From gravel pitches to green ovals: Pacific AFL takes centre stage

Across an unforgettable week in Maroochydore on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, young AFL stars from across the Pacific and South Africa showed just how far the game has come in the region. The AFL U17s Pacific Cup brought together five nations in a carnival of talent, culture, and camaraderie.

Many of the players on the field had honed their skills in the AFL Talent Academies of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Fiji and Nauru, established by the Australian Football League (AFL) as part of an ongoing Pacific talent-development program supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports.

November’s AFL Pacific Cup was an opportunity to put those skills on display.

“In our Pacific countries, we have over 100,000 participants [and] 45 percent of them are women and girls,” said Trish Squires from AFL Queensland. “They’re playing Aussie Rules at home, and we want to bring them to Australia to show just how good they are.”

Passion, pride and opportunity

Flags flew and national pride soared during the opening days of the U17 tournament, with the boys gathering at the sidelines to watch their talented female counterparts on the field, and the girls repaying the favour to cheer on the boys.

But for the most driven among them, the tournament also offered the possibility of something bigger. Just ask Hewago Paul ‘Ace’ Oea, who went from playing as a junior in PNG to running onto the field for the Gold Coast Suns in 2022 and 2023.

Ben Drew, AFL International Development Manager, played an important role in the young player’s development.

"I have known Ace since he was 11 when he was in our programmes in Port Moresby," Drew told the PNG media. "The pathway that we have in place for these young boys and girls [in the AFL Pacific program] is largely modelled on the journey we took with him."

Ace was a proud onlooker at the AFL Pacific Cup in Maroochydore, cheering on the next generation of PNG stars.

“The country is watching you,” he said. “Be proud of yourself!”

Heroes and highlights

By the time the U17 tournament had drawn to a close, the PNG Kurakums had claimed victory in the girls’ division and the Nauru Stars, who famously train and play on gravel pitches, had raised the trophy in the boys’ division. But for the hundreds of young players who shared the field, from nations including Tonga, Fiji and South Africa, the event was about more than footy. It was about sharing culture, forging friendships – and nurturing dreams.