Local footy club St Mary’s takes Aussie rules to South Africa in special trip
St Mary’s youngsters took the game they love to Africa. And the enriching experience was about far more than just footy.
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One of the biggest clubs in country footy took the game of Aussie rules to another country.
Geelong league powerhouse St Mary’s sent 21 lucky members of its under-18 an unforgettable trip to South Africa in December.
It continued a biennial tradition that began in 2004 with a tour of Ireland before the Saints first headed to South Africa in 2008.
However, this was the first time St Mary’s had taken their junior group to South Africa since 2018 due to Covid – the boys voting for the club to return to the African nation.
The teenagers got the experience of a lifetime, seeing the sights of Johannesburg and Cape Town – including a walk up Table Mountain – visiting poverty-stricken communities in Soweto and bringing the game they love to Rustenberg.
Rustenberg – about two hours from Johannesburg – has been the home of Aussie rules in South Africa with the AFL at one stage having around 30 employees working in the area.
St Mary’s footballers ran a clinic with 250 kids from the region, most of those indigenous, and played games with and against South Africa’s national Aussie rules under-17s, 18s and men’s sides.
Ian Courtney, who led the tour which included his son Wil, said it was special for both St Mary’s and the locals.
“From my point of view, the best things was the way all the kids engaged in the program, whether it be socially or from a footy a point of view, they all jumped in with all their might to really enjoy give the experience back to the kids as well,” Courtney said.
“But also got a lot out of themselves individually and the parents, really ran with the tide and enjoyed it, seeing the kids mature overnight pretty much.
“We ran a footy clinic for all those kids for about two hours, which was an amazing experience for all the kids to actually lead and give the locals an understanding of AFL footy.
“The way they jumped off the bus and ran to the clinics wanting to be part of it, just the smiles on their faces along the program was exceptional.
“They just loved understanding a little bit more about us but also have kept in contact with a lot of the boys since through social media and stuff like that. So that’s been a nice little fitting as well for a lot of the kids to understand that they actually had a bit of an impact on the locals while they were there.
“I know a lot of the kids got messages over Christmas and break to say, ‘hope you have a good Christmas’, which was nice.”
The matches were certainly a lot different to those on a wintry day at Anthony Costa with the temperature surpassing 35 degrees and the South Africans singing their national anthem in four different languages.
As you’d expect, the South African sides didn’t have the natural talent of the Aussies, but the final score was irrelevant gave it their all.
“They certainly had a really good crack. Probably just their general footy skill, that was a part of it they didn’t really understand,” Courtney said.
“When the footy was there they went and saw it and grabbed it, but the footy nous probably wasn’t quite there yet.
So that’s where I assume the AFL is trying to get it into them and give them a base understanding at the early levels so they can actually get really involved – whether it be at the early primary school age rather than waiting till they are 15 or 16.”
Another thing that will stick with all who went on the tour was their visit to a hospice which housed the sick and elderly.
It gave the youngsters a hefty dose of perspective and highlighted the cultural and economic divide in the nation.
“That was pretty special to understand the circumstances that these elderly people get left and being able to provide financial support to them was a really nice little gift to the program,” Courtney said.
“We also went through Soweto and understood that the masses of people that live in pretty much shandies under tin with not many conveniences at all.
“That really gave the kids an appreciation for the challenges that the locals were going through. That understanding of a different way of life and an idea that we need to appreciate what we do have in Geelong.”
The under-18 players weren’t the only Saints on the trip, with two-time Mathieson medallist Harry Benson and fellow midfield gun Jarryd Garner also joining the boys.
Benson, who had gone on the club’s South Africa trip himself as a teenager, went over despite signing with QAFL club Palm Beach Currumbin for next season.
“He actually experienced the trip himself as an under-17 player. He really appreciated it and gave a real insight into what you are going to get out of it in the lead up, and all that come true from what he mentioned,” Courtney said.
“(Harry and Jarryd) led from the front to coach the kids through the program but also socially really connected to the kids and provided an opportunity to get to know them a bit more. I think the senior players really enjoyed getting to know a lot of the kids on the trip as well.”
The club’s netball team have been going on their own cultural experiences in Fiji and may head to South Africa themselves in 2025.
Courtney believes these enriching trips, subsidised by club fundraising, are helping convince more people to join the Saints.
“It provides a great opportunity to understand more about the world and the cultural differences we have,” Courtney said.
“I know there’s a lot of parents who provide opportunity or I suppose encourage the kids to play at St Mary’s for that very reason, that it actually gives you more of an experience than just playing local footy, which is which is fantastic.”
Originally published as Local footy club St Mary’s takes Aussie rules to South Africa in special trip
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