A few months ago I wandered past my local newsagent and started browsing through the "2 DVD's for $10" rack. I wasn't really after anything in particular and, unfortunately, most of the fare on offer was along the lines of "I Know What You Did Not Only Last Summer But Every Subsequent Summer After That."

Then something caught my eye; a movie I'd been wanting to see since I first started following the AFL. It was "Year of the Dogs," the 1997 documentary on the Footscray Football Club. It's a warts-and-all look at the club as it teeters on the brink of failure, both on and off the field. The film did not disappoint and, after watching it, two revelations hit me (three if you count Luke Darcy's bowl-style haircut).

To begin with, it's hard to fathom just how much footy has changed in the last 13 years. The training rooms in particular are amateurish when compared with today's state-of-the art facilities.

The second revelation is one that I'm still mulling over: why haven't there been more films like this one?

Sure the AFL and its clubs are more professional now - hence more paranoid about anyone with a camera - but that doesn't mean there aren't stories out there waiting to be told.

At the moment in the States, ESPN is airing a series called "30 For 30." The brainchild of ESPN columnist and "Sports Guy" Bill Simmons, it features thirty documentary films celebrating ESPN's 30th anniversary. The subject matter has been riveting, with individual filmmakers invited to develop and shoot their own sports concepts.

Barry Levinson of "Rain Man" fame, did a film on his late and lamented Baltimore Colts. There was the remarkable tale of legendary gambler and tragic figure Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, while the most recent movie, "Guru of Go," tells the tale of former Loyola Marymount basketball coach Paul Westhead, his unique run-and-gun offense, and the sad story of his best player, Hank Gathers, dropping dead on the court.

These are powerful stories that help preserve the history of sports.

"30 For 30" is just the latest example of longer form visual storytelling in American sports. NFL Films has been doing it for years, with their brilliant behind-the-scenes documentaries. And HBO's "Hard Knocks" series takes viewers inside NFL training camps.

When it comes to Australian Rules football, there are plenty of books, and of course, there's the oral tradition, handed down by family and friends. But there's not much on the big (or little) screen. The late Rob Dickson did some very good work, and the AFL did produce a well-received documentary for its centenary season in 1996. There's also the occasional stuff on Fox Sports, ESPN International or the ABC that tends to be short and sweet.

I'm talking about digging deeper.

I've only been following Australian football since 1996, but off the top of my head, I think you could do something on any of the following stories: What it was like in the outer at the old suburban grounds. The life of Trevor Barker. The Darren Millane mystique. The final days of the Fitzroy Football Club. The Waverley Experiment. The Jim Stynes story.

I know there are far more dollars and media outlets in the US. I'm not sure where an emotional, evocative AFL film would air. Fox Sports? One HD? Probably not. It's more along the lines of something for a premium movie channel or the ABC.

And the bottom line is that the AFL would probably have to help fund some of this. And after all, in this day and age of competing codes, doesn't it make sense to have a record of the great stories to hand down from generation to generation?