World Footy News

2009 will see the launch of Germany's sixth Australian Football club, with the Stuttgart Emus set to take the field in the league's brand-new second division.

As with the ARFLI, the Australian Football League Germany has seen a growth in numbers and playing standard over the past few years among the strong clubs.

While this is an important indicator of good progress on the level of individual clubs, the gap between the top and bottom of the table can make it hard for new teams to enter the league.

In Germany, the Berlin Crocodiles in particular have been on the wrong end of a few large scorelines, and the Strasbourg Roos, known in their sole AFLG season as the Black Devils, found the going very tough.

The AFLG now look set to follow a similar model to the Irish in 2009, launching a second division to cater for both newcomers and the reserve teams from the stronger clubs. The Premier Division will see Frankfurt, Hamburg, Rheinland and Munich battle it out for the title, while the Second Division will see Berlin and Stuttgart field their senior teams, along with Rheinland and Munich's reserves.