American Dream: The search for future footy talent in the US

[VikingSven]

[YOUTUBE]6_hYPspAo6M[/YOUTUBE]

The search for football stars is heading to the US.

IN SPORT, as in life, the grass generally looks greener on the other side - unless you are talking about Etihad Stadium's surface. While the A-League looks jealously at the AFL's broadcast rights deal, not to mention its hold on Melbourne's media, government and culture, the all-powerful AFL empire knows that is has expanded close to the limits of Australia's borders.

The World Cup is less than a month away but soccer fans are not the only ones turning their attentions outwards to the world. Footy's international push - once little more than a joke or token gesture - is gathering serious steam.

Recruiters from all 16 clubs - and the two incoming franchises - will be briefed in Sydney tomorrow about the AFL's ambitious plans to expand the search for draft talent into the United States, South America and China as well as progress being made in already-identified international markets including Papua New Guinea and South Africa.

AFL Game Development manager Dave Matthews will outline an ambitious plan to run draft testing try-outs in several US cities in August, as part of a reality TV project dubbed ''American Footy Star''. Matthews is hopeful many clubs will send recruiters to the American draft camps and the league's newest club, Greater Western Sydney, told The Age yesterday it would most likely attend.

Club recruiters will also be filled in during the meeting about plans, being prepared by player agent Peter Jess, to run a draft-camp-style talent identification project in Argentina at the end of this month, aimed at elite 16 to 18-year-old soccer, rugby and basketball players. Draft testing will also be held in China in October, as part of the post-season match between Melbourne and Brisbane being staged in Shanghai.

The reality TV program is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based former soccer agent Miro Gladovic but has been enthusiastically backed by the AFL. A pilot episode has been filmed with appearances from Geelong's Jimmy Bartel, Australian Institute of Sport coach Jason McCartney and Hawthorn legend Robert Dipierdomenico. McCartney and Dipierdomenico will help run the testing days, which are slated for Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami, with plans to add another in New York or Boston.

The Argentine try-out will be run by former Richmond football manager Greg Miller, Australian Institute of Sport coach and former Bomber Rob Forster-Knight and the West Coast Eagles' Steve Woodhouse. They will be held on May 28.

''If we can find a Latino superstar for our game, the knock-on effect in terms of interest is going to be unbelievable,'' Jess said from the Argentine capital. ''They love to follow success here. If we can find a Latino talent, like what's happened with Nick Naitanui, you really only need one to generate plenty of interest.''

The US reality show is being shopped to networks including ESPN and Fox. Matthews said that regardless of whether the television concept was successful the AFL will proceed with the US talent searches.

''We have been planning to run some draft camps over there and we are more than comfortable to have a TV show wrap around that testing,'' Matthews said. ''We are patient enough to know there is work to be done to secure a broadcast deal but the events will take place regardless.''

Plans are to run the rule over at least 5000 athletes, in the US - many of them drawn from the college system. ''We've been looking for some time at how our international talent pathway could open up a bit more,'' Matthews said. ''You look at the US market and the statistics of how many kids miss out on a college scholarship out of high school or don't get an NBA or NFL position out of college, there's not much community sport and that elite talent is finishing their sporting career at age 18-21.''

About 6000 Americans gain college scholarships in basketball and football each year. Of those, only 600 are drafted into the NBA or NFL. Many of the remainder simply give up on a professional sporting career.

The Americans will be put through the same series of drills and tests as Australian teenagers at the national draft camp. ''What we are aiming to do is capture the attention of AFL clubs and AFL recruiters,'' Matthews said. ''So the recipe stays essentially the same.''

Glasovic said he was confident a broadcast deal would be done for the show within weeks. The program's website features a short film of Gladovic travelling to Melbourne to meet AFL chief Andrew Demetriou, who explains that there is a need for new talent with two new clubs entering the league and tells him: ''Go and find me an American footy star.''

The winner of the reality show will be flown to Australia and given specialist coaching by McCartney, Bartel and Geelong assistant coach Brenton Sanderson and will also be invited to the draft camp in Canberra. But the real opportunity is for the 18 club recruiters who, it is hoped, will run the rule over many of the athletes who attend the try-outs and offer rookie spots of their own.

Glasovic said he had been inspired to create the TV show by Kevin Sheedy - who has long argued in favour of seeking US talent.

The pair have been in contact about the idea and Sheedy backed it again yesterday. ''It's amazing it's taken so long to consider,'' he said. ''I can't believe we're only looking at this now in 2010.''

Sheedy said he was keen for GWS to have a presence at the US try-outs.

''We'll always be definitely interested in it. We've got an opportunity here to bring a whole lot of openness to Australian football,'' he said. ''Whereas other clubs will probably not be thinking beyond what's in Australia. That sort of thinking doesn't have a vision.''

Matthews said clubs need to become more flexible in finding talent due to the entry of the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney and the subsequent dilution of the national draft.

''What has been regarded as lateral thinking about trying to get international talent now becomes more of a core concern during the expansion phase,'' he said. ''Clubs are becoming very open to new ideas.''

Under the rules, clubs can sign up to 24 international rookies a year at $1000 each. Those who are relocated to Australia for training must be paid at least $20,000.

Many of the ideas floated by Sheedy more than a decade ago are becoming AFL policy. ''Some people are uncomfortable with change, I'm not obviously,'' he said. ''You keep working through it until in the end people come along with you and the times catch up.''

Matthews believes the search for foreign talent must widen. ''It's growing now but it's not enough,'' he said. ''The game needs to find additional budget to pursue international talent.''

He points to the audience sports such as NBA basketball have been able to generate from incorporating foreign stars such as China's Yao Ming. ''We are definitely looking at international talent not just for talent's sake but for the commercial opportunities it will provide,'' he said.

Source: The Age

 

[Barkly St End]

Thanks for putting up the clip - interesting developments.

 

[Copernicus]

Surprised to see this not receive much coverage on this forum. I will be very interested to see what happens. And if they have a 'camp' here in Atlanta I might even venture down for a look-see if I can manage it.

Hope they can get the TV venture going - that would be massive for the AFL's exposure here in the US.

One thing I find very odd about the US is that, unless you get a college athletic scholarship, your sporting career is basically over. There are no suburban leagues, no country leagues, nothing, except for soft-pitch baseball (pfft) and the odd church scrubber league, which isn't really anything competitive. So there are a ridiculous amount of really decent athletes here who quit playing sport in any real sense after high school. I reckon the AFL could, if they put in the time and effort, get a pretty good return from athletes in the short term, and if they can set up some sort of academy or if the league here gets larger, then perhaps we'll get more skilled players who would need less training to step in the AFL. That's very long term though.

 

[Barkly St End]

One thing I find very odd about the US is that, unless you get a college athletic scholarship, your sporting career is basically over. There are no suburban leagues, no country leagues, nothing, except for soft-pitch baseball (pfft) and the odd church scrubber league, which isn't really anything competitive. So there are a ridiculous amount of really decent athletes here who quit playing sport in any real sense after high school. I reckon the AFL could, if they put in the time and effort, get a pretty good return from athletes in the short term, and if they can set up some sort of academy or if the league here gets larger, then perhaps we'll get more skilled players who would need less training to step in the AFL. That's very long term though.

I've heard this mentioned a few times, from a variety of sources, and sounds like the sort of thing that is worth putting resources into.

 

[VikingSven]

Wall Street Journal update

 

[Copernicus]

I've heard this mentioned a few times, from a variety of sources, and sounds like the sort of thing that is worth putting resources into.

Absolutely. The US has so much untapped athletic talent it is unbelievable. Plenty of guys who don't have the skills to make it to the top rung in gridiron, baseball and basketball, but have all or most of the requisite athletic ability. It's really a massive waste when you think about it.

 

[Barkly St End]

Wall Street Journal update

It sounds like a great show!

 

[chinggis77]

Whats the go with this? Has it bombed? No update on the website since October or so last year. One would of thought he would try to conduct the clinics soon after the initial blaze of publicity. Probably didn't get enough interest.

http://americanfootystar.com/index.php

 

[tonk]

Has this show disappeared?

 

[Asty]

Same question I had.
Is this show actually going ahead or did it bomb? website still up but no updates for ages.

Further to this they were going to have a dvd available for purchase called "footy 101"
currently not available but also listed on amazon ... http://www.amazon.com/Footy-101/dp/B004JHA8O8

this dvd would be handy for all international AFL clubs trying to introduce the game to locals. Does anyone know if copies of this dvd were ever made available and where you can get them from?

 

[Bouvet_Island]

The reality TV program is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based former soccer agent Miro Gladovic but has been enthusiastically backed by the AFL.

Most recent photo of Miro Gladovic;

 

[Putney Magpies]

Very interesting... as mentioned before... Social leagues arent as common as somewhere like straya... If you dont make the NFL then the only other option for a player is to go and play in the Canadian league... need to tap into this market...

 

[IanW]

There is an amazing amount of athletic talent that is discarded in the US.

For example, this bloke - Jeff Lindsay. An unemployed six foot three tight end with a standing vertical jump that would have had him second at the AFL draft camp last year.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=65723&draftyear=2011&genpos=TE

http://www.afl.com.au/Offseason/DraftCombine/2010Results/tabid/18439/Default.aspx

Can he catch ? Yes, he's a tight end. Can he go body on body ? Sure. Can he kick ? Nope. Does he have any bad kicking habits ? Nope.

Could he be a full forward ? Possibly.

 

[*Crash*]

best mention it to Sheeds next time you see him out your way.