World Footy News

The "official" USFooty league season kicked off this weekend with the Florida Redbacks travelling to take on the Atlanta Kookaburras. Actually, while many in the country are still kicking the ball around in the snow, down south footy is already underway. In Atlanta they have been playing and practicing since February. The AARFL season is already into Round 3 with the Midtown Bombers dominating the Clairmont Loungers and the Roswell Rebels. At the International level, the Revos have had their first two practice sessions including a hit out against the Kookaburras a few weeks ago. In Florida they have been playing and practicing since Nationals.

This is the third game between Atlanta and Florida and if last year’s games are anything to go by it is likely to become a fierce rivalry over the next few years. In 2007, the Redbacks travelled up to Atlanta and were beaten by 5 goals but were certainly not disgraced given the inexperience of the team. Things were reversed when Atlanta went down to Sarasota in May. Florida had gained some experience and were able to beat the Kookaburras by 3 goals. According to new Kooka coach, Jim Batten (pictured), “We will be ready for them this time and we're expecting a physical encounter.”

Atlanta had an up and down season in 2007. They had some great wins at home. On the road they were a bit more erratic, although they came close to beating Milwaukee in Milwaukee. At Nationals they were two of three in Division II losing to eventual winners the Minnesota Freeze. Jim Batten recently took over from Mike Powers as head coach of the Kookas. He is optimistic about the upcoming season. “Travelling is always hard. Getting numbers on the road is the most difficult part of organizing the team. We played pretty good football last year and we capped off a successful season with a near win at Milwaukee (in the Mud Bowl) and two wins at the Nationals. I've received pretty good commitment to our 4 away games so far and if I can convince a few more players to go on the road, we'll be successful again.”

There are some concerns losing standout, Damien Sheehan, who finished third in the goal kicking in 2007. However, “We've had some good new recruits this year. Strong American guys who will bring the average age of the club down a lot. They love the game already and will only improve once they get a few games under their belt. There are some old stagers returning, the most notable is former captain/coach Brent Bacon who's lost some weight and gained some desire. He's already booted 11 goals in one AARFL game this year” says Batten.

Even though Florida will be on the road, don’t count them out. The young team gained a lot of experience last year. Last year they beat the Vanderbilt Commodores at home and the Ft Laurderdale Squids on the road. At Nationals they took 2 (Baton Rouge and Kansas City) of 3 going down to the eventual winners of Division 3, Las Vegas/New York. They also have a couple of young guns who may make Revolution selection.

While footy is important, the buzz in Atlanta is all around Michael (Lee) Johns – American Idol finalist and former Kooka Center Half Forward. The Kookas are hanging on every one of Simon’s comments hoping that their boy can become the next American Idol.

Note: Atlanta ran out 55 points over Florida. Full report: Season opener sees Atlanta too strong for Florida