THE AFL is reintroducing its international trips for the best draftees in the country, with both boys and girls Marsh AFL National Academy squads to head to New Zealand in December.

The League has not had any international element to its AFL Academy program since 2018, when the boys squad finished a four-year run going to the IMG Academy in Florida for a January training trip.

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Before that, they had also done annual trips to Europe during the season and played games against European legion squads, having also travelled to South Africa as part of the Academy program.

Younger groups had also done in-season trips to New Zealand previously, with the destination back on the itinerary for the Academy next month as the boys squad head to Wellington between December 10-14 and the girls from December 17-21.

Nicky Couston, the League's head of talent, told AFL.com.au the pre-season training camps, which will also be attended by club recruiters, were important in helping build the Academy as a finishing school for the best athletes. 

"The goal of the national Academy hasn't changed which is to best prepare players for the transition from the talent pathways to the AFL and AFLW environments and also wanting to deliver what we would like to deliver a unique and memorable experience as we compete with all the other sports around the country for the nation's best young talent," Couston said. 

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"The aspirational sporting landscape for young athletes in Australia is quite incredible. We want to make sure we're doing everything we can to provide the most aspirational pathway possible for Australian rules footy. 

"Part of that from all the feedback we gathered was to have a really high-quality once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity that we're able to provide."

The AFL has partnered with the New Zealand campus of innovation and sport in Wellington for both of the training camps, which will be without competitive games but serve as high-performance pre-season blocks for the groups of 25 prospects eligible for the 2026 drafts. 

"We do think that as well as providing a high-quality footy training camp, some of the other benefits of travelling, being as part of a team, the cultural immersion we're able to do in a place like New Zealand, will be really great to share some of that with the players as well," Couston said.

Georja Davies is congratulated by Mischa Barwin after kicking a goal during the Marsh AFL National Academy match between the AFL National Academy Girls and the All-Stars at RSEA Park on April 20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

"Clubs are invited and we always enjoy inviting the clubs into our national Academy program. It's a good opportunity to get to know some of the players who will be touted as the most talented in next year's draft."

The AFL had considered adding as many as eight 'bottom-aged' players to its Academy, in a bid to fast-track their development ahead of their draft year, but has decided against it in selecting its squads, which will be released this week.

As well as the overseas training camp's return, the Academy structure for next year will see the squads play two games across a week, allowing them to work within the type of play, review, prepare and then play again structure of an AFL club.