Sunshine Coast to shine for 2024 Pacific Cup
More than 500 participants representing teams from across the Pacific region are putting in place final preparations for the 2024 Pacific Cup, a showcase of international Australian Rules Football which starts next week on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, to be played from November 14-23.
The Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, along with the Sunshine Coast Council, have partnered with the AFL and thrown their support behind the Pacific Cup.
Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex, which boasts four full-size footy ovals and is home to the Maroochydore Roos, will host the action, with the 10-day carnival comprising male and female Open and Under 17 divisions.
Sunshine Coast Council Division 7 Councillor Ted Hungerford said it was an exciting opportunity for the Sunshine Coast to be part of AFLs new international regional championships by hosting the Pacific Cup.
“The popularity of the Sunshine Coast as a location for international standard events are a direct reflection of our quality facilities such as the Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex, but our beautiful climate and world-class beaches,” Cr Hungerford said.
Sunshine Coast Council Division 8 Councillor Taylor Bunnag said the Sunshine Coast already played host to numerous AFL sporting events, competitions, and training opportunities throughout the course of each year, which provide great opportunities for young athletes to compete and develop their skills in a safe, welcoming environment.
“As a player and fan, I look forward to welcoming these rising AFL stars and their families to Maroochydore for the 11-day event, the Sunshine Coast is a great destination for high performance sports events and the AFL’s decision to bring the Pacific Cup to the region is a reflection of this” Cr Bunnag said.
AFL Head of International, Trisha Squires, said: "The 2024 Pacific Cup promised to be a vibrant and colourful celebration of the game and it is very exciting for representatives of the six competing nations to be back involved in an international event of this scale after a long period without being able to compete against each other.
"A huge amount of work has gone into staging the 2024 Pacific Cup and I want to thank the competing countries, including their officials and players, as well as Tourism and Events Queensland and the Sunshine Coast Council for supporting the event to be staged at the magnificent Maroochydore Sports Complex.
"The Pacific has been one of the strongest international regions for Australian Rules Football and the footy on show in Maroochydore promises to be highly entertaining.”
Player selection is based on performance in domestic competitions. Each team manages their own selection process, with AFL-mandated criteria being that each player must be a citizen of the country they are representing.
The AFL International Cup was first staged in 2002 and held every three years through to 2017. The 2020 event was cancelled because of the pandemic and then the AFL announced that the 2023 edition would not be held as the game continued its recovery from two years of disruption.
The focus shifted to the best and most appropriate way to get international competition going again and last year the AFL announced plans for three international regional championships in 2024, being the Transatlantic Cup (held in Toronto in August), the Asia Cup (to be played in Vietnam in December) and Pacific Cup.
Two Pacific Cup teams - Papua New Guinea and New Zealand – faced off in the 2017 International Cup men’s final, which was won narrowly by PNG, a competition contested by teams from across the globe, while PNG is expected to be strong in the women’s competition also. In a sign of how far the game for women and girls has progressed internationally, Nauru and New Zealand are sending national women’s sides to an international competition for the first time.
Day 1 images from AFL Queensland
2024 Pacific Cup – Participating nations:
- Fiji (Open Male, U17 Male, U17 Female)
- Nauru (Open Male, Open Female, U17 Male, U17 Female)
- New Zealand (Open Male, Open Female)
- Papua New Guinea (Open Male, Open Female, U17 Male, U17 Female)
- Tonga (Open Male, Open Female, U17 Male, U17 Female)
- South Africa (U17 Male)
The Under 17 divisions will start playing on Thursday 14 November, with finals to be contested on Sunday 17 November, while the senior competitions will run from Monday 18 November and conclude with finals on Sunday 24 November.
A highlight of the event will be the Pasifika cultural afternoon on Sunday 17 November, starting at 3pm. The event will also feature the opening ceremony for the open male and female competitions and coincide with the final day of Under 17 action. There will be market stalls for players, families and the local community to enjoy.
Live Streaming - Watch every game
Every game of the 2024 Pacific Cup will be streamed live and free via the AFL Play YouTube channel (youtube.com/@AFLPlay)