World Footy News

US Footy’s Australian Advisory Board Executive Director, Tony Fairhead, recently managed to have students from Saint John’s University, Minnesota, who are studying at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle taught a little bit about Aussie Rules, including playing games.

He organised two matches for the Americans, who were nicknamed the Yankeroos, with the Clontarf Academy. The Academy, one of several across Australia, uses football to assist disadvantaged Aboriginal children in achieving a better lifestyle. It is not the first time they have assisted international Aussie Rules either, the Academy playing a touring South African side earlier in the year.

The teams were a mix, allowing the Americans to play alongside and against talented and experienced footballers. Three of the Clontarf footballers actually went on to be drafted into the AFL. Articles on the event appeared in the March edition of the US Footy Newsletter and the Notre Dame website. Encouragingly, the students wished to continue playing football when they return home, possibly creating the need for a new college club or else the obvious choice would be USAFL club the Minnesota Freeze.

Following this, students from the College of St. Benedict (the women’s equivalent of St. John’s), who were also on an exchange to Fremantle, began a three-month ‘boot camp’ footy program. The program is being run by WAFL club, South Fremantle.

It is hoped students from other overseas universities will also join the program, which is expected to spread to nearby Perth in the future. Also check out the Women’s AFA website.