World Footy News

The Arizona AFL have launched their new season and their new look website. The league is a trailblazer in the USAFL, with almost all players being American. Due to the weather in this western US state, they also play most of their season when much of the rest of the country is getting ready for the harsh winter months. The AZAFL again has six teams in their metro league this season, with the main change being the re-birth of the West Valley Scorpions as the Tombstone Marshalls. Although not actually based in the legendary town, the team hopes to at least leverage some extra media interest.

The AZAFL's 5th season kicked off with last season's wooden spooners Phoenix defeating the reigning premiers Tuscon in a thriller. Chandler, the pre-season ligntning premiership winners knocked off Scottsdale, and Tombstone lost by a solitary point to Arizona State University. All the teams were pictured together for the lightning carnival (below, courtesy of the AZAFL website).

The league also sends a representative team to interstate events, such as the US Nationals, where the Arizona Hawks took out the Division 2 championship. Because the league runs through the US winter, the Hawks' schedule is free for them to tour during their hot summer months. As a result, the players have the potential to play a lot of footy in a year - although there is a risk of burnout, so far it seems to have helped fast-track the development of news players.

worldfootynews.com has previously reported on the AZAFL in the article The Arizona Model and Growing Pains for Californian Footy.