Play Aussie USA adds Classic Sportswear & Brisbane Lions to AFL Merchandise offerings

Kids Aussie Rules - How to Play AFL

We wanted to share some great learning videos for budding kids and junior Aussie Rules Football players. Playing AFL footy is really easy actually for everyone, but with some skills and some practice, kids and junior footy players will have a bunch more fun.

The videos in this collection are by Greater Western Sydney star Jeremy Cameron and are short and fun. If you keep things simple for the kids they can catch on pretty quick and watching some games on TV these days that you can DVR, they will be trying trick shots before you know it.

So these 9 videos show how to mark, handball, kick for goal even how to kick a banana.They might even be useful for the adult in the family that wants to help the younger footy player in the house. ;)

Please use them to help your USA footy star in the making. If you are wanting a ball for your kids don't forget to check out the Aussie Football Sizes page. And remember we have AFL team merchandise, even some supporter gear for the GWS Giants.

Use the link below to see the links to all the Videos to watch on YouTube.

Read more: Kids Aussie Rules - How to Play AFL

Play Aussie USA announces partnership with ISC Sport Australia

We are really excited to announce a partnership with ISC Sports Australia, the premier supplier of AFL uniforms and merchandise to eight AFL teams. ISC were born in the 90s and have risen to the top of elite sports competition uniforms and casual wear in Australia. Play Aussie is thrilled to be able to now bring their quality gear to the USA footy lover.

Impressively, currently under ISC's wing are Collingwood, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, West Coast, Fremantle, Sydney and Gold Coast football clubs and Play Aussie will be bringing you when possible, the best of their genuine Match Day Guernseys and other AFL merchandise, like their very sort after Media Polo shirts.

Soon you will see on our AFL team merchandise pages the items we will be bringing you first up. Note however, stock will be limited initially so we recommend that when they appear for sale you don't wait, as we are expecting items with be in demand early. We are also increasing our inventory of our Supporter guernseys to carry more sizes. Our goal from the beginning as with our Sherrin footballs, has been to provide Australian Rules Football players and supporters as many options as possible, so as if you were shopping in Australia.

This new exciting step for Play Aussie wouldn't have been possible with the support of the USAFL footy clubs, especially the players, and the supporters of the game in the USA. As we continue to expand and support the growth of the game of Aussie Rules Football here in the USA, you can be continue to count on us to provide quality AFL merchandise, Sherrin footballs and equipment, shipped locally and at affordable prices. Cheers!

Wayne Kraska
Owner/CEO

Sherrin Precision training ball for improved kicking skills

We are now pleased to introduce the new Sherrin Precision Training Ball to our store for both Men and Women players, designed specially to assist players kicking skill development in Australian Rules Football.

"Kicking straight in AFL is difficult. Finally we have a ball that instantly helps parents, coaches and teachers to provide meaningful feedback to their player."
Mark Williams AFL Premiership Coach

Recognizing that kicking in AFL is one of the most challenging skills to learn, Sherrin has partnered exclusively with AFL Premiership Coach and PE Teacher Mark Williams, to launch Sherrin Precision. The brainchild of Mark Williams, the Precision concept features a larger sweet spot on each end of the Sherrin (red or yellow dots) which provides a greater area for the foot to connect with and a visual aid for the player to understand the ideal impact zone on their foot.

Official AFL Club Footballs Now Available

The official AFL licensed Sherrin club footballs are here for the 2020 AFL season. Now you can support your AFL team everywhere you go with Official AFL Merchandise. The AFL Sherrin Club footballs are synthetic all weather balls and are a great addition to our online store.

We also have Match Day AFL guernseys and Media Polos, but be quick as stock is limited and hard to get right now. Get yours as a gift for someone you know that supports their favorite AFL team in Australia, or even yourself.

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

We get many visitors to this page from Australia, thanks for coming over to the USA to find out about Sherrins, haha. Say hello in the chat pop up if you don't mind.

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.