Jack Arnold in Rustenburg

29 June 2005
By-Jack Arnold

Well, it’s been a long time since I introduced myself in early February this year. A lot has happened since then.

I moved to the town of Rustenburg which is about an hour from Pretoria. Rustenburg is famous for having two of the biggest Platinum mines in the world.

In my time in Rustenburg I have been introducing Australian Football to four primary and one secondary school in the Paardekraal/Boitekong areas. Each time I visit a school I have between 50 and 80 very keen participants. The kids love learning new skills and playing games of footy. During my regular visits I have been organizing practice matches, forming teams for a league and training people to be umpires and coaches. I have seen the standard of the play steadily increase. All that is required is some more work on the rules. At the beginning of the games and after a goal the players from both teams stand on opposite sides, I try to tell them to spread out but growing up playing and watching soccer has had an influence. Another trait from soccer which I am trying to get rid of is ankle taps and sliding in feet first toward the ball when its on the ground.

During the school term I have managed to form eight teams which will play in the Rustenburg U/13 Australian Football season commencing on July 30^th. To say the kids are excited about it is an understatement, every time I see them in the street or at school they want to know when the games are starting.

The teams for the season are the Abana Cats and Tigers, Bana-pele Blues, Retlakgona Power and Bulldogs and Tshirologang Kangaroos, Lions and Demons.

I organized an Australian Football Coaching and Umpiring Workshop, I had most of the staff from AFL South Africa come up from Potchefstroom and 16 people attended. They were from the schools I am working in and the surrounding communities. The workshop covered the basics of coaching and umpiring Australian Football teams and games. All the participants have now got the basics and I will be able to fill in the knowledge gaps during the coming weeks.

I also organized a very successful Football Festival, approximately 170 people attended and everyone had a great day. All the teams were able to play two games. It was a great chance to put the skills they have been learning into practice.

It’s been great to see the improvement in the kids skills. When I first arrived some of them had never heard of Australian Football and thought I was coming to teach rugby. The term hasn’t been without its challenges. Three of the schools I work in don’t have sports fields. I am able to use two community fields, at the third school there is an open space which will eventually become a field. In the meantime its just dirt with rocks the size of a fist and bigger, this can make it a bit hard to actually practice. I am used to nice green fields with no rocks.

Footy Festival in Rustenburg

June 29 2005
By Jack Arnold

The Rustenburg Australian Football Festival was held on Friday the 17^th of June with approximately 170 people in attendance. With Youth Day the previous day it was a great opportunity to showcase the youth of the Rustenburg area. The festival was held at Retlakgona Primary School in Meriting.

Their soccer field was transformed into an Australian Football field, the goals were taken away and replaced with goal posts and the field was made into an oval.

The day was made up of a junior round robin competition and at the end of a day everyone was given the opportunity to participate in a game against the Boikagong Secondary School U/16 team. The teams from Abana, Bana-pele, Retlakgona and Tshirologang Primary Schools all played two games for the day.

The emphasis was on participation there were no trophies awarded and no overall winner announced.

On the day it was great to see Abana and Bana-pele Primary Schools do so well, footy only started in these schools at the beginning of the school year. The team from Bana-pele was able to win both their games. Although the teams from Abana weren’t able to crack it for a win they showed a lot of promise in their close losses. The kids from Tshirologang showed they were the team to beat both at the festival and in the upcoming league with a 37 point victory in the first game of the day and then a 45 point win in their second game. The standard of the games was quite high considering Australian Football has only recently been introduced to these schools.

A big thank you must go to the senior girls from Boikagong Secondary School who umpired tirelessly for the entire day.

Having 170 people attend shows the level of interest in Australian Football in the Rustenburg area, specifically Paardekraal and Boitekong. The festival was a great opportunity to demonstrate the ability and enthusiasm of the children who are learning the skills of Australian Football.

Based on the success of the day the Rustenburg U/13 Australian Football season should be a great success. The season will be starting on July 30^th and will be held at Retlakgona Primary School, Extension 1, Meriting.

 

AFL South Africa Scholarship Program

June 29 2005
By-Jack Arnold and Phindile Khambule

Things are really happening with footy in South Africa. Benji Motuba, the first player to be part of our scholarship program has arrived in Australia, and the International Cup Squad has been picked and is ready for an assault on Australian Footballs biggest international prize.

In February 2005 the Australian Convicts visited South Africa playing three games against teams from the North West and Gauteng provinces and a South African representative team. The Convicts also ran Auskick style footy clinics in Potchefstroom, Itsoseng and Ramatlabama. A lady by the name of Betty Lloyd was in the touring party, she took on the role of camerawomen and photographer. Betty is an avid footy fan, following the Port Adelaide Power in the AFL.

On her return to Australia, Betty contacted AFL South Africa saying she would like to host one of our players for the 2005 season. It was with deep regret we had to say sorry but we don’t have the resources to send a player to Australia for an entire season. The reply which came back was amazing, we had misunderstood her proposal. Betty was prepared to host our player in every sense of the word, she would cover airfares, food and accommodation. The player would also have the opportunity to play with her local club, the Lyrup Lions Football Club. Although Betty lives approximately three hours from Adelaide there will be plenty of opportunity to get down and see some live AFL games. Benji will have the opportunity to attend the AFL grand final in Melbourne before flying home the following day.

At 5pm on Friday June 24^th Tefo ‘Benji’ Motuba departed from Johannesburg International Airport for the trip of a lifetime. Unfortunately in the rush to leave we were unable to organize a packet of mealie meal. With some luck a packet will soon be on the way to Lyrup in country South Australia. During his time in Australia Benji will have the opportunity to see how a football club is run, from the bar to goal umpiring when the U/12’s are kicking the dew off the grass to committee meetings. Benji will hopefully have the opportunity to participate in coaching and umpiring courses so when he comes back to South Africa he can continue to positively promote the game.

Benji has been involved with Australian Football since 1998, he has progressed from Auskick clinics in his home community of Itsoseng to be one of South Africa’s best players. Subsequently he has been named the vice captain of the South African Buffaloes who will play in Australian Football’s International Cup to be held in Melbourne in August. The first of six games is against the USA on Wednesday August 3^rd at Aanenson Oval in Port Melbourne from 2.15pm.

When Betty’s proposal came through a few names were suggested, Benji was the unanimous choice. He is well liked and respected amongst the playing group and management and AFL South Africa is confident he can come back with a lot of football and life experience which he will be able to give back into footy in South Africa. He will have a lifetime of memories that he will never forget.

Benji will be writing a few emails to let us know what he is doing. His reports will be featured on www.aflsouthafrica.org.

AFL South Africa hopes to make the scholarship program an annual event. It would be fantastic to keep giving South African players the opportunity to experience football and life in Australia. It can only be good for the game in this country.

If you or your football club would be interested in sponsoring or hosting a South African player please contact Jack Arnold at AFL South Africa.

jack@aflsouthafrica.org or +27 76 188 0499

The Buffaloes Squad Picked

June 29 2005
By-Jack Arnold

The South African National team for Australian Football’s International Cup to be held in Melbourne in August has been picked.

The selection period started in late January when representative teams played a series of three games against The Australian Convicts. Subsequently there have been two training camps, an intra squad practice match and numerous training sessions in Mafikeng/Itsoseng, Johannesburg and Potchefstroom. To make the squad the players were required to show the skills, commitment and fitness levels fitting of a national team.

The squad was trimmed from 44 players to a traveling group of 29. The team will be traveling to Melbourne in late July. The first of six games in 11 days will be against the USA on Wednesday August 3^rd. The team will arrive back in Johannesburg on Monday August 15^th.

After a lot of discussion and some very hard decisions Head Coach, Steven Harrison and Development Officer, Jack Arnold, together with the selection committee selected the touring squad. The selection committee feel they have picked an even team with players coming from far and wide. The squad showcases the Australian Football talent in South Africa, and this team has the ability to break through for South Africa’s first international win.

The squad is as follows:

Johannesburg; Conrad Janse Van Rensburg, Jacques Steenekamp, Duane Vermeulen, Mtutuzeli Hlomela (C), Matthew Fick, Bryan Mitchell, Odin Williams, Abie Macfarlane, Steven Malinga

Mafikeng; Motheo Kesimolotse, Matthews Lenyidi, Lebopo Matoma, Keagile Garenamotse, Soloman Mogorosi

Itsoseng; Andries Mangweng, Benji Motuba (VC), Molefi Moletsane, Tumelo Modisane, Tebogo Motlhaoleng

Potchefstroom; Willem Jonker, William Van Der Berg, Heino De Jongh, July Machethe

Klerksdorp; Lebogang Sekete

Christiana; McDonald Mashigo

Vryburg; Neo Sambo, Dineo Sambo

Ramatlabama; Martin Moeng

Stellenbosch; Kobus Smit

There are two players gaining valuable footy experience in different parts of the world. Benji Motuba has just begun a three month stint in Australia. He will be playing for the Lyrup Football Club in South Australia.

Kobus Smit from Stellenbosch is currently playing footy for the Wimbledon Hawks in the British Australian Rules Football League. Kobus will be arriving back in South Africa in time for the teams departure for Melbourne.

Keeping checking this website in the lead up to the International Cup for selected player profiles.