The University  of Johannesburg has had an instrumental influence on AFL South Africa providing the young organisation with a unique research methodology to help measure the success of its programs in the embryonic stages. The Sport Development Impact Assessment Tool (SDIAT) is a tailored research program which trains the staff and volunteers of AFL South Africa as mini field researchers, collecting and analysing data which will ultimately provide tangible evidence to show that footyWILD is a program that makes a difference in South Africa.

It is the vision of the University of Johannesburg to be a premier, embracing, African city university offering a mix of vocational and academic programmes that advances freedom, democracy, equality and human dignity as high ideals of humanity through distinguished scholarship, excellence in teaching, reputable research and innovation, and through putting intellectual capital to work.