Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

has been played since 1997. The governing body for the sport was formed under the name Samoa Australian Rules Football Association in 1998, becoming the AFL Samoa in 2007.

History

Australian rules was introduced to Samoan schools in 1997. In 2000 the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

(ADF) toured Samoa and played the first international against a national Samoan schoolboys side winning 20.22 (142) to 2.3 (15). The ADF conducted numerous clinics in the country with the aim of assisting Samoa to participate in the inaugural International Cup in 2002. In early years, the game was typically played under derived rules known as 'Samoa Rules' and on

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

fields. The

Australia Network ABC Australia, formerly Australia Television International (or just Australia Television), ABC Asia Pacific, Australia Network and Australia Plus, is an Australian pay television channel, launched in 1993 and operated by the Australian Broadca ...

began televising games in Samoa in 2002.

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

players to visit Samoa for coaching clinics include

Dermott Brereton Dermott Hugh Brereton (born 19 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club, Sydney Swans and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Born to Irish immigrant parents, ...

, Brad Johnson and Steve Kretiuk. Australian football competition went into recess in 2006 following the 2005

Australian Football International Cup The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) was an triennial international tournament in Australian rules football. It was the biggest international tournament in the sport that is open t ...

. In 2007 the AFL Samoa's programs were reinvigorated under new development officer in Michael Roberts, mainly focussing on junior and schoolboys' development. There is a full-time development officer funded by

AusAid Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...

, a junior development program and a schoolboy's tournament.

National Team

The

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

, which first competed at the

Arafura Games The Arafura Games was a multi-sport event where athletes with a disability compete in the same program as able-bodied athletes. Competitors from around the world compete in the week-long games held every 2 years in Darwin, Northern Territory, Au ...

was originally known as the Bulldogs, the name being chosen as the AFL's

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

wore the Samoan

national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have '' de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

and has sent some professional players to visit the islands on clinics. The team was later renamed the 'Kangaroos', after forging ties with the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

Participation

In 2004, Samoa had a total of 246 players including 80 senior players in 4 teams consisting of over 80 players and 166 juniors in six school sides. According to the 2007 AFL International Census, these figures have not changed.AFL International Census 2007
Over 5000 primary school children have experienced a 6-week plus program in 2007 with programs designed for each sector of primary school children developing skills from fundamental motor skills, body awareness activities and game specific skills. The programs in primary schools year levels are titled 'Reach for the stars'(K-2), Kicking Goals (3-5), Let them Fly (6-8).

Notable players

Fia Tootoo has represented Samoa on numerous occasions in the

and plays football semi-professionally in Australia.star profiled online
by Jake Anson for World Footy News. July 31, 2005Samoa schoolboys too strong in Pacific clash
by Brett Northey for World Footy News. December 06 2004

Samoa Rules

Samoa Rules is a game derived from

that has also been played in

. The game is played on

fields and each team consists of 15 players per side. Unlike Australian rules football, player movement is restricted to zones (similarly to Rec Footy). There is a line across the centre that backs and forwards can not cross. Onballers are allowed to go anywhere. The Vailima Six-Shooters' Championship began in Samoa in 1998 under these rules, becoming known as ''Samoa Rules''. A number of Samoa Rules players went on to represent Samoa in the

Samoan national Australian rules football team The Samoan national Australian rules football team, nicknamed the Kangaroos (), represents Samoa in the team sport of Australian rules football. The team is selected from the best Samoan born players, who are currently mostly players from the ...

, known originally as the ''Bulldogs'' and since 2008 as the "Kangaroos".

References

External links

AFL Samoa
{{Aussie Rules Playing Nations links