Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams is adamant more of the AFL's time and money should be committed to tapping indigenous communities for playing talent, perhaps at the expense of the Irish experiment.

As the South Australian government Friday announced the commitment of $98,000 a year over three years to finance the formation of the Aboriginal Power Cup, to be contested by teams from six SA Aboriginal sports training academy schools, Williams said he was in favour of a stronger push to identify talent in the regions.

"I think I'd rather spend a lot of time in the Northern Territory rather than Dublin," Williams said Friday.

"I think the (Aboriginal Power) initiative is outstanding, our club has been a leader in assisting and developing in giving Aboriginals an opportunity to play AFL, I think it creates a role model mentality among the young kids, and they can see it's not too far away from them.

"To combine with the government it's brilliant thinking to encourage the kids to go to school more and keep at school and reduce wagging, and to get the kids into the great things of footy and mateship and teamwork and working hard for a goal."

The model for the initiative was taken from that implemented at the Charlton Athletic Football club in south-eastern London.

"This is a model that's done in the Charlton soccer club in England, where they have successfully taken kids off drugs, they've had kids give up the booze, go back to school, go to university (and) become great model citizens," SA Deputy Premier Kevin Foley said.

"This is about getting them in an environment where they learn mateship, teamship (sic), great skills and give them a real chance in life.

"If we can do what they've done in England, which is to turn young men in particular away from a life of crime, a life of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and put them into an environment with the Port (Adelaide) Football Club with ... the footballers these kids admire and look up to, I think this is a scheme that has worked in the UK and I think it will go gangbusters here in SA."

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