AFL National Championships

Last updated

AFL Under-19 Championships
Current season, competition or edition:
AFL current event.svg 2023 AFL National Championships
FormerlyTeal Cup (1953–1995)
Sport Australian rules football
First season1953
Administrator Australian Football League
No. of teams8
Most recent
champion(s)
Allies
(2023)
Most titles(D1) Vic Metro (18)
(D2) Tasmania (8)
TV partner(s) Fox Footy
Sponsor(s) National Australia Bank
Related
competitions
AFL Women's Under 18 Championships

The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. Since taking over as national governing body in 1995, the AFL has gradually restructured the competition into a primary junior pathway for its fully professional national club competition.

Contents

The National Championships grew out of the Teal Cup which began in 1953 as a junior representative competition between the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. It was rebranded in 1976 to reflect its expansion to include representative teams from each Australian state and mainland territory, rotated between host cities.

The current competition is contested as a hybrid representative format. The best players from the Academy competitions (AFL club feeder teams) combine to form an 'Allies' team in conjunction with South Australia, Western Australia and two Victoria teams—Metro (Melbourne Metropolitan Area) and Country—to contest the division 1 tournament.

History

Originally known as the Teal Cup, it began in 1953 as a junior representative competition between the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. It was an annual match between the two states, the winners would possess a trophy donated by the Teal family of Queensland. Members of the Australian National Football Council, most notably Victorian representative Bruce Andrew, assisted in the establishment the competition in its early days. [1]

The Australian Capital Territory was the first other side to enter in 1973. With the addition of teams from each Australian state and mainland territory in 1976, the tournament was rebranded as the National Championships and rotated between host cities. The championships were split into two divisions with the strongest states including Victoria (later split into two sides: Vic Metro and Vic Country) comprising Division 1. Papua New Guinea was the first other country to field a team in 1979.

Under-18 All-Australian and WA's Most Valuable Player award winner Anthony Morabito from the 2009 championship. Anthony Morabito WA.jpg
Under-18 All-Australian and WA's Most Valuable Player award winner Anthony Morabito from the 2009 championship.

In the absence of a national league, and less regular senior competition, it grew into one of the most important competitions in the country. Early on it was an Under-17 competition, however the age limit has been progressively increased and separate junior championships added for Under-15 level (commencing as the Shell Cup, now the AFL National Development Championships) from the 1970s onwards. It was a major talent pathway for underage players outside of Victoria to the VFL. As part of the AFL Commission's role as national governing body, the Victorian TAC Cup competition was restructured in 1992 to become the primary pathway to the AFL. As a result, representative development sides from NSW/ACT and Tasmania for a time have played in that competition instead. However, in recent years, the National Championships has regained its status as a primary AFL recruitment pathway as the growth of the sport outside Victoria has accelerated.

The division 2 competition was replaced by the Under-19 Academy Series in 2017, with teams from the 4 Queensland and NSW AFL clubs' academies in addition to Northern Territory and Tasmania state teams. The entire competition was changed to under-19s in 2021 (the competition has previously operated under-17s and under-18s competitions).

With the AFL Commission phasing out representative football at senior level since 1994, the National Championships are one of the few opportunities for players to play for their state or territory. Players typically share the senior team's guernsey (with the exception of Victorian teams, which play in variations of the state team guernsey—Vic Metro has a light blue Big V insignia, while Vic Country plays in a reverse white with navy Big V).

The best players from the academy competition then combine to form an 'Allies' team in conjunction with South Australia, Western Australia and two Victoria teams, Metro (Melbourne Metropolitan Area) and Country to contest the division 1 tournament.

The winner of the 2023 division 1 tournament was the Allies.

Winners and awards

Individual awards

The Larke Medal is awarded to the best player in Division 1 of the competition. It is named in honour of a junior footballer, Michael Larke, who was killed in a bus crash while attending a trial match for New South Wales. The Hunter Harrison Medal is awarded to the best player in Division 2 and is named in honour of a former president and life member of the Northern Territory Football League, Hunter Harrison, who played a major role in the development of the AFL Youth Championships. [2] Each tournament, an underage All-Australian team is named; an MVP is also named for each team.

Past winners

YearDivision 1 PremiersLarke MedalDivision 2 PremiersHunter Harrison MedalHost/s
1953 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3] Brisbane, Queensland
1954-1962Not contested
1963 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1964 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1965 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1966 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1967 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1968 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1969 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3] Brisbane, Queensland
1970 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1971 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1972 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3]
1973 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland [3] Sydney, New South Wales
1974 Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales [3] Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
1975 Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales [3] Brisbane, Queensland
1976 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg VictoriaMick Woods (Vic) Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
1977 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg VictoriaRodney Watts (Vic) Melbourne, Victoria
1978 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Mark Weideman (SA) Brisbane, Queensland
1979 Flag of South Australia.svg South AustraliaGrant Campbell (WA) Hobart, Tasmania
1980 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Darryl Murphy (ACT) Perth, Western Australia
1981 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria Paul Salmon (Vic) Melbourne, Victoria
1982 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria Michael Phyland (NSW) Brisbane, Queensland
1983 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria Greg Anderson (SA) Darwin, Northern Territory
1984 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg VictoriaDavid Condon (NSW) Sydney, New South Wales
1985 Flag of Western Australia.svg Western AustraliaJason Kerr (NSW) Perth, Western Australia
1986 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria Stephen Lawrence (Qld) Adelaide, South Australia
1987 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria Steven Kolyniuk (Vic) Hobart, Tasmania
1988 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg VictoriaRobbie Wright (NSW) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
1989 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Ray Windsor (Qld) Melbourne, Victoria
1990 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Paul Williams (Tas) Brisbane, Queensland
1991 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Robert Neill (ACT) Darwin, Northern Territory
1992 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Daniel Southern (WA) Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Michael Voss (Qld) Melbourne, Victoria
1993 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Shaun McManus (WA) Flag of New South Wales.svg New South WalesMark Ryan (NT) Adelaide, South Australia
1994 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Daniel Harford (Vic M.) Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Michael Martin (Tas)
1995 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Luke Godden (Vic M.)
Ben Setchell (Vic C.)
Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia Steven Koops (NT)
1996 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic MetroPat Steinfort (Vic M.) Flag of Tasmania.svg TasmaniaMatthew Bernes (Tas)
1997 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Tim Finocchiaro (Vic M.) Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland Fred Campbell (NT)
1998 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Garth Taylor (WA) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACTShane Young (Qld)
Derek Murray (NSW/ACT)
1999 Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia Paul Hasleby (WA) Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland Brad Green (Tas)
2000 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Kayne Pettifer (Vic C.) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACT Ian Callinan (Tas)
2001 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Sam Power (Vic M.)
Steven Armstrong (WA)
Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania Tom Davidson (Tas)Melbourne, Victoria
2002 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Byron Schammer (SA) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACT Anthony Corrie (NT)Melbourne, Victoria
2003 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Kepler Bradley (WA) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACTJake Furfaro (Qld)Melbourne, Victoria
2004 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Jesse Smith (Vic M.) Flag of the Northern Territory.svg Northern Territory Richard Tambling (NT)Melbourne, Victoria
2005 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Marc Murphy (Vic M.) Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania Grant Birchall (Tas)Melbourne, Victoria
2006 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Tom Hawkins (Vic M.) Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland Ricky Petterd (Qld)Melbourne, Victoria
2007 Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia Cale Morton (WA) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACT Craig Bird (NSW/ACT)VIC, WA, SA, NSW
2008 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Jack Watts (Vic M.) Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania Mitch Robinson (Tas)VIC, WA, SA, TAS
2009 Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia David Swallow (WA)
Andrew Hooper (Vic C.)
Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACTDylan McNeil (NSW/ACT)National (excluding ACT)
2010 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Harley Bennell (WA) Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania Sam Darley (Tas)National (excluding ACT)
2011 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Stephen Coniglio (WA) Flag of Tasmania.svg TasmaniaJohn McKenzie (Tas)National (excluding ACT)
2012 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Lachie Whitfield (Vic C.) Flag of the Northern Territory.svg Northern Territory Jake Neade (NT)National (excluding ACT)
2013 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Dom Sheed (WA) Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania Liam Dawson (Qld)
Kade Kolodjashnij (Tas)
Toby Nankervis (Tas)
National (excluding ACT)
2014 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Christian Petracca (Vic M.) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACT Isaac Heeney (NSW/ACT)VIC, WA, SA, NSW
2015 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Country Josh Schache (Vic C.) Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland Ben Keays (Qld)VIC, WA, SA, QLD
2016 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Jack Graham (SA) Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg NSW/ACT Jack Bowes (Qld)National (excluding ACT)
2017 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Oscar Allen (WA)(Replaced by Academy Series) Nick Blakey (Syd A.)VIC, WA, SA, NSW
2018 Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Sam Walsh (Vic C.) Tarryn Thomas (Tas)VIC, SA, QLD
2019 Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia Deven Robertson (WA) Connor Budarick (GC A.)VIC, NSW, SA
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [4]
2021Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [5]
2022 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Vic Metro Will Ashcroft (Vic M.)(Replaced by Academy Series) Jaspa Fletcher (Bris A.)National (excluding Tasmania)
2023 SoO - Allies.png Allies Ryley Sanders (Allies) Ethan Read (GC A.) [6] VIC, WA, SA, QLD

Participating teams

Current

Division 1

Division 2

(Note: Since 2017, the AFL has replaced state and territory representative teams with an Academy division consisting of its QLD and NSW AFL Club sides: GWS Giants, Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns and Sydney Swans)

  • Flag of New South Wales.svg / Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory)
  • Flag of Queensland.svg / Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland (Queensland)
  • Flag of the Northern Territory.svg / Flag of the Northern Territory.svg Northern Territory (Northern Territory)
  • Flag of Tasmania.svg / Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania (Tasmania)

Full List

Currently participating
TeamYears participatingRegion/s representedDiv 1 PremiershipsDiv 1 Premiership Year/sDiv 2 PremiershipsDiv 2 Premiership Year/sNotes
Allies2016- Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania 12023See also Allies team
Australian Capital Territory1973-1995 Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg Australian Capital Territory [7] [8] (later combined within New South Wales)
Brisbane Lions2017-(club)See Brisbane Lions Academy
Gold Coast Suns2017-(club)See Gold Coast Suns Academy
GWS Giants2017-(club)See GWS Giants Academy
New South Wales1953-1995 Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales 21974-7511993Previously governed by NSWAFL. Combined with ACT in 1996 by AFL NSW/ACT.
New South Wales-Australian Capital Territory1996-2016 Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales and Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg Australian Capital Territory 81998, 2000, 2002-03, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 [9] Governed by AFL NSW/ACT
Northern Territory1979-2016 Flag of the Northern Territory.svg Northern Territory 22004, 2012Governed by AFL Northern Territory
Papua New Guinea1979 Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New Guinea See also Papua New Guinea underage national team
Queensland1953-2016 Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland 121953, 1963-7341997, 1999, 2006, 2015Governed by AFL Queensland
South Australia1976- Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia 81978-80, 1991, 1995, 2013–14, 2018See also South Australian state team. Governed by the South Australian National Football League
Sydney Swans2017-(club)See Sydney Swans Academy
Tasmania1976-2016 Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania 81996, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2010–11, 2013, 2018Governed by AFL Tasmania
Victoria1975-1988 Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria 91976-77, 1981–84, 1986–88See also Victorian state football team. Split into Vic Metro and Vic Country in 1989
Victoria Metro1989- Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Melbourne (Victoria)181990, 1992–94, 1996–98, 2001–02, 2004–06, 2008, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2022Governed by AFL Victoria
Victoria Country1989- Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg All areas of Victoria outside of Melbourne51989, 2000, 2003, 2010, 201521992, 1994Governed by AFL Victoria Country
Western Australia1978- Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia 51985, 1999, 2007, 2009, 201911995See also Western Australian state team. Governed by the West Australian Football Commission

Sponsors

The tournament is currently sponsored by the National Australia Bank, having previously been sponsored by Caltex and the Commonwealth Bank. [10]

See also

Notes

  1. Bruce Andrew’s remarkable football life By Michael Roberts for collingwoodfc.com.au 15 April 2021
  2. Barfoot, Michael (December 1995). History of NTFL. p. 107.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "History of the Teal Cup". 1976 Teal Cup Australian Football National Championship (PDF). Wagga Wagga, NSW: City of Wagga Wagga. 12 June 1976. p. 6.
  4. Simply Energy WA U18s squad announced West Australian Football Commission 18 September 2020
  5. UPDATE: Second WA v SA U19 clash looms, Vic season cancelled By Callum Twomey 3 September 2021
  6. "2023 AFL National Championships U18 Boys All-Australian Team announced". AFL.com.au . 21 July 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  7. "Last chance for bottom teams". The Canberra Times . Vol. 47, no. 13,456. 8 June 1973. p. 19. Retrieved 21 December 2021 via Trove.
  8. "Qld seeks junior rules game". The Canberra Times . Vol. 44, no. 12,494. 16 December 1969. p. 23. Retrieved 21 December 2021 via Trove.
  9. "AFL agrees to expand under-18 horizons". The Canberra Times . Vol. 71, no. 22, 054. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 September 1995. p. 24. Retrieved 10 April 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  10. Taylor, Kevin. The Story of the Teal Cup and AFL National Under 18 Championships – Full Points Footy. Retrieved 4 July 2013, from the Pandora Archive.

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References