Australian rules football in South Africa

Old Wanderers, home of the first Australian Football clubs in Johannesburg in the 1890s

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush brought an influx Australians to Johannesburg in 1886, and there were a large number of migrants across the goldfields of South Africa.[2] A 1904 recollection of the Australian game in South Africa cites a book called "Martin's Australian Football Guide" that claims that on the goldfields early footballers of various nationalities would alternate between soccer, rugby and Australian rules, and this happened prior to the outbreak of the war, with Australians beating the other nationalities at their own games contributing to the impression that the Australian game was the more skillful of the codes.[3]

The earliest mention of Australian Football is of premier South African football club based at Old Wanderers in Johannesburg, Wanderers Club, with Australian Association cricket members forming an off-shoot Australian Football club in December 1896.[2]

The AFL's 2008 account of the game's history was that it was played in 1898 by a few Australian soldiers on Boer War service behind the lines.[4] It is clear, however, that there is more to the story than this and that the game was most likely played from the late 1880s until competitions were disbanded in 1909. In any case, 1898 appears to have been the first year of regular annual competition between clubs in Transvaal with teams competing for the Elliot shield donated by Mr. E. Elliot.[5]

Australian Football teams in Durban, Natal 1900

In 1900 a match was played at the Albert Park Oval in Durban between Victorians and South Australians[6] which South Australia won by 2 points.[7]

In June 1903 Johannesburg 3.14 defeated Pretoria 3.5 in front of a large crowd, with the local paper reporting "never was a more skilful, fast, and sterling exposition of the true Australian game exhibited In the annals of Australian football in this country, and if only both these clubs continue to give the public such genuine entertainment as was provided by Saturday's game, I venture to say that the time is not far off when many other local teams will adopt the Australian game. The openness of the play witnessed on Saturday, and the skilful manoeuvring of the several individual players roused the onlookers to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and even the few Englishmen, Afrikanders and Dutchmen present, were unanimous in the verdict that never before had they witnessed such a fast, determined and skilful game in South Africa".[8]

Also during the 1903 season, on October 17 Johannesburg defeated Durban 107 to 21 at Wanderers Ground.[9] Johannesburg Football Club is noted to have won the Australian Football League competition that year.[10]

Natal and Transvaal's representative teams photographed in Durban, Natal for a match on 20 August 1904

The Commonwealth Football Club, captained by ex-Fitzroy Football Club player Charlie Naismith won the South African premiership in 1904[11] and the South Africa's Premiership Cup was displayed in Sydney and Melbourne leading to some awareness of the league in South Africa and the league had laid out the challenge to leagues in Australia and proposed a tour.

The Transvaal (Johannesburg) Australian Football League in 1904 had 4 clubs: Commonwealth Football Club; CSAR (Railways) Football Club (Central South African Railways); Pretoria Football Club, and; Germiston Football Clubs each playing nine matches a season.[12] In 1904, W. Warner of the Commonwealth Club wrote to Thomas W. Sherrin that public opinion was that following the Pretoria match it had become the most popular football code in the colony and was being played with a Sherrin ball on much harder cricket grounds than Australia.[13] Australian Football clubs were widely spread and had been formed in Germiston, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and Standerton. Among the Australian players included: East Fremantle's Foletta; Fitzory's Naismith; Kalgoorlie's A. Mc Kcenzie, Cecil Graene, and W. Adair; Melbourne Football Club's Seary and Dowling, and; Geelong Football Club's V. O'Farrell.[3] It was noted that while the public had embraced the game, the majority of British nationals increasingly preferred to play the football codes which they were more familiar with.

On 20 August 1904, a representative match held in the Colony of Natal between Natal and Colony of Transvaal was played in front of a large crowd.[14]

Commonwealth Football Club holding the Elliot Shield as Transvaal premiers in 1905

Officials in Melbourne were reporting that the game was established in South Africa by 1905.[15] By mid-1906 there were reportedly as many as 30 clubs across the colony and the game was growing rapidly.[16]

In 1906 delegates from the major leagues of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban contacted the VFL requesting a representative match, which the Victorian league initially replied it would consider.[17] However by 1906 the game's newly formed governing body, the Australasian Football Council and the VFL had resolved that the game should only be played in Australasia and would not support it being played elsewhere.[18] The AFC therefore replied that if it wanted to play against Australia, it would have to send a team to Australia, Australia would not send any team.[16] In 1907, then Australasian Football Council president Con Hickey declared that despite the game being played overseas the primary focus should be on inter-state competition and that there was no intention to attempt to "oust rugby" in places where it was growing in popularity.[19] Despite New Zealand's representation at the 1908 Australasian carnival no match between Victoria and South Africa eventuated. Administrators of the game, in Victoria, had showed very little if any interest in promoting the sport there and this caused substantial frustration from the game's officials in South Africa already facing increasing competition with rugby and soccer for players.

From 1907 an Australian exodus from South Africa occurred as wages fell and unemployment rose with many migrating to Western Australia.[20]

M. C. Blackett reported that at the end of 1909 the code had gone into permanent recess as Australian Footballers joined the ranks of rugby and soccer due to the game not being played at junior level and a lack of numbers and interest to sustain the once thriving competition.[21]

Sydney rugby league commentators in 1920 gloated that the Australian code was now all but dead in South Africa, while rugby through strong assistance from Britain, was now thriving.[22]

The AFL Record's 2007 "Footy Facts" column made an unreferenced claim that Australian football clubs existed in 1967 in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town and that the VFL at the time was optimistic about the future of the game in South Africa.[23] There are, however, no other sources which back this claim up and it is likely that the claim was a misprint of "1907".

In 1993, interest increased to the point where plans were made for powerful WAFL club Subiaco and Norwood from the SANFL to play two games in Johannesburg in 1994.[24]

In 1997, the Australian Defence Force visited the North West province and the first talks of re-introducing the game began with some football clinics.[25][26] The key benefits of the game were seen to be the apartheid racial issues which plagued the nation's national sport, rugby union and providing potential indigenous athletes with other choices a chance to possibly play a professional sport besides association football (soccer), which is popular amongst indigenous communities. Australian rules football is highly popular with indigenous Australian communities, and the potential for cross-cultural links was also regarded as an opportunity.

In 1998, an experimental exhibition match was played between the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle Dockers Australian Football League clubs in Cape Town. The game attracted 10,123 spectators and media interest. The South African government declared Australian rules football the sport for "the new South Africa".[27] Later that year an under 16 South African team competed in inaugural Jim Stynes Cup in Canberra. In the same year the Adelaide Crows conducted coaching clinics in South Africa. In 2000, talented South African born indigenous player Damian Cupido (who moved to Perth, Western Australia as a youngster) debuted for AFL club Brisbane Lions, stirring further Australian interest in the country as a source of potential talent. In 2001, the first AFL development officer was appointed.

In 2002, South Africa sent its first national team, the Buffaloes to the Australian Football International Cup held in Melbourne. The team was not successful, failing to win any games and being defeated by large margins. AFL South Africa was formed in 2003, as a development organisation and secured funding from the North West Academy of Sport, as well as Ausaid, Australian Volunteers International and Tattersalls. Brian Dixon became the inaugural chairperson, establishing a head office at 17 Kerk Str, Potchefstroom. With the success of the program, the Australian Football League began to contribute development funds in 2004, seeing the country as a potential source of playing talent. A greatly improved Buffaloes competed in the 2005 Australian Football International Cup. The team registered its first win at senior international level against Japan and also Spain, finishing 8th overall.

In 2005, the Australian Convicts toured South Africa. They defeated the Buffaloes, but the Buffaloes were competitive. South African born indigenous West Australian Football League player Paul "Gumby" Magambwa began entertaining crowds with spectacular skills.[28]

In 2006, the AFL announced it would send an all-aboriginal juniors side (from the Clontarf Foundation's Clontarf Football Academy[29]) headed by former Essendon star Michael Long and Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes to play three matches, including an international rules football match against local sides in South Africa.[30] Although the Australian team won easily[31] the AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou announced that he wanted to expand the International Rules Series to become a tri-series and include South Africa, believing that indigenous South Africans would prefer a game with a round ball. He also stated that he believed that a junior from South Africa will eventually play at the AFL level in around 5–10 years time.[32]

With the GAA cancelling the International Rules Series in 2006, the AFL's funding from the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Australian Institute of Sport (conditional on international competition) was under threat, under pressure to find another opponent it sought to fill this gap with international competition and announced it would choose South Africa where the game was developing fastest outside Australia.[33]

South Africa sent a side to the 2006 Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament, showing some improvement, but losing games to New Zealand, the ACT and Australian aboriginal side. South African born Luke van Rheenen was selected in the 2007 rookie draft by the St Kilda Football Club.

The Lions in action during the historic 2008 Australian Football International Cup final against Ireland which South Africa won by a point to take 3rd place overall

In February 2007, a youth side toured Australia, playing a curtain raiser to the Aboriginal All-Stars match in Darwin as well as games in Kakadu and Perth all against indigenous youth sides. In March, the Australian Convicts returned to play a series of matches, and were defeated for the first time by the South African Buffaloes.[34]

On 14 April 2007, Australia's AIS Under 17 squad competed against the South African national Australian rules football team at North West Cricket Stadium in Potchefstroom, South Africa.[35] In April 2007, a large scale junior program, similar to Auskick called "Footy Wild" was launched and Frank Costa backed a large sponsorship deal for South African footy. The Geelong College 1st XVIII football team (along with the netball team) toured South Africa in June/July Aussie Rules matches at junior level against each of the main provinces. Although winning convincingly, The Geelong College formed positive relationships with the players and the trip proved to be a great investment for AFL in South Africa.[36]

In February 2008, the Flying Boomerangs again returned to South Africa on tour, this time attracting more local media interest.[37] In the same month, the AFL announced that 4 of its clubs had applied for access to specific recruiting zones in South Africa and to provide investment and development support through clinics and end of season tours. The clubs include Collingwood (Western Cape), Fremantle (North West), Carlton and the West Coast Eagles. Between 4–8 July 2008, the historic first senior AFL South Africa National Championships were held at the Kopanelo Cricket Ground in Potchefstroom from which the 2008 Australian Football International Cup squad was selected.[38] The Lions returned to the International Cup in 2008. Despite fielding a short team, the Lions were fast and skilful, and surprised their opponents with a 3rd placing overall taking some large scalps including its first wins over early tournament favourites the US and Ireland and losing only to the eventual tournament winners Papua New Guinea.

At the conclusion of its 10 year Australian Institute of Sport commitment the AFL abandoned the South African program of one sided international tests and instead sent a side on tour to Europe in 2011. The result was that the AIS withdrew its partnership to focus on Olympics recognised sports.[39] The AFL Academy did not return to South Africa and shifted its focus to New Zealand.

South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup which significantly affected participation, resulting in the AFL reducing funding. The national team's ranking post 2010 slumped from its peak of 4th to 9th.

An Under 15 All-Australian School Sport Australia schoolboys side toured in 2014 and 2016.[40][41]

St Mary's Sporting Club under 18s toured for the third time in 2018 playing a series of matches against local sides.[42]

• as of 2019 AFL season

• Ziggy Alwan (SANFL) (23 November 1988) – South African born, season 2008 player for Norwood Football Club, recruited and returned to the Victorian Eastern Football League's Noble Park Football Club[50] where he grew up. Runner up in the reserves Magarey Medal and Norwood Reserves Best and Fairest in 2008
• Mtutuzeli Hlomela (SANFL) – 167 cm soccer convert who played SANFL under 18s before captaining the South African national team in 2005 and 2008 International Cups and later national coach
• Paul Mugambwa (WAFL) – (30 May 1981) – South African born, recruited from Bullcreek Leeming, 2005–9 senior list player for South Fremantle Football Club. The 182 cm forward is known for his spectacular high leap and mark.
• Steven Malinga (07/05/1982) – South African national team vice-captain from Itsoseng who has played for Swan Districts in the WAFL reserves
• Steven Matshane (02/04/1988) – outstanding junior talent from Mafikeng who has represented South Africa at under 18 level against Australia's AIS and indigenous under 18 squads and has also played in the WAFL reserves. Also represented South Africa at the 2008 International Cup. Has a home made tattoo of an AFL ball on his arm.
• Thabiso Phakedi (25 February 1990) – player from Morokweng played in the WAFL under 18s for Swan Districts. Represented South Africa at the 2008 International Cup and was named in the World Team.
• Tshepiso Mogapi (28 February 1991) – player from Itsoseng who has played in the WAFL under 18s for Swan Districts. Represented South Africa at the 2008 International Cup.