Is your USAFL club in the running to win the $250 prize? Time is running out, September 30th is your last chance

Official AFL Club Footballs Now Available

The official AFL licensed Sherrin club footballs have arrived for the 2019 AFL season. Now you can support your AFL team everywhere you go, at home, at the office or on the road. The AFL cSherrin lub footballs are synthetic all weather balls and are a great addition to our online store.

We have limited stock right now, so be quick and get yours as a gift for someone you know that supports their favorite AFL team in Australia, or even yourself.

USAFL players buy discounted Sherrin Footballs & win $250 for your team

The #1 way to improve your Australian Rules Football game

The game of Australian Rules Football has evolved tremendously over the years at the elite level, even in the last 20-30 years. There is more running needed, more rotations off the bench, less key position players and more utility players. Players can and must play now anywhere on the field. However for us the most fascinating fact of all the changes is that the skills to mark, handball and kick have become so mastered by AFL players, there is hardly any difference now from player to player.

These hand and foot skills are now taught and learned in Australia from a very young age. Kids as young as 5 years old are taught to mark (catch) the ball often only with their hands and kick and handball with both left and right sides of their body. Nearly every one of those kids also has a football at home to practice with.

This wasn't always the case, in fact most AFL players didn't even touch a ball during the week other than at practice sessions, until probably the 80s. The change to that was brought about by the legendary Australian and then Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy. Sheedy is commonly regarded as the Vince Lombardi of Australian Rules Football. Through his 650+ AFL game coaching career, Kevin Sheedy has shaped many facets of the game that is seen today.

We can only assume from Sheedy's travel overseas to seek out the best coaching techniques and sports advances in his early coaching days, that he noted that USA sportsman in particular, NBA players, carried a ball with them at all times. Sheedy in the 80s requested the Essendon Football Club to buy 50 Sherrin AFL footballs, one for each of his players, a request that actually put a strain on the finances of the Essendon club at the time. Kevin wanted his players to live and sleep with a ball, to better understand its nuances, and to train their hands to its shape.

As the writer of this piece and having many years of coaching players to play Aussie Rules Football in the USA, I believe the greatest thing any player can do is have an Aussie Rules Football with them at all times. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, this guys sells footballs, of course he would say that. But you don't have to buy one, you can borrow one from your club, or ask your club to follow the lead of the greatest coach in AFL history Kevin Sheedy, and buy each of its players a ball. It would be an investment we believe would change you and your team in amazing ways.

Kevin Sheedy has long been a supporter and promoter of international Aussie Rules Football. Having made several visits to the USAFL National Championships and was a guest speaker as early as 2004 in Atlanta. We welcome you to read more about the man that probably shaped Aussie Rules Football the most and continues to do so for those of us around the world. Visit Kevin's website at,  www.sheedyvision.com.au

Wayne Kraska
Owner/CEO
www.playaussie.com

Photo: Zack Merrit, Essendon FC - Wikimedia Commons

The Making of an Australian Icon, the Sherrin Football

Ever wondered how the best Australian Rules Football, the legendary Kangaroo Brand Sherrin is made? Recently a behind the scenes story was excellently captured by Beyond The Game TV at the home of Sherrin footballs in Melbourne, Australia. Whether you are interested in buying a truly iconic product like a Sherrin Australian Rules Football, this video gives you full access to process, the history and the legend that is Sherrin Footballs in Australia.

So sit back and take a look at how the very Aussie Rules Footballs that you can buy here on Play Aussie USA come into reality, as we follow 3 time Premiership player Josh Gibson of the Hawthorn Football Club make the official balls for the 2018 AFL Grand Final.

About Sherrin Footballs

The history of our primary product Sherrin Australian Rules footballs, is long and distinguished. Sherrin was founded in 1880 by Thomas William Sherrin, so important this is still today to the company, the name T.W Sherrin remains on all Sherrin footballs.

The first Sherrin factory was opened during 1879 in Collingwood just a few miles north of Melbourne Australia. After nearly a hundred years in the control of the Sherrin family the company was sold in 1972 to Spalding Australia. Later in 2003 Spalding was bought by the Russell Athletic Corporation. Although 139 years on, Sherrin still makes Australian Rules footballs by hand in much the same way from a factory located in Scoresby just east of Melbourne, Victoria.

There are known to be 23 steps in the process to make the signature Kangaroo Brand Sherrin Australian Rules football that are used today by many AFL leagues around the world. All leather Kangaroo Brand footballs used for all AFL games are still handmade in Melbourne.

The Sherrin Aussie Rules Football like most things Australian has gathered many nicknames over the years such as The Pill, The Nut, The T.W, The Cherry, The Agat and The Pigskin. Sherrin Australian Footballs remain the official ball of the elite competition in Australia, the AFL-

One of Sherrin's marketing slogans has been over the years. "If it’s not a Sherrin, it’s just not football"

We here at Play Aussie USA now often use the hashtag #itsgottabeasherrin. Try it yourself and see if you can find us, use it and we will certainly find you. So if you are thinking where can I buy a Sherrin in the USA, well you found us.

Photo courtesy Sherrin Australia