World Footy News

With the much-discussed ASTN television deal slowly taking form, metro leagues kicking off around the United States, leagues forming reforming in new shapes and sizes and the US Revolution and Canadian Northwind planning for their assault on the International Cup, 2005 could be a big year for footy in North America.

WFN takes a look at some of the major developments.

The biggest talking point in footy in USA Footy this year is the television deal with new sports broadcaster ASTN - a new all-sports channel who are hoping to send USFooty matches to TV screens America-wide. Proposals are being taken by the USFooty board for clubs wishing to host games for broadcast - the first event likely to be the East-West Allstar game in Dallas.

In the west, the Californian AFL is unlikely to return as a league as such. The replacement has not yet been finalised, but one proposal would see clubs across the western region playing invitational matches against each other and a year's tally kept to crown a 'Footy West' champion.

The first inter-club matches have already been played in the West, with the Golden Gate Roos travelling to Fort Irwin on the weekend of the 19th and 20th of February to take on the Mojave Greens. The Roos were the winners on the day, but the Greens will be back to take them on in San Fransisco in the near future.

The Golden Gate AFL continues its four-team metro league this year, the Arizona AFL has six teams and over 100 registered players for the season and the Chicago Australian Football Association is warming up for a big season of metro league play in the Windy City. Chicago have organised an exchange program with the Labrador Tigers from the AFL Queensland, which will see one of their American players head down under for a game, and an experienced Australian coming to Chicago to help with development and training.

A little further to the left, and up the map a bit, the Minnesota Freeze are hoping to take the field for the first genuine season after many years of trying to get something off the ground. They have two metro teams currently planned - the Minneapolis Madcats and the St Paul Icedogs - and are hoping to play against other nearby USFooty clubs and attend the nationals in Milwaukee in their own right after some of their squad helped strengthen the Milwaukee Bombers' B team at the 2004 nationals in Atlanta.

In the Mid-West, the Mid American AFL remains largely unchanged for season 2005, with the same seven teams from last year fronting up again for another season. In the east however, the South Eastern and North Eastern leagues are merging to form the Eastern AFL, featuring the Florida Redbacks, North Carolina Tigers, Baltimore Washington Eagles, Philadpelphia Hawks, Pittsburgh Wallabies, Boston Demons and the New York Magpies.

The Atlanta Kookaburras will continue in the MAAFL, but have expanded their metro league to a fourth team, and bound each of their metro squads to a locality around the Atlanta metro area.

The Tri-City Saints have folded after many years of struggling to create a consistent winning combination in eastern Tennessee and it is as yet unclear where the Baton Rouge Tigers will play, after they had planned to compete in the South East league.

In Canada, the planned affiliate clubs from the Ontario AFL will not go ahead for season 2005. Both Niagara and the Tri-Cities will be investigated later this season for future potential. Many of the weaker Ontario clubs have however reportedly recruited some Australian non-playing coaches which could see a much more competitive league in season 2005.