Melbourne Storm-style practices rife in elite schools

This recruiting practice is especially significant as one strategy responding to multiple threats confronting Rugby Union, Rugby League and Aussie Rules at all levels. All three codes are under attack from technology, obesity, immigration and the other football code (soccer) – can they survive?

Australia’s immigration intakes from the Pacific Islands, India, Asia and the Middle East are impacting on the three codes in differing ways.

Any interested TV viewer can easily identify the increasing number of Polynesian and other Pacific Islander players in Union and League. They are flooding the ranks of teams at elite, school and junior levels.

To play Rugby Union and League is basically the cultural norm for a lot of Polynesians, helped by the fact that physically they are built for it. For non-Polynesian youngsters neither rugby code now holds much attraction and they are flocking along with many new immigrants to the other football code (soccer). Look in any schoolyard at lunchtime to see the number of soccer balls kicked in relation to other football codes.

Recently university researchers examined the rate of participation in sport in Australia by country of birth. Results indicated that people born overseas in non-English-speaking countries had the highest participation rate for soccer. The 15-17 year secondary school age group recorded the highest number of participants for soccer compared to other codes in the 12 months prior to May 2009.

Size, weight, and speed have become the focus of Union, League and Aussie Rules and are not the physical attributes of many overseas born Australians. The elite school system always considered itself a production line for the future stars in Union, League and Aussie Rules but the increasing ethnic student populations in the large private and selective public schools in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are starving those codes of potential future stars. Statistics from the NSW Department of Education last year suggest that close to two-thirds of students in fully selective schools such as James Ruse Agricultural High School are from ethnic backgrounds. Sydney Boys High is another example and can no longer participate in First XV Rugby due to the lack of suitable players and because of a quantum shift to soccer. It is a similar story at Brisbane Grammar another school once famous for its Rugby successes.

AFL Football’s traditional position of strength in Victorian schools has also eroded substantially over the past five years, a decline that coincides with significant gains by soccer. One example is Caulfield Grammar (APS) that has produced AFL stars in the past but has now succumbed to soccer, with 12 football teams and 24 soccer teams.

Increasing obesity is another factor impacting on the three codes of football. A recent survey of more than 16,000 Australian mums revealed widespread concern about their children’s diet and exercise levels. Of those surveyed, 36 per cent of mothers feared their children were not getting enough physical activity and certainly were not attracted to participate in vigorous team sports.

This concern of the surveyed mothers is not surprising when it has now been confirmed that computer sport is part of the school sport curriculum. Mosman High School in Sydney has decided to trial the Nintendo Wii as a fitness alternative to traditional sport.  The local daily paper reports that this school will now allow its students to spend their PE classes playing computer games instead of jogging around some oval.

In team sports such as rugby union, netball, rugby league and cricket, Australia is one of the world’s leading nations despite drawing its talent from a very small population. Those days may be numbered. Soccer is the new darling of the schools’ system as people’s attitudes to particular sports are changing.

Karmichael Hunt is a Pacific Islander of Cook Island heritage. He has represented Australia in Rugby League then accepted a lucrative offer to play Rugby Union in Europe and in 2011 will join the new Gold Coast AFL team.

Recruitment managers from all three codes are regularly scouring Australia, New Zealand,the Pacific Islands and Ireland (AFL) looking for good young athletes like Hunt in an attempt to counter the new threats the codes are confronting.  It may be the only way to salvage a code’s pride, reputation and future. Buying topline players from another club or code is not the answer – just ask Melbourne Storm!

Ian Wallace is a Brisbane freelance writer.