World Footy News

Various cities in the USA established Australian social organisations and it was these clubs that provided the catalyst for the birth of Australian football. In 1996 a match took place in Indianapolis, with players from Cincinnati, Nashville, Louisville and Indianapolis participating.

The sport slowly grew during 1997. A team of all-comers met in Toronto for a game against the Lawrence Park Rebels. While this was not a fully-fledged international game it did mark the true beginning of the future USAFL. With players from five US cities, the idea of a formal organization was born.

1997 also brought the first national championship tournament to Cincinnati. During the tournament the United States Australian Football Association (USAFA) was formed. A dozen guys, led by Paul "Plugger" O'Keeffe, stood outside a rural Midwestern barn, beer in hand, and discussed the future of footy. The original goal was to keep the momentum from the weekend going, continue to grow the sport and have organized tournament weekends throughout the year.

By 1998 the total number of clubs had risen to eighteen. The internet was one of the major contributing factors to this rapid expansion. The creation of a professional website, www.usfooty.com, spurred the spreading of the gospel.

In 1999 the USAFA was renamed the United States Australian Football League (USAFL). The first full board took office and junior and umpire development programs were started.

1999 also saw the first American Revolution national team named. The first true international match with Canada was held in Chicago. The Revolution, under the expert tutelage of AFL Legend Paul Roos ran out eventual winners, setting up an intense rivalry with the Canadians.

USfooty had now expanded to over 30 different cities. Player numbers had grown to 1,000 and most importantly the mix of players had changed - originally 70% of players were Australian. By 2000 that number had decreased to 40% and by 2002 had continued to drop to 30%.

One of the biggest challenges in the US is finding a field large enough to hold a game. American football and soccer fields are plentiful and so a nine-a-side version of the game was developed. The new version has been branded as MetroFooty. In 2002 the number of Metro teams has risen to 30 with 6 clubs holding MetroFooty competitions.

In 2001 the USAFL and Essendon created an annual scholarship allowing the best USAFL player to train with the Bombers. The inaugural recipient was Dustin Jones from the Lehigh Valley Crocodiles. Cincinnati Dockers ruckman Jeremy Kraus was selected by the USAFL as the 2002 scholarship player.

The Revolution made their first trip outside North America with their attendance at the inaugural Atlantic Alliance Cup in London. The team played four games in four days and walked away with a 2-2 record. The Revolution ended up second in pool play, but was not able to play in the finals due to the timing of their Nationals. Ireland ran out deserved winners over Denmark in the final.