The Sports Factor

The third Australian football international cup is about to get underway in Victoria. And this week on the Sports Factor we have a special report on the state of AFL in South Africa, where hundreds of young players are taking it up instead of soccer or rugby union.

(Due to copyright restrictions parts of this program have been removed)

Transcript

This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers.

Mick O'Regan: Hello and welcome to The Sports Factor, here on ABC Radio National. I'm Mick O'Regan.

This week we're pursuing that sporting contradiction of the development of a definitively Australian game internationally.

AFL is now played in places like Finland, Nauru and Canada. Who would have thought?

And later in the show we're swallowing our pride and hearing from an Englishman about the extraordinary performance of Great Britain's Olympic team, which not only came fourth in the overall Medal tally, they did significantly better than our own wonderful team.

The Beijing aftermath a little later.

First this week to an Australian Rules Football tournament. Now you might say there's nothing so new about that. Hundreds of games are played in various leagues every weekend. But in this tournament, South Africa has just beaten China 146-nil. That's 20 goals, 26 points to the South African lines, and zip to the Chinese Red Demons.

The Australian Football International Cup is only open to countries where AFL is still a minor or developing court. Like South Africa, where apparently hundreds of young players are now taking it up instead of rugby or soccer.

A program was set up where South African trainees spent a season with a team in the South Australian Football League, to learn all the aspects of the game, and then to pass those skills on to others when they returned home.

AFL-South Africa is now employing these local trainers, plus a few resident Aussies, to run AFL training programs in four different South African provinces. They're re-named the game 'Footywild' and it's being introduced to schoolkids.

Sally Nowlan recently spent the day with Mtutu Hlomela, the very first South African AFL trainee, a captain of a team, and now the Development Manager running this program for AFL-South Africa.

Sally Nowlan: Now Mtutu, we're standing in the beautiful sunshine here, there's a lovely green field and we've got the Aussie Rules goalposts up, and lots of kids running around, and really, we could quite easily be in Australia watching these training sessions here. But in actual fact we're in the South African township of Alexandra, just on the edge of Johannesburg. It seems like a pretty unusual place to find kids playing Aussie Rules. So just go back a bit and tell me how this all started.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: AFL football in South Africa started back 11 years ago when we had the Australian Defence Force up in the north-west. They took some time and went and ran coaching clinics in the rural areas of the north-west. There were some very keen people from the north-west government who wanted this game to be part of their province basically, and that's how it all started. And around about the same time, South Australian Office for Rec. & Sport, with the Western Cape Department for Rec. & Sport in Capetown, they were looking for a trainee to come and learn the game of Australian Rules Football, learn the game, and come back and teach South Africans the game, and I was fortunately that person.

Sally Nowlan: What is it about it that you like so much?

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: You know, if you want to compare it to the other sports, it is the most spectacular game in the world, and there's no doubt about that. Some of the things that happen in the game, you know, the spectacular marking, the long kicks, the long bombs when people kick goals, you don't get that in soccer. You don't often get draws in football, where in soccer you get lots and lots of them, and you waste your money to watch a soccer game. But in football there's always a winner and a loser, there's hardly any draws. It's a spectacular game, there's always something spectacular in a game, and that's what people want to see.

Sally Nowlan: Eleven years down the track, here today we've got hundreds of schoolkids with their coaching clinics going on. Just how big is Aussie Rules in South Africa these days?

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: Since last year we've established what we call the Footywild program. We're now not only available in the north-west province where it all started from, now we've got four provinces around the country, the Western Cape down in Capetown, in Durban, the North West as well as Gauteng with just over 8,000 to 9,000 participants across the country, and we're looking by 2009 to get about 30,000 participants by then. I know it's very ambitious, we'd like to promise less and achieve more, and 30,000 is a very conservative number.

When you think of the number of kids that do not have the opportunities in South Africa, and that's our target, that's a market, the kids that do not have opportunities from soccer, from rugby, from cricket, from tennis. We're targeting those kids. It's not that big at this stage but in the years to come we will change the face of sport in this country because of the way we do things, not because it will become the biggest sport in South Africa, but we would like to see us becoming the best-run sport in this country.

Sally Nowlan: This is the toughest township. Alexandra has a reputation for being a very tough place to live. So how tough was it, getting these kids involved?

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: The kids weren't the problem, the problem were the older people, the schoolteachers, they didn't know what it was that we were bringing, so they very apprehensive. The parents were very apprehensive. The kids weren't the problem. If we tell the kids 'Come to the ground', we'll get hundreds and hundreds of them.

Sally Nowlan: How did you convince the teachers and the parents about this newfangled new game you wanted to bring in?

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: We had to go school by school doing presentations, doing visual presentations using video, using power point, and sometimes doing it during school assembly where we actually show the skills ourselves, where we kick and hand-pass and mark, and we get the kids to try it. And that's how the teachers got convinced. And some of them have been really fantastic for us in helping start the programs within the schools here in Alexandra. And you've mentioned Alex is a tough township. It's extremely tough with high levels of crime, HIV-AIDS, unemployment and as you see here today, we've got 15 volunteers and 13 of them are female, and we've helped in getting these people involved in something, and they really appreciate it.

Sally Nowlan: Yes well that's quite unusual to see so many women coaching and so many women involved, and in fact a lot more women than blokes.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: You know there's one problem here in Alexandra, the men are still very traditional. They don't want to get up and work I'm sorry to say, but that is the truth, they don't want to get up and work. There's high levels of unemployment, but the women want to change the situation. They want to change the situation in their homes so they'll do anything which might put bread on the table. I stand to be corrected, but that's my view on it, and that's what I've seen over my time here in Alexandra. That's why we've got such a lot of women participating here today, because they want to change the situation at home.

The other thing is that because we're providing them with a participation fee at the end of the week, it also helps them buy bread at the end of the week, buy milk and so forth.

Sally Nowlan: Now could we walk over and speak to one of them?

Tell me what you're doing here today?

Sarah: Today's a training skills for AFL, it's hand-pass, kicking, tackling and marking.

Sally Nowlan: And you know how to do all of those things yourself?

Sarah: Yes.

Sally Nowlan: How do you know that, because I know that you don't actually play the game.

Sarah: My manager Mtutu showed me how to play it.

Sally Nowlan: And do you like this game?

Sarah: Very much. I tell them now it is Footywild, AFL we are playing or marking or tackling, kicking, all those things.

Sally Nowlan: And do you teach them about being good sports as well?

Sarah: Yes. Respect, team spirit.

Sally Nowlan: And do you go and watch the games when they play?

Sarah: Yes.

Sally Nowlan: And what do you think when you're watching?

Sarah: For the first time I thought, this thing is difficult. But when time goes on I see it's an easy thing.

Sally Nowlan: And you see how well they are playing because of your good coaching?

Sarah: Yes.

Sally Nowlan: That must make you feel good, huh?

Sarah: Yes. I feel good.

Sally Nowlan: That's Sarah, one of the local coaches who have been trained in Footywild skills, and who are proving to be a key factor in the success of these clinics, here in Alexandra.

They're attracting hundreds of keen young players, and one of the reasons for their popularity is the absence of any other organised school programs for soccer or rugby, despite the fact that those are the leading games in this country at the moment.

The popularity of this foreign game is causing quite a lot of curiosity as another Footywild coach, Anna, explains.

Anna: A lot of people they did ask me 'Why are we teaching this Australian Football?' I said, 'You know what, in soccer field we didn't get those chances to show ourselves how we can make it.' So this Australian football, they come and introduce this sport to us so they show us how to do this thing, that's why we kick those things, because they did teach us.

Sally Nowlan: Watching all these young children going through their skill moves in these coaching groups here, brings up the question of what the future holds for this program, and these budding Footywild players. According to Mtutu, there's already a long-term strategy for taking the game onto high schools, as well as making sure it will continue to be taught in these townships.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: The plan is that when they leave primary school after having a year or three years of Footywild, they go to a high school within their area and they find Aussie Rules there, or they find Footywild there, you know. And it's sustainable in that way. That's why we've got people like these volunteers in place, because I'm not from Alexandra, and I can't keep coming back to Alexandra, but we want people, local people from Alexandra to run the game of Footywild in Alexandra. For them to learn the game and help teach it.

Sally Nowlan: We leave the busy coaching clinic behind and after half an hour's car trip through the chaotic Jo'burg traffic, we've arrived at a rather rough sports field in the township of Tembisa. Although this game was only introduced to these high school boys about three months ago, already they're moving and playing like they're old hands at the game.

It's been overseen by coach and Tembisa Township Development Officer, Benji Motuba who also got his AFL credentials during a stint with the South Australian League. The obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment of the Footywild game by these young players, is matched equally by their coach's love of the game.

Benji Motuba: What I like the most is running too much with the football, and I suppose it's actually faster and I really like to play anything that is much more faster. But I do like the spectacular marks as well as running with the ball on the line and kicking goals, that's the most important thing, that's the most thing that I enjoy the most.

Sally Nowlan: How different is it playing Footywild here than playing Aussie Rules in Australia?

Benji Motuba: In Australia it's much more popular. I mean you're playing with experienced people that they've been playing the sport for a long time. Here in South Africa, we Africanise it, in that we play it in our own way of playing here.

Sally Nowlan: And how is that your way, can you describe what sort of African ways you bring to this?

Benji Motuba: We've got a different way of teaching AFL here in terms of we've got what you call a Big Five. Big Five is like marking, kicking, a different way of kicking them is that we Africanise things by letting the kids to understand how to kick, just to get it much more faster than they do it in Auskick in Australia. Here is different with the Footywild, because we teach them a different way of where the ball must face, where to hit the ball, where to kick, something like that, yes.

Sally Nowlan: And here today we've got the teams lining up. Who have we got here?

Benji Motuba: We've got Tembisa high school, and Bethary. We're having a league that has been running for almost three months up to so far, and this week is a final, they're playing the finals this week, and we shall be looking forward to the Grand Final next week.

These two teams, they're playing very good. I mean they started playing the sport three months ago, but now they're playing it really good. It's like it's something big to them. We just got all the rules and everything so fast, really amazing.

Sally Nowlan: And the other really interesting thing is that you've got female umpires. Are female umpires a good thing to have in a match where it's all men playing? I mean do you find that that's a good mix?

Benji Motuba: OK, what we thought about here in South Africa is to give, I mean a girl a way we can include them in AFL as well, because they can't play like men, it's a very tough game, and it's just only for the boys, but we thought of giving them a chance in terms of having an opportunity as well in playing AFL in terms of umpiring as well, so that's why we get in with the girls.

Sally Nowlan: And do the guys respect them?

Benji Motuba: Some of them they do not, but we're trying to work it out for that. But there is the respect at the end, the ultimate end, yes.

Sally Nowlan: Do you think that with these teenagers, these secondary high school boys playing, that they're going to go on and play AFL when they finish school?

Benji Motuba: Yes, because what I am looking for, because as a Development Officer here in Tembisa, I'm looking forward to include the other high schools around Tembisa because now we presently have a league of four high schools, there will be nine high schools playing, and we're looking forward to start their Footywild as well, because we've got 86 primary schools here in Tembisa. So we're looking forward to start two centres where we're going to have 15 Footywild coaches from one centre and another 15 from the other centre. So we're looking forward so that we start from the Footywild from the primary level, and we're looking forward to the high school. So as they move from the primary level to the high schools, then from the high school we'll be selecting just a community football club which is going to be a senior club for Tembisa. That's what we're looking for. It's going to grow step by step.

Sally Nowlan: Well I'd better let you get back and start this game. You've got all your players waiting around, so good luck.

Benji Motuba: Thanks.

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: My name is Thabile Siphiwe Madonsela. I'm a field umpire. We're like trying to get ourselves to know, the sports, we also learn throughout the games, and it's quite a great experience. I'm a fair umpire.

Sally Nowlan: Are you?

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: Yes.

Sally Nowlan: Is that what the players say, that you're a good umpire?

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: Yes.

Sally Nowlan: And what do you like about umpiring?

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: You get to know people and to understand the game better.

Sally Nowlan: Do you find it difficult to be an umpire when there's all these big boys out on the field, and you're very short.

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: Yes, because you sometimes maybe I'm not having a whistle, when I have to like scream because they can't hear me, so yes but it's fun.

Sally Nowlan: And do you think that they pay respect to you as an umpire?

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: Yes, they do because they listen.

Sally Nowlan: So you're enjoying being part of the Aussie Rules or Footywild as it's called here?

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela: Yes, I do, a lot, because there's the training schedule they gave us, and it was for only players, so I had to do it myself because I love the game. I'm actually dedicated.

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: My name is Shaun, Mosul is my South African name.

Sally Nowlan: How long have you been playing Aussie Rules?

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: Since last month. Yes, it was last month. When Benjamin introduced the game to us.

Sally Nowlan: And what do you think of this game?

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: It is a great game. We really enjoy it. And it's - you know, we want to go far, we love the game, and now we want to be great players.

Sally Nowlan: Well what do you like about it?

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: I like to run, I like to hold the ball, and I'm tough, you know. This is the game for me.

Sally Nowlan: And what position are you playing?

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: I'm playing midfield.

Sally Nowlan: And what do you like to do the best in Aussie Rules? You like to take a mark, or - ?

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: I like to take the mark because I can kick very well, that I know, I can kick very well, so I like to take a mark.

Sally Nowlan: Do you like the fact also that the coaches come here and organise the game and all of that?

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa: Yes, that's good, because we really do want to play the game, so we really appreciate the fact that they came here and taught us all the things about the game, and we really enjoy it. Yes, there's going to be a lot of good games and a lot of good players from Tembisa, I know that because these guys are really eager to play, to play this game.

Sally Nowlan: With the growing number of players and supporters here in South Africa, there's going to be a lot of interest in how the national team fares in this year's International Cup.

And if they do taste success this time, it will be partly due to the efforts of some high-profile Australian AFL names who have been helping with the South African team's development. Included on that list are Kevin Sheedy and Jason McCartney who is the team's coach for the Cup.

Mtutu is the Captain of the South African team, and he's hoping that this year they'll make the finals for the first time in this international AFL competition.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: It's only one team going to - this is a senior South African team going to the International Cup to compete against countries like New Zealand, Ireland, Nauru, Spain, Papua-New Guinea, Denmark and so forth, the USA and Canada. We've been competing in the International Cup since the first one in 2002, and the second was in 2005 and hopefully this year we'll do much better than we've done in the last two International Cups. Because I think we've done all the right things to ensure that we've got a good team to the International Cup, and hopefully we'll finish in the finals somewhere. I don't know.

Sally Nowlan: Hopefully. And I believe you've actually engaged an Aussie Rules player of some note to come and give you a few tips just prior to the International Cup Games.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: We've been having quite a lot of help from former players from the AFL. I can think of Leigh Colbert, Jason McCartney, we've had Michael Voss, we've had Nathan Buckley, Luke Darcy come here, giving their tips. Even the great Kevin Sheedy himself.

Sally Nowlan: Yes, you have got some big names.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: We've got some big names. Everyone has offered help and has actually helped improve the game in this country. And we have the luck of having Jason McCartney as the South African coach at the International Cup and he's been working with the South African team since he started coming to South Africa in 2006 and he's been really keen in helping and improving the game here in this country. And he's a fantastic person, and we're looking forward to working with him again.

Sally Nowlan: Now all the Aussie Rule Clubs in Australia have a song, a kind of a club song. Just wondering, do you have club song, do you have a chant or anything that you sing during the game?

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: There's many, many things that we sing, many songs that we sing. We don't have a specific song but there's one I can think of is Shoshaloza, which all the national teams in this country sing. It's like the 'Waltzing Matilda' in Australia. So that's the song that we sing, Shoshaloza mostly.

Sally Nowlan: Do you want to give me a few bars of that, just so I can see what it sounds like as far as an Aussie Rules song might be for South Africa in the future?

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: I'll try. (SINGS)

Sally Nowlan: Very Good. I think that'll go down very well. Especially if you're on the winner's podium at the International Cup. Thanks a lot for talking with us today.

Mtutuzeli Hlomela: It's a pleasure.

Mick O'Regan: Sally Nowlan, reporting from South Africa.

The International Cup tournament involves teams from 16 nations, and will culminate in a final played as a curtain-raiser during the AFL Final series in September.

Guests

Mtutuzeli Hlomela
Captain of the South African AFL team and Regional Development Manager for the Footywild program.

Sarah
Footywild coach from the Alexandra township, Johannesburg.

Anna
Footywild coach from the Alexandra township, Johannesburg.

Siphiwe Rethabile Madonsela
Female field umpire, Tembisa Township, Johannesburg.

Mosul 'Shaun' Maliwa
Aspiring young Footywild player, Tembisa Township, Johannesburg.

Benji Motuba
Footywild coach and Development Officer for AFL South Africa in Tembisa Township, Johannesburg.

Further Information

AFL International Cup

Presenter

Mick O'Regan

Producer

Sally Nowlan, Andrew Davies