Many could suffer huge stress unless the AFL returns to an under-19 competition, giving young players a year's grace to display their football prowess after finishing year 12, a leading education expert has warned.
The AFL has expanded the under-18s and under-16s representative season for next year. It is believed that the AFL has contacted schools about a decision made late on Friday that would mean boys who wanted to crack the AFL draft would be required for the under-18 and under-16 competitions for up to three games during the season. As some school teams feature under-16s in their first side, they could be without their best players for up to six games — or nearly two-thirds of the senior school football season.
Associated Public Schools of Victoria chairwoman Pauline Turner says the young footballers are placed under too much pressure as it is.