Australian rules football in Nauru
Governing body Nauru Australian Football Association
National team Nauru Chiefs
First played 1930s
Registered players 680 (total)
180(adult)
500 (junior)
Clubs 12
Competitions
National
Nauru Australian Football Association
Audience records
Single match 3,000 (1999). Menaida vs Panzer. NAFA Grand Final. Linkbelt Oval, Aiwo.
Australian rules football in Nauru dates back to the 1930s and quickly established itself, along with weightlifting as the national sport of the country.[1]
The overall participation rate of over 30% is the highest for the sport in the world.
StructureThe football league system consists of one national league, run by the Nauru Australian Football Association (NAFA), based in the Linkbelt Oval, the country's only active stadium. The surface of the oval is crushed phosphate dust.
HistoryAustralian rules was first played by Nauruan schoolchildren in the 1930s in schools in Victoria, Australia. Among these schoolkids was Hammer DeRoburt. Schools in Geelong and Melbourne in Victoria were popular destinations of Nauruan schoolchildren of secondary-school age.
After DeRoburt left Australia, he headed back to Nauru with a couple of friends and popularised the sport in his hometown.
Nauru's president Marcus Stephen played for the local Aces team before going on to win multiple medals in Olympic weightlifting which also became a popular sport in Nauru.
ParticipationAccording to 2007 AFL International Census figures there are around 180 players in the Nauru senior competition and 500 players in the junior competition,[2] representing an overall participation rate of over 30% for the country.
Leagues Senior league
Panzer Saints banner for the 1999 Championship FinaleThe senior league is made up of 7 teams, with a reserve league of 5 teams. Only two games per week can take place at the Linkbelt Oval, since as of 2005, the Menen Stadium had yet to be built and the Denig Stadium is not suitable for Australian rules games
Teams in the senior league (Elite):
Team Colours From
Menaida Tigers Black and yellow Aiwo, Buada
Panzer Saints red-white-black Meneng
Blues blue-white Anabar, Anetan, Anebare, Ewa
Ubenited Power white-black Ubenide
Boe Lions maroon-gold-blue Boe
Aces Yaren
Supercats blue-white Nauru
Teams in the reserve senior league:
Team Colours From
Eagles Meneng
Ubenited Power white-black Ubenide
Esso yellow-black Aiwo, Buada
Yaren Magpies black-white Yaren
Frigates Anabar
[Junior League
The Panzer Saints U17s squad in 2003There are also several levels of junior competition in Nauru, including under 15, under 17 and under 18s.
AudienceThe NAFA championship final is an annual event which has in the past attracted up to 3,000 spectators (or 30% of the nation's population).
Nauru first participated in the 1995 Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia. The team, coached by former VFL/AFL player Mark Yeates finished third, winning the Bronze medal.
In 2000, the Chiefs travelled to Queensland to compete in the inaugural Web Sports Cup to compete against teams from Samoa and the Robina Roos from Australia. The Chiefs won both matches.
In 2001, the Chiefs again travelled to Queensland winning another two matches, one against the Gold Coast Old Boys.
In the same year the Chiefs won the gold medal at the 2001 Arafura Games, defeating the Japanese national side.
At the Australian Football International Cup in 2002, the Chiefs finished in 8th place, ranking Nauru the 9th strongest Aussie Rules nation in the world.
Nauru withdrew from the 2005 International Cup.
They successfully raised the money required to attend the 2008 event, partly through sponsorships. However due to intense rivalry and violence in the National League, the NAFA placed strict conditions on player eligibility to encourage a sense of unity, meaning that only players under 23 years old with a clean record were able to represent Nauru in the cup. A number of members of the national team were placed with clubs in country Victoria to spend a few months developing their skills before the tournament. The team performed exceptionally, being beaten once in the opening pool round by the eventual winners Papua New Guinea to place 5th overall.
International Cup2002: 8th
2005: Did not enter
2008: 5th
2011: 6th
Arafura Games1995: 3rd
1997: Did not enter
1999: Did not enter
2001: 1st
JuniorsNauru has sent juniors to the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament in 2003, but were defeated by both New Zealand and the ACT junior sides.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian ... l_in_Nauru
1.^ Pacific Sporting Needs Assessment
2.^ AFL International Census 2007
3.^
http://www.aussierulesinternational.com ... fura-games
4.^
http://www.aussierulesinternational.com ... fura-games
5.^
http://www.aussierulesinternational.com ... fura-games
6.^
http://www.aussierulesinternational.com ... fura-games
