AFL Toyota Premiership 2011

South Africa Lions

Since the SA Lions were selected from the annual AFL South Africa footyWILD championships -- where four provincial teams vie for national honours -- the squad has been training in smaller provincial groups.

Leading up to IC11, the Lions will tour WA as guests of Swan Districts FC and gain valuable match practice before the Cup.

South Africa hopes to improve on their 2008 third placing and have set their sights on the finals. The side has improved significantly since 2008 but recognises that other teams will have as well so won’t be taking any opposition lightly.

Head Coach: Stewart Edge
Assistant Coach: Wayne Miller

South Africa's Road to IC11
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Message from the South African High Commissioner

 
Australia has for some time now been supporting the establishment of AFL in South Africa, especially in underprivileged communities, with the aim of assisting young players to reach their full potential, despite their difficult circumstances. 

I welcome these efforts by the Australian Authorities and I am excited that South Africa will participate in the 2011 International AFL Cup.

I urge the South African community in Australia to support our AFL team as they compete in this important event.

Koleka Mqulwana
High Commissioner for South Africa

Players to Watch  

Bayanda Sobetwa
Bayanda was the first South African to be listed by an Australian State League Club following his 2011 recruitment to Port Melbourne in the VFL. Bayanda spent 2010 at Greater Western Sydney under coaching legend Kevin Sheedy who first spotted Bayanda in South Africa the previous year, during the AIS/AFL Academy’s third tour of the rainbow nation. This is all the more amazing as Bayanda knew nothing about the game only three years ago – his first taste was when he joined in for a kick at his local cricket ground in the Cape Town township of Khayelitsha. A highly skilled utility blessed with terrific awareness, Bayanda is the new face of AFL in South Africa.

Khaya Sikiti
AFL South Africa’s Best and Fairest winner at the 2009 and 2010 National Championships, Khaya has spent season 2011 with South Launceston FC becoming one of two South Africans to play in the Tassie State League. Khaya is a hard running midfielder who enjoys drifting forward to kick goals. His athleticism was on show this year in Tassie when he did a series of cart-wheels to celebrate a goal in one of his first games for his new club.  The feat made the Footy Show’s ‘Almost Footy Legends’ so expect to see more of the same at IC11 this year.

Thembinkosi Zwane (Dhino)
One of the SA Lions’ most improved players, Dhino is an athletic defender with a love of carrying the ball through the lines from his key defensive post. Dhino impressed everyone in the 2011 National Championships providing dazzling displays of run and carry and a keen ability to read the play.