History

Australian football was first played in South Africa in 1898 when Australian soldiers on Boer War service in South Africa played the game behind the lines.

Following this time, the game was played by some local teams.

It is generally believed that interest and support for Australian football died following World War I.

In 1967, it was reported in the VFL Record's "Footy Facts" column that Australian football clubs existed in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town and that the VFL was optimistic about the future of the game in South Africa.Little is known of how these clubs formed or what later became of them.

In 1997, the Australian Defence Force visited the North West Province and the first talks of re-introducing the game began. 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 soccer, which is popular amongst indigenous communities. Australian 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 in Cape Town. The game attracted 10,123 spectators and media interest. The South African Government declared Australian rules football “the new sport for "the new South Africa”. Later that year an Under 16 South African team competed in the 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 the 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 in Melbourne. The team was not successful, but improved greatly when it returned in 2005.

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.

With the success of the program, the AFL began to contribute development funds in 2004, seeing the country as a potential source of playing talent.

In 2005, the Australian Convicts toured South Africa.

In 2006 the AFL announced it would send an All-aboriginal juniors side (from the Clontarf Foundation's Football Academy) headed by former Essendon star Michael Long and Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes to play 3 matches, including an International Rules match against local sides in South Africa.

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 an Australian aboriginal side.

South African born Luke van Rheenen was selected in the 2007 rookie draft by the St Kilda Football Club.

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.

On 14th April, 2007, Australia's AIS Under 17 squad competed against the South Africa Buffaloes at the North West Cricket Stadium in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

In April 2007 a large scale junior program similar to Auskick, called "Footy Wild", was launched.

The Geelong College toured South Africa in June/July, playing netball and Aussie Rules matches at junior level against each of the main provinces.

In 2008 the re-named South Africa Lions finished third at the Australian Football International Cup in Melbourne, a fantastic achievement.