When the International Australian Football Council (IAFC) was formed in 1995 one of its aims was to “establish and promote an official World Cup of Australian Football.”
I was fortunate enough to be appointed as the IAFC’s Publicity Officer. In 1999, following consultation visits to many countries, I drafted a World Cup discussion paper and draft regulations for circulation to the various national bodies.
We then approached the AFL, asking for their support in staging the event. The AFL agreed on the basis that the event was renamed the ‘International Cup’. An Organising Committee, consisting of AFL and IAFC representatives, was then appointed.
The inaugural Australian Football International Cup was held in 2002 in Melbourne, with 11 countries competing including Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the USA. The International Cup is now the premier event on the international Australian football calendar.