Woods taking footy to the world

FORMER midfielder Tony Woods will help drive the AFL's expansion into the world domain following his appointment at the League's first international development manager.

Woods, who played 173 games for Fitzroy, Collingwood and Hawthorn, will return to the AFL to begin the brand new role in early May.

It is the first full-time dedicated international role at the AFL and indicates the growing need for personnel to oversee the game's growth at an international level.

"Elements of the role are pioneering and identifying new markets beyond Australia, and to drive interest and participation in our indigenous game beyond our shores," Woods told afl.com.au.

"The game for me has always been a big part of my life and it's given me a lot of opportunity. Over my career, I've developed a love for travelling and different cultures and people and parts of the world."

Woods said his goal was now to combine his love for discovering the world with his football acumen, and meld the two from a commercial point of view. He will bring a strong commercial background to the role, having held a role in the development of Gold Coast's commercial base for eight months last year. His early duties are expected to involve the League's push into South Africa, the development of already-existing US initiatives and the countdown to the October exhibition match in Shanghai.

General manager national and international development Dave Matthews said Woods' appointment would help to oversee some important projects as well as instigate new ones.

"In recent years, with relatively modest budgets we have worked with international affiliates, AFL clubs, government and corporate partners to test the games potential and identify priority international markets," he said.

"Some of the outcomes that have helped prove a case include 53,000 international players with over 15,000 players in South Africa and emerging talent outcomes in the Pacific" he added.

Matthew also pointed to other international development initiatives, including the 'World 18', the Pacific team entering the NAB Under-16 Championships in 2010, and the strong participation in the 2008 International Cup, which attracted 16 teams.

"These examples of international potential have been driven by people such as Kevin Sheehan, Dean Warren, Josh Vanderloo, Roger Berryman and Ken Gannon," he said.

Tony now takes the lead to work with our current structure for the industry in identifying and developing opportunities that seek to accelerate international growth in terms of development, event and commercial outcomes.

Woods said his work with the development of Gold Coast would assist him in his new position. "In some sense, it was almost a precursor to the bigger picture of pioneering into the international markets", he said.

"Having a crack in the northern market and seeing everything involved in understanding the market will help. It's also really exciting to see the growth of the club [since then] and I can't wait until they run onto the ground for the first time."

Read the full article supplied by the AFL BigPond Network.

- Jennifer Witham
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