‘Should be Cairns’: Why this 10-year-old is pushing for the 20th AFL licence

If there was ever a reason to give Cairns the 20th AFL licence, it would be because of the heart and passion of a 10-year-old boy who won’t stop emailing the AFL.

If there was ever a reason to award Cairns the 20th AFL licence, it would be because of the heart and passion of a 10-year-old diehard footy fan who won’t stop emailing the AFL.

Cairns schoolboy Ollie Hourigan is about as passionate as you can get when it comes to Australia’s number one winter code.

The Geelong supporter has written to the AFL countless times expressing why he believes Cairns should have a team in the competition.

“I have been writing letters to the AFL, (but) I only got one response,” Ollie said.

“In 2021, I went to my first live AFL game at Cazalys Stadium, the game was between St Kilda and Adelaide and it as brilliant.

Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs junior player Ollie Hourigan is Cairns' biggest AFL fan, writing multiple letters and even drafting a petition to AFL headquarters in Melbourne, eager to get a national team based in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

“It was a wet night and our seats were right on the boundary fence which is not under cover, so we were all absolutely soaked but that didn’t matter, I loved it.

“I had only ever seen AFL on TV, so when I got the chance to see a live AFL game, I was so excited.

“I am a Geelong supporter but on the night I was going for St Kilda. It was a really close game and low scoring, I think because the ball was so slippery with all the rain.

“I remember going home and dreaming about AFL, I couldn’t wait to go to my next Auskick session.”

When asked why he believed Cairns should get a team over Darwin, Ollie said it was simple.

“I think Cairns deserves the AFL team because they have a big AFL following and it will be great for our tourism,” Ollie said.

Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs junior player Ollie Hourigan is Cairns' biggest AFL fan, writing multiple letters and even drafting a petition to AFL headquarters in Melbourne, eager to get a national team based in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs junior player Ollie Hourigan is Cairns' biggest AFL fan, writing multiple letters and even drafting a petition to AFL headquarters in Melbourne, eager to get a national team based in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

“The team should be called Cairns Crocs.

“They will be red, dark green and blue and come into the competition in 2032.”

That year, Ollie started up the family footy tipping competition, watching all the games he could on TV, still playing Auskick and became the water boy for his older sister Kyra’s football team.

In 2022, Ollie was one of the first to get tickets for the Port Adelaide vs St Kilda game at Cazalys Stadium.

“At the end of the 2022 season when I was eight, I designed an AFL team for Cairns and I emailed it to them (AFL) and they responded,” Ollie said.

“They liked my idea for a Cairns AFL team but they said that they had no plans to expand the league.

Cairns 10-year-old Ollie Hourigan is pushing for the 20th AFL licence to come to the Far North making it the third Queensland club in the AFL. Picture: Angela Hourigan

“When 2023 came around, you can imagine my disappointment when the AFL announced that Darwin was getting two AFL games and Cairns had none.

“I was devastated, I was so upset and complaining to my parents about how unfair it was.

“I felt sad and moped around for weeks, then I decided that I couldn’t sit around, I had to do something, so I wrote them another letter.

“From memory, that first letter was a bit hard, I was very upset, so I understand why they didn’t reply.

“The reason I wrote the letters was to hopefully get the AFL to change their mind and play an AFL game here in Cairns, so my next letter was much more polite but still the AFL didn’t reply.”

Knowing how much Ollie loved his AFL, the family travelled to Darwin to watch the two games at TIO Stadium.

In 2024, the family travelled down to Melbourne to watch Ollie’s beloved Cats in action against Carlton at the MCG.

“It was the best, even though they lost,” Ollie said.

“Then I went back to the MCG to watch Geelong vs Essendon the following week.

“I only hope that they will have an AFL game here in Cairns next year since they have already decided that no games will be played in Cairns for 2025.

“The third year in a row.”

Cairns Post, in collaboration with AFL Cairns and Cairns Council made the bold bid for the 20th AFL licence in June 2023, just weeks after the AFL announced Tasmania would receive the 19th licence.

“I think Cairns Council needs to realise the national sports brings people here and that means money for our hotels, local businesses and tourism,” Ollie said.

“Plus the people who live here are more likely to want to play AFL if there are national teams playing here.

“If we actually had an AFL team based here, called the Cairns Crocs, it would be good for Cairns.

“Good for growing the sport and good for the league because when Tasmania start up the numbers will be uneven.

“We need 20 teams, so Cairns is the perfect choice for the leagues 20th team.”

Ollie has even started his own petition for people in Cairns to sign to create more noise around the new licence.

Originally published as ‘Should be Cairns’: Why this 10-year-old is pushing for the 20th AFL licence