Aussie Rules gets NZ TV slot

Aussie Rules is getting a foothold in New Zealand - now it even has its own TV slot.

The Local Footy Show , a one-stop shop to understanding what that fast-paced, action filled game called Aussie Rules is all about, will screen on Auckland's Triangle Television on Saturdays at 1:30pm. It will be simulcast on Ecasttv.co.nz, livenews.co.nz, and scoop.co.nz

While the rules of the game can be a little confusing to New Zealanders, the sport has a steadily growing following here. Melbourne's St Kilda club says it is considering the possibility of an Australia/New Zealand AFL clash as early as Anzac Day 2013

Now in its fifteenth year promoting Victorian Australian Rules football, The Local Footy Show features stories from more than 280 clubs from across 16 leagues, with 11 leagues featuring in its full match-of-the-day coverage in 2011 alone.

Jim Blackman, CEO of Triangle Television, believes The Local Footy Show will get more people playing the game here.

"We see this show as sowing the seeds for understanding and for club level involvement in the sport in this country and, for us, it is part of our commitment to a broad base public service broadcasting service," he says.

The Local Footy Show was recognised nationally in Australia when it took out the award for Best Sports Show at the 2010 Antenna Awards. Since his playing days in the Federal and South East Suburban Football Leagues, presenter Daryl Pitman has covered the sport locally from almost every angle.