|
Australian Football League (AFL) on eBay
|
|
|
|
|
Articles
|
| Aussie Rules in Uganda |
|
There are no organised matches, teams or leagues in Uganda. In fact it is possible that there are not even any real Aussie Rules footballs there either!
|
But there are still stories of the game being introduced to the children by visitors to the country. Stories like the one written in DavesTravelCorner.com by Mark Heath in back in 2006.
Mark, and his Ugandan born wife Joyce, made a trip to Uganda to visit Joyce's father who was building a house in the village of Sapir. During this visit Mark decided to introduce the joys of Aussie Rules & Cricket to some of the local children.
Unfortunately, Mark had neglected to pack a football in his luggage and resorted to the time-honoured tradition of creating a 'paper football' strapped with some flexible reeds (instead of rubber bands). Remember that using 'paper footballs' was how many of the superstars of yesteryear, including Lou Richards and Jack Dyer, learned how to play the game.
Above: Collingwood 1953 Premiership Captain, Lou Richards, honed his footy skills using a 'paper footy' during his childhood
What followed over the next few days was very special to Mark, as the numbers of children joining in the casual games of both sports kept growing. Plus the skills and hand-eye co-ordination that the children showed were remarkable.
Stories such as these only help prove that there is an amazing amount of talent waiting to be nurtured in all parts of Africa. And hopefully the efforts of people like Mark (who will be returning with a couple of REAL footies on his next visit!) can be followed up by some existing Aussie Rules clubs and Leagues to try and organise some clinics.
The effort is proving worthwhile in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and we can only hope that the same is said for the rest of Africa. After all, Aussie Rules IS the best sport in the world. And the rest of the world deserves a chance to play it!
Read Marks story here.
|
Posted on Dec 12, 2010 21:37pm by admin
(Return to Articles)
|
|
|
|
|
Article Categories
|
|
|
Date and Time
|
|
|
Search Our Site
|
|
|
