The Australian Football League will "radically restructure the development of young football talent" across Australia with the creation of club-zoned multicultural and Indigenous academies, according to Caroline Wilson of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. In a move that has been viewed as a "precursor to the return of club-branded development zones," the competition is expected to allocate a "significant portion" of the '17-22 broadcast rights money in a bid to attract "under-represented talented boys into the game." The new academies, based upon the "successful football factories in the northern markets" first pioneered by the Sydney Swans, form a "major part" of AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan's "master plan" to restructure the game at grassroots and lower levels of the competition. The AFL Commission was to be briefed on the multicultural academy plan this week "with a view to a formal proposal in December." It is understood some A$30M ($21.6M) could be made available to the 10 Victorian clubs to roll out the project by '17 as a result of the Bill Kelty-chaired national review into the game. The move comes as the AFL battles rival sports and notably growing junior soccer numbers "coupled with current annual immigration numbers contributing to more than half the population growth." Although clubs "would not gain special access to recruit players developed in their specified regions," the AFL is considering incentives such as bonus rookie selections via the draft. The new scheme would work to ensure clubs refrained from "hiding" specific junior talent with the view that "successful multicultural development would benefit the entire competition." While "head office will fund the establishment of the academies," the clubs would continue to boost the "push to attract new talent into the game" via their development coaches. The national review into the game, announced by McLachlan before the start of the '15 season, has been run by AFL Football Operations Manager Mark Evans, AFL Game & Market Development Manager Simon Lethlean and AFL Clubs & Operations GM Travis Auld (SMH, 10/27).
