national team, the Falcons defeated Papua New Guinea to win the International Cup and were later invited to send a team to the Australian Country Championships. 2006 saw the first-ever live regular season AFL matches on television, which were shown by SKY Network Television. In November 2008, 17-year-old Liam Ackland was invited to the AIS/AFL academy. The Hawthorn Football Club, which had been involved in New Zealand since about 2004 and at one point in 2009 had 3 players from New Zealand on its senior list, stepped up its involvement in 2009 with development funding to set up a school competition, the "Hawks Cup", for recruiting and talent identification. The sport boomed at junior levels after approved by the New Zealand Secondary Sports Council. Kurt Heatherley of Tauranga accepted an AFL scholarship in 2010. 2016 saw the successful introduction of a high-level four-team national competition, featuring a national draft with games played out of North Harbour stadium. In 2021 All Blacks Will Jordan expressed an interest in trialling with an AFL club, describing it as a "a cool game to watch", Jordie Barrett admitted he's a fan, describing it as a "cool sport". Participation In 2007 New Zealand had around 600 senior players. In 2010, the AFL hoped to increase registered secondary school participants with the introduction of in-school programs. This introduction was highly successful and at the end of 2012, 25,000 Kiwikick participants had been recorded. By 2016 the number of registered participants had increased to 35,000. Leagues & Competitions National team The National men's team is the Hawks. Up to 1908 it was known as the "All Blacks" or the "Silver Ferns" like their rugby counterparts. When the team was reformed it adopted the moniker of the Falcons in 1995. In 2018, a poll was held by AFL New Zealand to rename the side with the current named selected. The team intercolonial tests were for the 1908 tour to Australia, when it competed in the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival and travelled throughout Australia playing regional sides. However the team was dormant for three quarters of a century until the first internationals at the Arafura Games where they were Silver medallists in 1995 and 1997. The side has competed internationally since the inaugural Australian Football International Cup in 2002, and was crowned International champions in 2005. A national women's side, the New Zealand Kahu, began as an under 18