Australian rules football in Tonga
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
in Tonga
has its origins in local schools the 1980s, but has been played on an organised basis only since 2003, when the game's governing body, the Tonga Australian Football Association was founded.
There are currently approximately 150 or more Tongans regularly playing Australian rules football.
Tonga's senior team has been drawn to debut internationally at the 2011 Australian Football International Cup
.
Further, during the late 1990s, Ewen Gracie, a former Melbourne primary school and sports teacher, also spent a few years employed at Liahona High School, in Tonga, during which time he also made time to teach young Tongans the skills of the Australian football game.
A schools competition has been played yearly since then, including a tour to Samoa
. Development officers from Australia have visited to islands to assist in creating development programs.
In 2006 the first TAFA PTH junior scholarship was awarded to Alex Fungavaka who was placed at Norwood Morialta High School in Adelaide
.
Tongan community also competed at the 2004 Australian Football Multicultural Cup
.
Although the Black Marlins could not commit to the full draw of the 2008 Australian Football International Cup
, the Tongan side did arrive in Australia and participate in the multicultural division of the competition against Team Africa.
reserves between 1983-8.
In 2010, notable rugby league
player Israel Folau
of Tongan descent signed with the Greater Western Sydney Football Club.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
in Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
has its origins in local schools the 1980s, but has been played on an organised basis only since 2003, when the game's governing body, the Tonga Australian Football Association was founded.
There are currently approximately 150 or more Tongans regularly playing Australian rules football.
Tonga's senior team has been drawn to debut internationally at the 2011 Australian Football International Cup
2011 Australian Football International Cup
The 2011 Australian Football International Cup is the fourth edition of the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition run by the Australian Football League....
.
History
The first Australian rules football believed to have been played in Tonga was during the Christmas break of 1985–1986, when a Melbourne teacher named Denis Towers visited the country briefly with his Tongan-born wife, and played the game with some 40 Tongan men from the local villages of Hautu-Fahefa on the grounds of the local primary school.Further, during the late 1990s, Ewen Gracie, a former Melbourne primary school and sports teacher, also spent a few years employed at Liahona High School, in Tonga, during which time he also made time to teach young Tongans the skills of the Australian football game.
A schools competition has been played yearly since then, including a tour to Samoa
Australian rules football in Samoa
Australian rules football in Samoa has been played since 1997.The governing body for the sport was formed under the name Samoa Australian Rules Football Association in 1998, becoming the AFL Samoa in 2007...
. Development officers from Australia have visited to islands to assist in creating development programs.
In 2006 the first TAFA PTH junior scholarship was awarded to Alex Fungavaka who was placed at Norwood Morialta High School in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
International competition
The senior men's representative team is known as the Black Marlins and hosted Australian amateur team the Fitzroy Reds in late 2006. A team representing the MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Tongan community also competed at the 2004 Australian Football Multicultural Cup
Australian Football Multicultural Cup
The Australian Football Multicultural Cup was an amateur Australian rules football competition featuring teams drawn from melbourne's migrant communities...
.
Although the Black Marlins could not commit to the full draw of the 2008 Australian Football International Cup
2008 Australian Football International Cup
The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested....
, the Tongan side did arrive in Australia and participate in the multicultural division of the competition against Team Africa.
Notable Tongan players
Fatui Ataata managed 35 games in the Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
reserves between 1983-8.
In 2010, notable rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player Israel Folau
Israel Folau
Israel Folau is a professional Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Greater Western Sydney Football Club in the Australian Football League . He previously played Rugby league for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League from 2007 to 2008 where he broke the record for most...
of Tongan descent signed with the Greater Western Sydney Football Club.