AFL Tonga

TAFA LAUNCHES 2ND AUSTRALIAN SCHOLARSHIP - Community Development through Sport.

Alexander Fangavaka, a 177cm, 70Kg 14yo boy from the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa is the lucky recipient of the 2006 TAFA PTH Scholarship.

Alex is a keen sportsman chosen from a number of quality candidates in Tonga. He will now spend the next 6 months learning Australian Football while living with a host family in Adelaide and attending Norwood Morialta High School.

TAFA scholarships are a crucial element of TAFA's joint vision for community development through sport and a homegrown Tongan in the AFL. Funding for the 2006 TAFA scholarship has been generously provided by Pacific Timber and Hardware (PTH).

Australian Rules Football was introduced to Tonga with the formation of the Tonga Australian Football Association (TAFA) in 2003. Since then TAFA has grown steadily to introduce both Primary Schools (male and female) and High Schools programs, the "TAFA Boot Orphanage" (for recycling discarded sporting equipment) a national schoolboys tour of Western Samoa and now a second scholarship to Australia.

TAFA Scholarships currently focus on providing participants with a 6 months introduction to Australian culture, education and Australian Rules Football in its purest form. It also allows TAFA to more accurately assess the student's maturity, sporting and academic potential prior to consideration for higher level scholarships. Risks and rewards are shared between the business community (sponsorship of academic fees), the Tongan expatriate community (host families) and the student's family (fundraising for personal expenses).

TAFA facilitates and guides this process and maintains independent oversight of student welfare throughout the scholarship. TAFA Scholarship Manager, Mark Korsten states, "the TAFA Scholarship is the flagship of our program for "community development through sport", and a crucial component of our "Pathway to the AFL".

TAFA believes that sport can be a very powerful tool in addressing youth development issues and selling positive health, education and community messages. We also believe that with over 100 Tongans playing professional Rugby and American Football throughout the world it is inconceivable that a homegrown Tongan will not play in the AFL one day. Tonga may not have the economic and population bases of similar programs in Europe, Japan, USA and NZ, however for kids in Tonga every paddock is a playing field and every afternoon is for sport. As a result we have a growing pool of truly fearless kids who are learning the skills and love the game".

The 2006 TAFA PTH scholarship is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Pacific Timber and Hardware (PTH). TAFA is hoping to expand the program in future years and invites expressions of interest from corporate and private sponsors.

For more information:

TAFA (AUS) - Mark Korsten www.tafa.to or mark.korsten@ffa.int

Host Family - Mr Vikiani Teumohenga vik@vikiani.com

Norwood Morialta High School - Ms Karen Andrews karen.andrews@nmhs.sa.edu.au

TAFA (Tonga) Mike Russell, mich.russ17@gmail.com