On the 14th and 15th of March 2009, New Zealand AFL will hold its inaugural Under 20 National Provincial Championships in Christchurch at Westminster Park.
The tournament will involve representative teams from Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury and has already created interest in AFL circles with several talent scouts to be in attendance. The AFL will also conduct fitness tests on all players competing.
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From the players participating, a New Zealand talent squad will be selected and will compete as a team in the Senior National Provincial Championships in Auckland in October later this year.
The tournament favourites will be Auckland who are expected to dominate the weekend due to the depth of talent available from a domestic league that boasts two senior grades and a stronger pathway for those looking to aspire to greater heights within the code.
Over the past five years the average age of players in the competition in the Auckland region has dropped dramatically. The make up of a few experienced Australian ex-patriots and fit and willing New Zealand youngsters seems to be a recipe for success.
Last year saw some fantastic Australian players that lifted the competition standards to new heights.
Todd Tavena, captain coach of the University Club, has a strong background hailing from the Southern Football League in Melbourne, where he kicked 100 goals in a season.
Dillon Stephenson was a new recruit for the North Shore Tigers having played in the AFLQ in Queensland and Mike Warton another new face to the League has over 100 games in the SAFL with the Port Adelaide Magpies.
This has resulted in new, fresh faces from New Zealand’s shores eager to replicate the outstanding skills and intensity shown by very good Australian players. More and more players from minor leagues in Australia are making their way across the Tasman to participate in the New Zealand domestic competitions that start straight after the end of the Australian season.
The AFL and Oceania AFL have played their part in creating initiatives for younger players to maintain their involvement with the game as well. AFL Oceania will organize an Under 15 tournament which could feature teams from New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Nauru and Fiji in November this year.
Click here to view High Performance Pathways
The NZAFL will hold under 15 school based tournaments in Auckland, Canterbury, Waikato and Wellington in June 2009 all geared towards selecting a New Zealand team to compete in the Oceania tournament.
Oceania will look to enter the Australian system as early as July this year by providing a team in this years Australian Under 16 Championships. Originally entry was planned for 2010 but Oceania AFL is hoping to achieve early entry. This is a magnificent opportunity and pathway for New Zealand based players and this coupled with the new International Draft Laws has certainly added momentum behind the AFL’s international vision.
The High Performance calendar has been utilized to capture the imagination of young New Zealanders who now have a participation pathway to follow after the ‘Kiwi Kick’ programmes targeting children aged between 5 to12.
The NZAFL has expectations that future competitions and underage tournaments will improve in standard as the participation base grows. The assistance and involvement we receive from AFL clubs is certain to provide fruit for their labour now we have a high performance pathway in place.
The NZAFL would like to thank the Christchurch City Council for its support of this years tournament
Click here to view High Performance Pathways