FORMER Sydney Swan Tadhg Kennelly has been appointed to a development role by the AFL, which will include recruiting and overseeing potential footballers in Ireland.

Kennelly, who played 197 games with the Swans, has been one of the great Irish success stories in Australian football.

His new role with the AFL includes coaching the New South Wales under-16 and under-18 teams and "marshalling" an underage AFL Europe team, reports The Age.

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said Kennelly's passion for the game would prove helpful in his new role.

"He talked of his belief, a bit like [Ron] Barassi 40 years ago, saying the game's such a great game, why not expose others to it - why shouldn't the world be playing our game?" Sheehan said.

Kennelly's appointment means the AFL will effectively be dealing with the GAA straight-up rather than have clubs or player agents launch raids on Irish talent.

"I think Tadhg's an opportunity for the AFL to mend a few bridges, so it doesn't look like they're raiding the place all the time," one unnamed observer told The Age.

"I think Tadhg's name, his ability to do that, will give them a better hold in Ireland. The Tadhg Kennelly International Academy has got a better ring to it than the AFL or Ricky Nixon or any of those guys."