World Footy News

The new boys in US footy, the Bakersfield Barbarians, are all set to have their first match, with the Orange County Bombers and a rejuvenated Inland Empire set to travel to the Californian city in October for some matches.

The Inland Empire have been largely dormant in recent years but are looking to fire up again, particularly in 9-a-side footy. The OC are also keen to help our their neighbours trying to start a new Aussie Rules club. Expat Aussie Leigh Hickling has been working hard in Bakersfield and is delighted that his guys will get their first match, on October 30th. Leigh also has plans to promote the game to the locals to try to grow interest in the city - a local TV crew has advised they'll attend a training session, and a live band is planned for the day of the exhibition matches.

The Barbarians have been training regularly for the last few months but have yet to taste match pressure, even in a friendly. Bakersfield is about 180 km north of Los Angeles, and has a population of about 300,000 people (with around 400,000 more in the greater surrounding area of Kern County). Many people have suggested that more information is needed for start-up clubs, so they can see what does and doesn't work. As a small step in that direction, World Footy News has been following the progress of Bakersfield. Only time will tell whether the club grows into a major success, but so far it's moving forward nicely. Follow their progress at the Bakersfield Experiment.