World Footy News

The Southampton Titans, a team formed at the start of the year for the ARUK's Southern England division, received some coverage in Southampton newspaper the Daily Echo last week. The article focused on the Titans taking top spot on the ladder for their division, with a background to club founder Michael Krischunas.

Aussie rules..OK!
Daily Echo
Simon Carter
June 28, 2007

There is a football team in Southampton currently making waves at a national level.

But the chances are you’ve never heard of the Southampton Titans.

Only formed in January of this year, the team are currently top of the Southern Division in the UK Australian Rules Football League.

Named after Southampton’s links with the Titanic ship, the team hit top spot following last weekend’s 128-55 thrashing of Thanet in the rain at Millbrook Rugby Club.

Titans only led 52-35 at half-time – after the second of four quarters – but stormed ahead after winning the third quarter 46-0!

The hosts scored 17 goals through Ben Warren (4), Ben Foale (4), Peter Stroud (4), Chris Potter (2), Mark Tood (2) and Krischunas.

The club’s leading goalscorers in what is the Southern Division’s inaugural season are Warren and Stroud with 19 each. They are followed by Foale (15) and Tom O’Bryan, whose 14 goals included a league record ELEVEN in one game.

There is only one league match left, against Sussex this weekend, before a play-off semi-final and possible final.

The idea of launching an Aussie Rules side came about after Aussie Michael Krischunas moved to the south coast last autumn after six months of back packing around Europe.

After failing to find work in London, he eventually gained a job on the Isle of Wight and based himself in Southampton.

"By January, and with some advertising at the Walkabout and the Gumtree website, a group of interested players gathered at the Walkabout to discuss the way forward at the club," Krischunas said.

"That was the night that the Titans were born.

"The Titans were named based on the history that the Titanic sailed from Southampton, and the team colours of red and white are in support of the more traditional Southampton football team, the Saints."

For more information on the club, visit www.southampton-titans.co.uk

Modified Rules

• The traditional Australian Rules game has been modified to suit English conditions.
• The game is played on a rugby field, rather than a cricket sized oval, and is reduced from 18-a-side to 9-a-side.
• Aside from that, only minor rule changes are adopted.
• Players are required to bounce the ball every ten meters. They are also restricted to one bounce in the UK league.
• Any ball that goes out of bounds is awarded a free kick against the last team to touch the ball, but the free kick cannot be a scoring shot.
• This differs from the traditional game where an out of bounds ball will be thrown back in by an umpire to a ruck contest.
• The four quarters are also restricted to 20 minutes each with a running clock. In the Australian game, the clock stops after goals, and certain free-kicks.