World Footy News

In good news for the many fans of Australian Rules Football outside Australia, several options for overseas fixtures are being considered for 2005 and 2006, with England, New Zealand, the US and United Arab Emirates all being mentioned.

In an article in the Herald Sun today, Damian Barrett reports that Collingwood is looking to play Adelaide in Dubai for a Wizard Cup (pre-season) match in early 2006. The Magpies are sponsored by Emirates Airlines, based in the UAE, and Adelaide's major sponsor Toyota export the Camry model of car there. Hawthorn are said to be investigating a similar match on Queensland's Gold Coast or a game in New Zealand, most likely against Geelong, as previously reported here. And a West Australian derby between West Coast and Fremantle is possible for the (almost) annual end of season exhibition in London. And finally, the on-again off-again match featuring North Melbourne in Los Angeles is again being discussed, with Sydney now being floated as a possible opponent, however there is no confirmation yet. Any or all of these options may fall through, but it is good to see the AFL clubs starting to actively look beyond Australia's shores once more, after a lull for several years.