Calls to disband AFL Academies for Indigneous pathways grow

Recruiters have called for the AFL Academies to be blown up and replaced with an Indigenous pathway as clubs fear the number of Indigenous players in the AFL could drop to the low 50s by 2026.

The AFL National Academies have been slammed as a waste of close to $2 million as clubs fear the number of Indigenous players in the AFL could drop to the low 50s by 2026.

On Saturday the boys academy will play the first of two games against VFL clubs.

But recruiters want the league to blow up the programs and redeploy that cash into an Indigenous pathway that would capture more talent from an earlier age.

In 2020 there were 87 Indigenous players in the AFL. There are currently 71 – with 24 of those out of contract and a further three in their 30s.

If the figure falls to the low 50s by 2026 there would be close to a 40 per cent reduction in six years.

Round 5 will feature 29 Indigenous players – accounting for just 7.9 per cent of teams.

There is barely any elite Indigenous talent on the 2024 or 2025 draft radars amid a growing chorus for the exorbitant AFL Academy to be either diluted or disbanded.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan celebrates a goal. Picture: Getty Images

Father-son guns Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane), Ben and Lucas Camporeale (Carlton) and Tyler Welsh (Adelaide) as well as northern academy prospects Joel Cochran (Sydney), Leonardo Lombard (Gold Coast) and Sam Marshall (Brisbane) are all in this year’s AFL Academy despite already receiving significant extra development.

Those boys have already trained extensively with the AFL clubs that have priority access to them.

Almost 100 players joined AFL lists in 2024 across the national, pre-season and rookie drafts and supplemental signing period.

But five out of the 30 boys in the 2023 AFL Academy failed to make the grade – Lachlan Cabor (NSW), Jack Callinan (Tas), Orlando Turner (NT), William Patton (SA) and Nathan Philactides (Vic).

Cabor, who was also in Sydney’s northern academy, and Patton also took up places in the 2022 academy.

The knock on halfback Philactides for all of last year was that he didn’t defend well enough – but none of his coaches, including at the elite AFL Academy, corrected the issue.

“How much did the AFL Academy actually help them?” one figure said.

Nathan Philactides. Picture: Michael Klein

“Realistically, if you’re in the AFL Academy you should be getting drafted. Clubs don’t feel the AFL Academy is serving any purpose whatsoever. They’re not even picking the best players for the AFL Academy.

“They’re co-opting it to make sure they tick off a certain number of players from each state.

“There’s nothing a Coates League boy in the AFL Academy is getting that they’re not getting anywhere else, other than a week training with an AFL club.

“Which is great for their development, but that could be organised pretty easily for two boys from each region.”

“There’s clearly Indigenous talent out there, but if they’re not getting into the talent pathway then they’re not getting into the AFL clubs’ line of sight.

Saturday’s match against Coburg will provide Victorian boys in the academy a rare opportunity to play against men.

But while last year’s squad was at least tested against AFL-listed players like Mitch Georgiades (Port Adelaide) and Jack Martin (Carlton), there is frustration that this match is against lowly Coburg, which has not won a game since 2022.

“The AFL Academy has very limited time with the boys anyway,” one insider said.

“They have two camps and play two games, of which recruiters don’t value that highly anyway.

“What the AFL wants to be able to do is put out a press release after draft night and say, ‘Another successful year for the AFL Academy with 24 drafted’ and claim they had a big impact in Harley Reid getting drafted.

“Well, did you really? Is Harley Reid really the player you want to develop?”

Reid played for six clubs last year – the AFL Academy, Bendigo Pioneers, Vic Country, Essendon VFL, Carlton VFL and Tongala.

Harley Reid in action for the Australian under 18 side. Picture: Michael Klein

The mixed messaging from various senior, line and school coaches as well as parents and player agents as players also complete year 12 studies is widely perceived as confusing.

The 30 boy 2024 academy squad congregated in Melbourne on Thursday for its second “high-performance camp” following an induction camp in Victoria in January.

Coach Tarkyn Lockyer said “the learnings and experiences players gain … is invaluable” when this year’s squad was announced.

Indigenous numbers in AFLW are also alarmingly low. There are more Irish women on AFLW lists than Indigenous women.

AFLW clubs barely have the budget for assistant coaches let alone for welfare resources to aid Indigenous girls.

Clubs remain furious at the AFL over a March 14 meeting where the league pointed the finger at them for not drafting Indigenous players despite there being little talent in the pathways.

They claimed the league was grossly underprepared and had not done its research on the issue.

Each club is forced to pay a sizeable talent levy to help fund the draft combine, national championships and the AFL Academies.

They believe the national boys and girls academies would cost close to $2 million. The AFL on Friday refused to say how much they cost.

“In addition to our current programs have introduced a new National Diversity Academy, which will bring together our top 15 Indigenous and top 15 Multicultural players in their 17th and 18th year as they lead up to the draft,” a league spokesperson said.

Originally published as Calls to disband AFL Academies for Indigneous pathways grow