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Australia's native football code goes truly international with first American set to make AFL debut

Xinhua, August 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

A sportsman born and raised in the United States will become the first American to play in Australia's elite football competition, the Australian Football League (AFL).

Jason Holmes, who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, will make his AFL debut on Saturday for St Kilda at Etihad Stadium against Geelong, becoming the first American athlete to play in the Australia's professional football league.

Holmes, 25, has spent two years learning the intricacies of the game, and its unpredictable oval-shaped ball, after crossing over from basketball background.

"I've come so far and I'm so grateful for all of the support I've received since I began my AFL journey," Holmes told the St Kilda club website.

"It's such an amazing sport and I'm so proud to be a cog in the machine that helps this sport grow across the world."

After a reasonable college basketball career, Holmes, who stands 2.03-meter tall, was picked up as an International Rookie in 2013, at age 23.

Holmes' family has a strong lineage of elite sports success, with his father Louis (San Francisco 49ers) and brother Andre (Oakland Raiders) both drafted by National Football League (NFL) franchises.

Sydney Swans had previously been represented by an American, Sanford Wheeler, in the 1980s and 90s, but Wheeler and his family left the US at the age of five.

A domestic sport, the AFL's 700-plus players are made up almost entirely of Australians, with the exception of a few notable players including Mike Pyke (Canada), Pearce Hanley (Ireland) and Shane Savage (New Zealand).

Of the 12,387 players in AFL/VFL history, Holmes is the first to have entirely U.S roots.

However, as the AFL looks to push into international markets clubs have been encouraged to look outside the domestic talent pool.

Following the AFL's record 1.85 billion U.S dollar broadcast deal announced earlier this week, CEO Gillon McLachlan said the code would look to target "emerging communities" outside Australia in a bid to recruit more international players and increase the sport's profile globally.

"Our game needs to be able to tell stories that all Australians can recognize, men and women, kids and families have arrived here from Sudan, from China, from India, from wherever," McLachlan said at the Australian Press Club address on Wednesday.

"It must be their story, too." Endi