World Footy News

For many of the players this will not only be their first international tournament, but their first time in Australia or overseas.

2011 USA Freedom Squad:

“The training camp in Austin was a real eye opener for me to see the passion and enthusiasm of the women who are at the forefront of driving and developing this sport in the USA,” said Assistant Coach, Milli Bruce, “It was their positivity and great attitudes that a lot of the selections were based on, and I have no doubt that energy will continue on to the tour Down Under, I'm really looking forward to it!” concluded Bruce.

Captaining the Freedom will be veteran Freedom team member, Judith Stein of the Balitmore-Washington Eagles.  Judith has been with the Freedom since their first match in 2007 against the Canadian Northern Lights.  Judith has been playing footy since 2005 and brings a wealth of knowledge and talent to the team.

As the squad is geographically diverse, we have appointed a team of three Vice Captains to assist in leading the group.  Helen Spink, of Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Milwaukee Bombers heads up the Vice Captaincy.  Helen is not new to the role, Vice-Captaining the team in 2009 during their tour Down Under. Helen began her footy career in 2007 with the Baltimore-Washington Eagles. Our second vice captain from the Denver Bulldogs is Monica Rasocha.  Monica has been playing footy since 2006 and has proven to be a strong leader amongst the group. Last, but definitely not least, we have Becky Kraft of the Minnesota Freeze.  Becky is still relatively new to the sport first playing in 2010.  Becky was a part of the 2010 Freedom squad, which played against Canada at the 2010 49^th Parallel Cup in Toronto, Canada. Becky is a strong player and shows real promise as a leader on and off the field.

The International Cup requires a lot of preparation and commitment from the players, both on and off the field.  The players will be away from their homes and families for approximately 2 weeks, which for many players will be their entire years annual leave. The financial commitment is also significant with players required to fund their own travel and expenses. There will be a big fundraising effort initiated in the near future and the Freedom squad will be seeking the support of the U.S. Australian Football community.

This is a very exciting year for the Australian Football in the U.S. with the USA being one of only a few countries sending both a mens and womens team to the International Cup. Both the women’s Freedom and men’s Revolution teams will greatly benefit from this larger support group whilst in Australia.