Article in the Sun Herald about Danny Harrison

He first played Australian football when he ws five. His favourite team is the Adelaide Crows and he hopes to land a contract with a side in South Australia next year.

If you think that sounds like a typical football background, think again.

Danny Harrison is from Florica and is another example of the changing face of the sport. Nicknamed Disney by his team mates because he is from Florida, the home of Disney World, Harrison is the fourth American to win a Macquarie University scholarship to play a season with the uni's team in the Sydney first-division AFL competition.

It might be a little premature to expect the scheme to churn out premiership players, but it does open up th prospect of of tapping into a potentially enormous store of players from the US, where the domestic AFL competition was formed less than 10 years ago, but already consists of 44 clubs across 28 states.

Harrison, 19, has been training with the club since February and yesterday played his second competition game.

“I was playing for the Florida Redbacks and applied for the scholarship,” he said “then at the Nationals in October, coaches and officials from the USAFL scouted me out. I was named the winner and was here 3 months later.

“It's pretty mind boggling. I knew that coming to the home of Aussie Rules it would be more intense than at home.

“But whatever flows, goes. I just have to adjust.”

- David Sygall
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