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| Aussie Rules in Botswana |
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Botswana has an impressive track record of good governance and economic growth supported by prudent macroeconomic and fiscal management since gaining independence from Britain in 1966
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In fact Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in Africa and into the ranks of middle-income status to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
And now they are proving to be one of the smartest countries in the world after their Government approached the AFL in 2009 with a view to extending the FootyWILD program from South Africa across the border into Botswana.
Australian football in South Africa began in the North West Province, an area bordering Botswana and with numerous cultural, linguistic and historical ties to the neighboring country.
AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan has revealed that "We've actually had approaches on numerous occasions including from their High Commission, we had them down about two or three weeks ago along with Jason McCartney and Phil Martin is our government liaison officer and Jason in his role had... coached South Africa in the International Cup. We had members of their High Commission down at the MCG and the next day they attended the Carlton - Collingwood match and that was the second delegation that's had a look and their government's very very keen to see FootyWILD move from South Africa into Botswana. It's right on the border of the North West province. We're just in the process of putting a formal submission to their government. We're very keen to do it, AFL South Africa is, to experiment into the first of, we think, a number of African countries in the next period. Botswana will be the first and we'll take a demonstration of what FootyWILD is in there over the next couple of months... they've had a good look at what we're doing in South Africa and think this particular sport would really be embraced by the locals"
Kevin also explained that another positive force has been the Johannesburg campus of Australia's Monash University. "Many Botswanan students go to Monash University... they run FootyWILD there at that university and are very keen to expand their interest in and their support of our game at Monash University and so part of it would be to train the Botswana students that come to Uni and then go back and take the program in their country. There's quite a detailed submission being prepared at the moment by Joel Kelly our Football Operations Manager in South Africa, for Botswana".
So after seeing a Magpies vs. Blues clash at the M.C.G., another African country has finally realised that 'if it's not Aussie Rules, it's a waste of time!'.
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Posted on Dec 12, 2010 22:10pm by admin
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