World Footy News

Three years after the inaugural International Cup, ten nations have gathered in Melbourne Australia for the second such tournament. After the late withdrawal of Nauru the draw was re-done and five matches scheduled for the first day's play, at Murphy Reserve, Port Melbourne. The day also featured an official opening ceremony.

A relatively large number of AFL football media were in attendance, particularly with Adrian Anderson, General Manager Football Operations AFL holding a press conference (pictured at right). Also in attendance were The Honourable John Thwaites (Deputy Premier of Victoria), announcing the Cup had been given official Victorian Event status, David Matthews (General Manager Game Development AFL), ) and Councillor Darren Ray (Mayor City of Port Phillip).

The official side of the day involved:

12.00pm - Official Opening Ceremony
12.20pm - Media conference
12.30pm - Official media luncheon

The Opening Ceremony included a march past by 10 nations and MacRobertson Girls High School Band. Also amongst the crowd were AFL Legend Ron Barassi, former Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton, and top AFL talent scout Kevin Sheehan.

The International Cup captains