"I’m looking forward to playing under our adopted SA Lions coach Jason McCartney after a successful International Cup in Australia last year, but more importantly, to compete against the AIS/AFL Academy and show how much we have improved" SA Lions Vice Captain Benji Motuba 

The third successive AFL/AIS Academy tour to South Africa in April 2009 promises to be a great experience from both a sporting and cultural point of view, with the centre-piece game against the new and improved SA Lions a notable highlight.

On the back of a successful International Cup in 2008, the SA Lions are keen to show the AIS group their new brand of football.

SA Lions vice captain Benji Motuba is pumped about the opportunity, "I’m looking forward to playing under our adopted SA Lions coach Jason McCartney after a successful International Cup in Australia last year, but more importantly, to compete against the AIS/AFL Academy and show how much we have improved" said Motuba. "The AIS can expect a much more organised, faster and more desperate Lions team than in April 2008" he added.

AFL Youth and High Performance Coordinator, Jason McCartney, who coached the South African Lions at the International Cup 2008 is once again looking forward to the challenge of coaching the ever improving Lions Team against a very talented AFL/AIS side,

"The AIS tour presents a wonderful opportunity for our young men to actively play an important role in growing the game within South Africa" said McCartney. “What’s most exciting about the upcoming tour is the opportunity to again coach the Mighty SA Lions against the AIS. After 3rd placing in the IC 2008, I'm expecting the Lions to show continued improvement and put in a strong showing against the best 30 underage footballers from Australia".

The Lions lost the 2007 encounter by a whopping 25 goals but showed considerable improvement in 2008 to go down by less than 100 points against players that are now on AFL lists– with the confidence and experience gained in last year’s International Cup, the aim is to reduce that gap even further in 2009.

The AIS/AFL Academy team arrives in South Africa on the 12th of April and will tour various communities and townships in Gauteng, the North West Province and the Western Cape

Highlights will include a return visit to Sparrow HIV Village and the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, footyWILD clinics in Alexandra and Tembisa with major partner Costa Logistics, the thrill of Big 5 game parks in the North West followed by the sobriety of world famous Robben Island in Cape Town where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison.

The main game against the SA Lions is scheduled for Monday April 20 at Sahara Park, Newlands.