The AFL Futures match is an annual all-star game between two representative sides consisting of the most talented under-17 Australian rules footballers. Organised by the Australian Football League (AFL) as part of its talent pathways program, the match is played as a curtain raiser to the AFL grand final. It was first contested in 2016 at Punt Road Oval on the morning of the AFL grand final; since 2018, the match has been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Background
Underage representative football has its roots in the Teal Cup, which was first established in 1953 as a one-off match between of an under-18 Queensland representative team and an under-16 New South Wales representative team. The Teal Cup became an annual event from 1963 onwards; at the same time the age qualification was established as under-17. In 1973, the competition included teams outside of Queensland and New South Wales for the first time, and by 1979, all eight Australian states and territories were competing in what was the preeminent under-17 representative football event. The Teal Cup was rebranded as the AFL National Under 18 Championships in 1996, and thus under-17 representative football was limited at a higher level.
After almost two decades, under-17 representative football returned in earnest with the NAB AFL All Stars match taking place on the morning of the 2014 AFL grand final between an under-17 AFL Academy side and an under-18 Allies side. To that point, the AFL had not scheduled a curtain raiser match at the MCG on grand final day since 2007, which was the final time the TAC Cup (now known as the Talent League) held its decider on the Saturday morning. Teams would compete for the Kevin Sheehan Trophy, named after the former footballer turned national talent identification manager. The All Stars match was reprised the following year before the 2015 AFL grand final, where the Allies again defeated the AFL Academy.
Concept
In 2016, the AFL decided to schedule two underage all-star games in the lead-up to the grand final, showcasing the best young football talent to both recruiters and the general public. Two teams, named after retired AFL stars Chris Judd and Michael O'Loughlin, would compete against each other in two age groups: the under-18s on the Friday following the parade, and the under-17s on the Saturday prior to the main event. In the days preceding the inaugural clash, the under-17 match was moved from the MCG to Punt Road Oval due to inclement weather raising concerns of surface deterioration before the feature match between and the . As was the case in the All Stars matches of 2014 and 2015, teams competed for the Kevin Sheehan Trophy, and a best-on-ground medal sponsored by NAB was awarded.
The dual-match format returned in 2017, this time with the under-18 All Stars match acting as the AFL grand final curtain raiser, and the under-17 match played on the Friday prior. However, this would be the final time the under-18 match would take place, as it was deemed an additional burden to players' increasingly full schedules ahead of the draft combine the following week. This allowed the under-17 All Stars Futures match to take centre stage on grand final day in 2018, and apart from its hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the match has remained as the MCG's curtain raiser each year since.
Match history
2016–2018: The first three years
The inaugural AFL Futures match was held in 2016. Team Judd were victors by 13 points over Team O'Loughlin, maintaining a slender lead at every break to take the win despite having less scoring shots. Team Judd, coached by outgoing AFL Academy mentor Brenton Sanderson, were led by strong performances from midfielders Lochie O'Brien (20 disposals, two goals) and Hunter Clark (21 disposals), while tall forward Darcy Fogarty was named best on ground. Jack Higgins finished with 24 disposals and a goal to be Team O'Loughlin's best, having gathered 16 touches to half-time.
Izak Rankine created headlines in 2017 when he lined up for both Team Enright and Team Harvey in the former's 39-point win at Kardinia Park. Played on the Friday prior to the AFL grand final for the only time in the match's short history, the South Australian draft prospect kicked two first-half goals for Team Enright to help them create a 45-point buffer at the long break. Ahead of the third quarter, Rankine was switched to the opposing team to even out the contest following numerous injuries to Team Harvey. He kicked a goal for his new side and inspired them to draw back within 24 points at three-quarter-time, and although the margin blew out once more in the final term, was gifted best-on-ground honours.