There have been a bunch of W-League players that switched to AFLW
As mentioned above. Brad Green might have, he was scouted by Man U as a teenager
Angelo Lekkas played in the Victorian premier league for south Melbourne after afl
2 Likes
I donât think itâs too much of a stretch to say that many AFL players could/would be top athletes across other sports.
But in terms of football, itâs really only for very specialist positions. Eg American Football and the Punter.
Maybe you could find a very good goal keeper for association football in the AFL?
AFL players struggle to kick a football where they want it to go as it is. I canât imagine them improving much with a round ball.
Weâve got a guy currently on our list as a category B rookie who played some elite junior soccer rather than AFL.
Most kids in Australia learn how to kick a football from a toddler age. Itâs part of our culture, that we all learn how to play Aussie rules.
All other countries are the opposite to us, toddlers are kicking and dribbling soccer balls around.
Any professional Australian sports person should be able to slot into football at a reasonable level, purely for the fact that most of them have played football at some stage in their life.
Have you seen how half our team kicks the ball?
1 Like
Sorry to say, but it isnât just the ball control. I have played football with ex soccer players, and they kick the ball brilliantly, no question. They also have great stamina. Where they fall down is they struggle to mark the ball, pick up the ball, handpass the ball and are too easy to knock off the ball. The average size of an EPL player is 182cm & 77kgs. The average AFL player is 187 & 87 kgs so on average the AFL footballer is 2 inches and 10kgs bigger, yet just as fast with just as much if not more stamina. That really is too much to concede in a contact sport.
The problem for AFL footballers comes with ball control. They donât have the fine motor movement skills of their feet like soccer players do. They also need to move their bigger, heavier body to match a smaller, more mobile opponent, a clear advantage in a sport where body contact is frowned upon.
Given a year or two, I believe that some AFL footballers, particularly the smaller, more nimble ones could transition to A-League level, but that would be the limit, based on their ability to master some basic ball skills. You certainly wouldnât want them trying to dribble around opponents too often though.
The A League player on the other hand is at a physical disadvantage that he has no control over. Two inches in height, whilst not insurmountable, is not something they can change, and 10kg Is a lot of weight to add and would impact their agility.
I think the only position that an AFL player could perform is as the goal keeper(only a certain type of player could do it). No chance they make it as an outfield player though
No chance a soccer player could make it as an AFL player. The whole nature of the game is too different
Not any more. In fact AFL strategy is becoming more and more like soccer. Especially with the way teams set up behind the ball, zone off, and the forwards ability to apply frontal pressure.
One of the main issues Footballers have from a tactical perspective, is their inability to stick to a tactical structure.
A teams structure in soccer is everything. As a defender I have given my fair share of sprays at my team mates (who have swapped over from football) because they âsee ball, chase ballâ. Theyâre like a dog who gets sooo excited about winning the ball, they forget that they need to keep their line. Or opposition player has possession, we donât need 2-4 players running over to try and disposes them.
If they play in a central midfield position, they shouldnât be running infront of strikers, and they shouldnât be dropping behind the defensive line. They must hold the line with the other midfielders. This just never computes with blokes who have played footy.
1 Like
Blowing own trumpet and all that but I was a decent footballer, round ball that is, and got here in 88. 2 boys aged 4 and 2 both went on to play Aussie rules at a top Tassie standard. Iâm the shortest at 6â2". I would love to have played the game.
Didnt one of the Hird sons play soccer overseas at somw academy for a bit?
Also Sam Draper used to play soccer and only picked up footy recently.
Agreed with most of the comments, itâs much easier to be a soccer player turning into a AFL player than the other way around.
Wonder what happens when it comes to basketball though.
1 Like
Basketball to footy would be a unique pathway. Surprised you donât hear about that, would give you good hands. 
2 Likes
What about steeplechasing? Surely nobody could go from that to AFL?
7 Likes
Youâd have to be both vertically gifted and aerobically blessed to pull of that feat.
4 Likes
Not to say it couldnât happen, but, if it did happen, we wouldâve heard about it.
2 Likes
you have pretty much described our midfield as the size of EPL players âŚ
1 Like
I transitioned from playing junior soccer until I was 14 straight into footy and played seniors a few years later. Itâs much easier to transition over to footy given the technique required for soccer- it just translates really well.
The obvious gap here is pack/overhead marking.
Football players playing soccer just doesnât workâŚ.and thatâs being generous.
Just on footballers failing to understand tactical structure.
One of the examples I had while playing, I was playing left back and the opposition winger had the ball running down my flank.
I closed him down, and didnât let him get on to his right foot to make the cross. He was stuck near the corner with no options.
My team mate (ex footy player), who was playing central midfield roleâŚâŚ runs in front of me and goes to tackle the opposition winger. The winger shimmies to one side and lays off a pass to his central midfielder who scores.
Fair to say I gave him an absolute spray. And his excuse was âwell you werenât tackling himâ.
4 Likes
You need to remember how many footy players play FIFA
doubt many soccer players play Aussie rules in PS/XBOX
Can Imagine Saad / Fantasia as Strikers.
1 Like
So XBOX and PS translate into being able to play the game? 
Soccer players in Aus support AFL a lot more passionately than footy players follow soccer. Trust me.