur Chuot | 2017- | 18 | Born South Sudan |
Mabior Chol | 2016- | 31 | Born South Sudan |
Reuben William | 2016-2017 | 3 | Born South Sudan |
Gach Nyuon | 2016-2017 | - | South Sudanese parents |
Aliir Aliir | 2014- | 88 | Born Kenya, South Sudanese parents |
Joel Wilkinson | 2011-2013 | 26 | Nigerian father[14] |
Tendai Mzungu | 2011-2017 | 105 | Zimbabwean father |
Majak Daw | 2011- | 54 | Born South Sudan |
Goaner Tutlan | 2004 | - | Born Eithiopia[15] |
Team Africa at the International Cup
A team known as Team Africa, drawn from various Melbourne African communities, competed in the 2008 Australian Football International Cup's Multicultural Challenge, playing matches against South Africa, Tonga and an Asian community side dubbed Team Asia.[16]
Team Africa's players were from countries including Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Djibouti.[16]
References
- "FootyWILD set to take Africa by storm? - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "West African kids kick the Aussie Footy in soccer's heartland - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "Ghana and Azumah Nelson look to AFL and Bulldogs - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- Bulldogs look to forge ties in Ghana – Herald Sun
- Aussie Rules International – Kenya Archived 9 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "Footy a welcome hit in Kenya - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- Dust to dust: footy takes off in Africa Conor Walsh on Aug 23, 2015
- Footy Kicks Off in West Africa Archived 9 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "Footy Shorts - Footy in Uganda ? - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "Aussie Rules in Western Sahara - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "zimfooty.com - Registered at Namecheap.com". ZimFooty.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- Daw-inspiring feats bring Sudan into the heart of Aussie sport The Australian 20 Apr 2013
- Mum's journey inspires Sudanese refugee Biggie Nyuon towards AFL dream Sean Sowerby 7NEWS 20th November 2019
- "Joel Wilkinson still making his stand against racism - AFL.com.au". afl.com.au. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- "Ethiopian hopes to make mark for Africa - World Footy News". WorldFootyNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "Australian Football International Cup 2008 – Official tournament program" (PDF). AFL.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2017.