Part 9 - AFANA
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After 15 years of waiting, the thrill of sinking my laces into a new Sherrin footy (circa 1998).
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In 1998, between watching the highlights show on Fox Sports and viewing the official AFL website, I was truly re-engaged into Aussie Rules and loving it! Having read on the internet about other Americans' interest in the sport, I then decided to attempt to network with those folks to share in the passion and see what would become of it. It was at this time that I learned about a group named the Australian Football Association of North America (AFANA for short). Their mission statement is the following:
"We seek to further the development and exposure of the most exciting game in the world: Australian football, in North America." As part of this mission we seek improved television coverage of the sport, better access to footy news and information, better availability of footy related merchandise, footy exhibitions, footy conventions and tours, and more footy for the fan!
I communicated with Rob de Santos, president of AFANA, and knew right away that his organization was just what I was looking for in terms of networking. I immediately joined forces and began networking with folks who shared the love and passion of Aussie Rules. In addition, I learned about other businesses that could provide me footy products that were previously never accessible to me; the biggest case in point was a genuine Sherrin Australian football. I was put in touch with a gentleman named Mel Eperthener who owned Gowanna Multimedia. Mel sold footballs, guernseys, clothing, books, tapes and just about anything else I could think of. Right away, I placed a large order which included, among other things, three (3) footballs! After what seemed to be an endless amount of time (in reality it was only about two months), a huge package arrived at the doorstep of my southern California home ... the moment had arrived! I ripped the box apart and, after 15 years of dreaming, the long wait was finally over! I cannot begin to describe the thrill and excitement of finally owning genuine Australian footballs ... only that I could finally retire all the gridiron balls and rugby balls I had previously kicked out of shape! In no time at all, I became a frequent visitor to one of the soccer pitches behind the Ethan B. Allen school near the Bushard St./Edinger Ave. corner in Fountain Valley near where I lived. Just as was the situation at Ilion, New York's "Victoria Park," the neighbors around the school came to know me as the strange guy with the stranger-looking footballs! It became my personal training ground and, after I began playing for the Orange County Bombers, a place where my good Australian buddy Barry O'Keefe (a CAFL goal umpire and part time player for the Bombers) and I perfected our skills in preparation for big matches and maintaining fitness. If I may wander off on a tangent for a short moment, I'd like to extend a personal thanks to Barry for adopting me as a younger brother of sorts. We'd train together, both by ourselves and together with the Bombers in Irvine, watch footy games his father would send from Adelaide (Barry's a huge Crows supporter) and I'd stop over his house to either fix his computer, advise him on a potential home improvement project or antique he pondered selling. Though I haven't been in touch with him for a few years now, I'll always appreciate his friendship and our common bond in footy.
Another footy merchandise outlet, courtesy of AFANA, were The Happy Hawkers in Alice Springs, NT. I developed a solid purchasing relationship with the Hawkers and Brian Mitchell was an absolute pleasure to do business with. I remember purchasing several items from guernseys to books and videos. I do not believe Brian advertises his business on the web anymore; however, his contact information is below.
THE HAPPY HAWKERS - Shop 3 / 113 Todd Street, ALICE SPRINGS, NT 0870, Australia, Ph: 08 89521575, Fax: 08 89555944
Thanks to AFANA, I was now fully equipped with all the latest and greatest footy gear. Next, I needed to join the official ranks of footy players in the USA and fulfill my footy journey ... enter the USAFA!
Part 10: USAFA 
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