Following the ground-breaking pre-season tour of South Africa by the West Coast Eagles in December 2007, the AFL has recently announced that the Eagles will return overseas, this time to play the Collingwood Magpies in an official NAB Cup fixture next year.

The opening round of the 2009 NAB Cup is scheduled for Saturday February 7 at world renowned Sahara Park in Newlands at the foot of the majestic Table Mountain, providing the Eagles with an opportunity to once again get out of their comfort zone and back to the wilds of Africa.

The South Africa experience of almost a year ago proved to be a life-changing one, surprising even the playing group with the depth of its insight into a whole new world.

The players visited the black townships of Umlazi and Kwa Mashu in Kwa Zulu Natal where AFL is just starting to make significant inroads. The young Eagles were able to enjoy the warm hospitality of local footyWILD volunteers, who invited the players into their tiny makeshift shacks to share a simple meal with their families.

The highlight for some was the overnight stay in a traditional Zulu village where the players listened to the amazing sounds of the Connections Choir, heard from a sangoma (a local witchdoctor) and slept on straw mats after a home-cooked meal of freshly killed chicken …. which they had to kill themselves!

The interaction was a two way street, with the young South African children embracing the players and relishing the opportunity to ply their hand at our indigenous game of Australian football, or footyWILD as it known in the rainbow nation.

The Costa Logistics sponsored footyWILD BIG 5 program has created a groundswell of interest amongst young African boys and girls aged 8-13 years with all of the Eagles players getting a taste of the BIG 5 skills, taught South African style.

Ruckman Dean Cox was one of several big name players who were touched by the whole journey into Zulu kingdom, “It was an amazing experience, something that I didn’t expect before I left. ...with our young list, the trip to South Africa marked the beginning of something special for the West Coast Eagles.” said Cox 

Gun mid-fielder Daniel Kerr was equally impressed by the experience and found it hard to keep away from the action, “Yeah, the best part for me has definitely been playing footy with the kids. I could spend all my time here with those kids.”

The Eagles will be keen to amend for a disappointing season in 2008 with a fresh start in the NAB Cup next year, with Capetown, South Africa playing host to this historic encounter – only time will tell if this is the place ‘where Eagles dare’.

To find about more about the 2009 NAB Cup game in Cape Town next February please click here