The best young talent in 2015 will be recognised again this season as weekly NAB AFL Rising Star nominees.
The weekly nominees represent the best young talent in the competition. The first nominee will be named following Round One.
The nominees’ talent was evident during the recent Captain’s Day with 16 of the 18 captains named as NAB AFL Rising Star nominees in the early stage of their careers. Two of the captains, Joel Selwood and Nick Riewoldt, were overall winners the award.
In 2015, NAB AFL Rising Star nominees represent 26 per cent of the AFL playing group.
The NAB AFL Rising Star has been awarded since 1993. Since that time, nominees have gone on to achieve great successes, including:
· Won 11 Brownlow Medals
· Won seven Coleman Medals
· 116 have played in a premiership team
· 43 have captained their club
· Won 96 club best and fairests
· Five are AFL coaches
AFL General Manager Football Operations Mark Evans said the Rising Star is the pinnacle of the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program.
“Together with NAB, the AFL provides a clear pathway for young footballers aspiring to join an AFL list and in 2015 every AFL player has been involved in the program.
“This involves players from football’s heartland to developing markets to those involved in international Combines.
“I look forward to seeing the new generation of stars making their mark on the game in the coming months. It is always a highlight of the football season,” Mr Evans said.
Kevin Ramsdale, NAB General Manager Brand & Product Marketing said NAB is delighted
to continue their longstanding support of the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program and the many
talented men recognised through this award.
"Our support of the NAB AFL Rising Star allows us to play a genuine role in supporting and recognising the talent of tomorrow, and giving back to the junior football clubs which played such a big role in their success. It’s these young stars who represent the future of the game we all love” said Mr Ramsdale.
“To see so many previous NAB AFL Rising Star nominees amongst the group of current club
captains is testament to the calibre of the Award. We wish all of the eligible players this year
the very best for a successful season” he continued.
In 2015, NAB will continue to build connections with the junior clubs of the NAB AFL
Rising Star nominees through the NAB Club Recognition Award program. By providing
practical and financial resources to junior football clubs across the country, NAB is enabling
these local clubs to continue to develop future stars of our game.
To be eligible for the NAB AFL Rising Star, nomination players must be under the age of 21 at 1 January 2015 and have played no more than 10 AFL games. In 2015 there are 210 eligible players.
The NAB AFL Rising Stars Program is the AFL’s talent identification and development program that provides young footballers with a clear pathway to playing at the elite level. The program also supports grassroots players and football communities throughout the country.
NAB has proudly sponsored every element of the program since 2002. The NAB AFL Rising Stars program annually involves more than 750 players aged between 15 to 21 years and consists of the following elements:
• NAB AFL Rising Star
• NAB AFL Draft
• NAB AFL Draft Combine
• NAB AFL Under-18 Championships
• NAB AFL Academy
• NAB AFL Under-16 Championships
