World Footy News

The AFL will host the 2005 International Cup in Melbourne, Australia. It is hoped that all the countries that attended in 2002 will return, and possibly some new ones.

The 2002 International Cup was a great success, giving the growing leagues around the world a pinnacle to aim for. Ultimately Ireland took away the major prize, upsetting Papua New Guinea in the final. In the coming months World Footy News will look back on that tournament, and also look forward to 2005.

It is pleasing to see that when the AFL announced the 2005 International Cup some weeks ago, they gave it front page status on their website for several days. Although development of the game overseas is not totally dependent on the AFL, the speed with which it grows can certainly be heavily influenced by Australia's major league.

The AFL's announcement can still be found on their International Leagues page.