Hi,
My name is Jack Arnold. I have recently been appointed on an 18 month contract as AFL South Africa’s new Australian Football Development Officer. Although I will primarily based in the North West Province I hope to be involved in neighbouring Gauteng Province too.
Just a little background info on me, I grew up on Victoria’s Surf Coast before uni in Ballarat and later work in Melbourne. I have completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement), majoring in Sports Management and Marketing at the University of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. I believe the skills I have learnt, my playing history and my keen interest in the game will help me achieve the following goals during my time here in South Africa.
1. Setting up junior football leagues
2. Training of coaches and umpires
3. Organising footy fun days and festivals
4. Help prepare the South African National team for the International Cup to be held in Melbourne in August this year.
5. Incorporate the ‘Kicking AIDS out program’ into my work.
I have been in South Africa for a little under a month now. My first impressions were that South Africa and Australia share many common traits, especially in terms of the environment, weather and love of all sport. However, the two countries are poles apart when it comes to things like housing, crime and the opportunities people have.
Hopefully in my time here I will be able to empower many people to become involved in sport, namely Australian Rules Football. As there are no racial divides I hope both black and white South African’s will be able to play together on a level playing field.
So far I have seen a large proportion of the North West Province including the major towns of Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Ventersdorp and Vryburg. I have also managed to see a bit of Johannesburg and Soweto. There was a game played recently in Soweto between South Africa and an Australian touring team. It was a real eye opener to see a game played on a field the size of a postage stamp in a suburb called Eldorado Park, one of Soweto’s safer areas. It really was a very interesting experience.
Although I am here to develop the game it hasn’t all been work. I have endured two 17 hour bus trips, from Potchefstroom to Cape Town and back again. In the past week I had the opportunity to see some of Cape Town’s many tourist attractions, these included the city with many markets, museums and a diverse population, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and Robben Island. I didn’t make it up Table Mountain as I really wanted to walk up, not use the cable car. After seeing the weather forecast I decided it wasn’t worth getting heat stroke. Definitely a must do next time I am in Cape Town.
I feel sure I will enjoy my time here in South Africa, there will be frustrations and home sickness but also times when I feel completely at home.
Jack Arnold
February 2005.
