 | |
| Nickname(s) | The Chiefs |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Zac Temaki (2017) |
| Rankings | |
| Current |  5th (as of October 2022 [1] ) |
| International Cup | |
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2002) |
| Best result | 5th (2008, 2017) |
| Website | Official Website |
The Nauru national Australian rules football team, nicknamed the Chiefs, represents Nauru in Australian rules football. Despite its small size and population, Nauru, which is the only country with AFL as its national sport, consistently ranks among the top eight teams in the world. [2]
Australian rules had been played on Pleasant Island as early as 1916 [3] [4] [5] with regular competition between local teams from 1921. As an Australian trustee, Nauru was the only overseas league recognised and supported by the Australian National Football Council in 1929. By 1954 its popularity had grown such that it became the only football code that children played on the island. [6]
Following Nauru’s independence in 1968 [7] and the independence of the Australian territory of Papua New Guinea in 1975, an opportunity presented itself for a Nauruan national team to compete. The nation's first internationals occurred when the team toured Papua New Guinea a year later in 1976. Among the better players in the squad were Royong Itsimaera, Ali Iwagia, Johaness Itsimaera, Richardo Solomon, Vinson Detenamo, Manfred Depaune and Pres Nimes. Papua New Guinea went on to win the match by 129 points. [8]
Until sometime after 1999, the team went by the nickname the Frigatebirds. [9] In 2000, Nauru travelled to Queensland to compete in the inaugural Web Sports Cup. The side played against a team from Samoa and the Robina Roos of the AFL Queensland. Nauru won both matches. The team returned to Australia for the competition again the following year, this time defeating another two teams, including the Gold Coast Old Boys. [10]
In November 2012 Nauru travelled to Suva to take on Fiji in a three-match test series. Nauru won the first two matches by a combined 140 points. [11] [12] [13] The team re-asserted its dominance in the final match, securing the sweep with a 103 to 31 win. [14] This test series was the first official AFL international ever held outside of Australia. [15]
Despite the sport's popularity and the national team's success, as of 2017 no Nauruan international has played in the Australian Football League. [16] However, in 2008 seventeen Nauruan players competed in the Victorian Football League in preparation for the 2008 Australian Football International Cup. [17] In 2012 Yoshi Harris played a few matches for Greater Western Sydney Giants's reserve squad and in the AFL Sydney. [18] Though shorter in stature than the average AFL player, Nauruans are fast and athletic. Not a single player in the 2008 International Cup squad was over 183cm. Because of this height, the Nauruan style is to play close to the ground and is suited to playing in wet conditions. [19]
As the only Australian rules ground on Nauru, the Linkbelt Oval in the Aiwo District is home to the sport on the island. However, because the pitch surface is rock and phosphate dust, and markings are drawn on the rock with oil rather than paint or chalk, the ground does not meet standards for international matches. [16] [20]
Nauru has participated in the Australian Football International Cup since the inaugural tournament in 2002. [21] They have gone on to compete in every edition of the tournament, aside from 2005 when the team had to withdraw because of financial difficulties shortly before the games started. [22]
| International Cup results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Finish | P | W-L-D | PF | PA | |
| 2002 [23] | 8/11 | 6 | 1-5-0 | 269 | 247 | |
| 2005 [24] | Withdrew | |||||
| 2008 [25] | 5/16 | 5 | 4-1-0 | 387 | 166 | |
| 2011 [26] | 6/18 | 6 | 4-2-0 | 312 | 238 | |
| 2014 [27] | 7/18 | 5 | 4-1-0 | 419 | 170 | |
| 2017 [28] | 5/18 | 5 | 4-1-0 | 232 | 235 | |
Nauru competed in the 1995 Arafura Games in Darwin, the first edition of the tournament to feature national teams. That year they were coached by former Geelong Football Club player Mark Yeates. Nauru went on to win the bronze medal that year. The Chiefs went on to win the tournament in 2001, defeating the Northern Territory Eagles in the final. The team did not compete in 1997 or 1999 despite national teams competing in the sport at those games. [29] [10]
| Arafura Games results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Finish | P | W-L-D | PF | PA | |
| 1995 [30] | 3/5 | 5 | 2-3-0 | 233 | 236 | |
| 1997 [31] | Did Not Enter | |||||
| 1999 [32] | Did Not Enter | |||||
| 2001 [33] | 1/4 | 3 | 3-0-0 | 307 | 81 | |
AFL Nauru also organizes youth sides, nicknamed the Stars. [38] At the under-16 level the nation has experienced much success, including Oceania Cup championships in 2013, 2015, [39] 2016, [40] and 2019; [41] and multiple second-place finishes; [42] and appearances in the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament. [43]
Champion Runners-up 3rd Place
| Oceania Cup results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Finish | |||||
 2009 [44] | 2nd | |||||
 2010 [45] | 4th | |||||
| 2011 [46] | 2nd | |||||
| 2012 [47] | 2nd | |||||
| 2013 [48] | 1st | |||||
| 2014 [49] | 2nd | |||||
| 2015 [39] | 1st | |||||
| 2016 [40] | 1st | |||||
| 2017 [50] | 2nd | |||||
| 2018 [51] | 2nd | |||||
| 2019 [41] | 1st | |||||
| 2023 [52] | 2nd | |||||
The displacement of the traditional culture of Nauru by contemporary western influences is evident on the island. Little remains from the old customs. The traditions of arts and crafts are nearly lost.
The Australian Football International Cup is a triennial international tournament in Australian rules football. It is the biggest international tournament in the sport that is open to all nations. More than 26 nations have participated and the competition has expanded into multiple pools and both men and women's divisions. At the time of the last tournament in 2017, the sport had a record 170,744 registered players outside Australia growing at a rate of 25 per cent per annum.
Australian rules football in Nauru dates back to the 1910s. Australian rules football became the national sport of Nauru after its independence in 1968. Today, its national participation rate is over 30%, the highest in the world.
The Geography of Australian rules football describes the sport of Australian rules football played in more than 60 countries around the world. By 2017 more than 26 nations had contested the Australian Football International Cup, the highest level of worldwide competition.
The Great Britain men's national Australian rules football team is known as the Great Britain Bulldogs. The team is made up of the best British born players selected from clubs of in England, Wales and Scotland, and occasional appearances from British players playing for clubs in Australia. In AFL Europe, separate national teams represent England, Wales and Scotland.
The Samoan national Australian rules football team, nicknamed the Kangaroos, represents Samoa in the team sport of Australian rules football. The team is selected from the best Samoan born players, who are currently mostly players from the Samoa Australian Rules Football Association.
Australian rules football in Japan describes the development of the team sport which dates back to 1910, but found its roots in the late 1980s mainly due to the influence of Australian Football appearing on Japanese television.
Australian rules football in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a developing team sport which was initially introduced by Australian servicemen during World War II. The governing body for the sport is the PNG Rules Football Council, with the development body being AFL PNG. The junior development version is known locally as Niukick. Regionally, AFL PNG is affiliated with AFL Oceania.
The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested.
Note: In order to be recognised as a true national team and not simply expatriates, the list is subject to International Cup eligibility rules.
Australian rules football in Samoa has been played since 1997.
The sport of Australian rules football has been played in Fiji since at least 1963, when an exhibition was held in Suva.
Australian rules football in Oceania is the sport of Australian rules football as it is watched and played in the Oceanian continent. The regional governing and development body is AFL South Pacific it is affiliated to the AFL Commission and was formed in 2008.
Nauru competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that were celebrated in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Nauru was represented by the Nauru Olympic Committee, and was the only nation out of 204 participating nations and territories that sent only a single athlete, and was one of 117 that won no medals at the Games. The sole athlete to represent the nation was Itte Detenamo, who participated in the weightlifting, and was the flag bearer in both the opening and closing ceremonies. This was the same number of athletes as at the 1996 Olympics, when Marcus Stephen represented the country in the same sport, but was a decrease from the nation's last appearance at the Games when three athletes were sent to Athens. Nauru earned a berth for the weightlifting event in the Oceania and South Pacific Olympic Weightlifting Championships in 2008 and a chance to send participants in swimming and athletics events, but chose to send only a weightlifter. Itte Detenamo competed in the Group B of heavyweight class, fifteenth and last event of the weightlifting. He did not earn a medal, but finished with a personal best.
Nauru competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its fifth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of two participants: Sled Dowabobo in the men's lightweight judo contest and Itte Detenamo in the men's super-heavyweight weightlifting competition. Dowabobo qualified as one of Oceania's highest ranked judo competitors while Detenamo made the Games based on his qualifying performance. Detenamo was the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dowabobo was eliminated by his opponent Navruz Jurakobilov in the round of 64 and Detemano was 14th in his event.
Nauru competed at the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 4 to 18 July 2015. Nauru listed 130 competitors as of 4 July 2015.
The 2017 Australian Football International Cup was the sixth edition of the Australian Football International Cup, a triennial international Australian rules football competition run by the Australian Football League (AFL).
Maximina Uepa is a weightlifter from Nauru. She won the bronze medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. She is the current Nauruan women's record-holder in the 71kg category for overall, snatch and clean and jerk.
The Oceania Cup is an annual under-16 Australian rules football competition contested by the national teams of the Oceania region of the Pacific. The tournament is held in December each year. The event was first held in 2009. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 edition of the tournament was announced as the first to be held since 2019 and the first to feature a women's division.
Tyoni Batsiua was a Nauruan weightlifter. She won the Oceania Weightlifting Championships several times and earned six gold medals at the South Pacific Games. She went on to compete in the World Weightlifting Championships and the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Her career was cut short in 2004 by her sudden death at age 22.
| Tournaments | |
|---|---|
| National teams (men) | |
| National teams (women) | |
