World Footy News

After three years of not contact footy, the full contact version of the game comes to Sacramento.  The following is from a press release from the Sacramento Australian Rules Football Club.

The Sacramento Australian Football Club (SAFC) has ambitious goals for the year 2012. Inaugurated nearly four years ago in 2009 by local Aussies Matt (pictured) and Amy Bishop, the club began as a recreational co-ed league aimed at developing the sport of Australian Football, or “Footy” for short. The Bishops, armed solely with their coercive Australian accents, knowledge and love of the game, were able to pique the curiosity of many. The recreational “tag” footy league grew rapidly as many found the game to be challenging, fun, and like no sport they have ever tried before.

The SAFC is part of a broader footy community governed under the USAFL, which oversees more than 30 clubs and 60 teams in the US. The co-ed game that has been played for the last four years in Sacramento is a modified, minimal-contact, version of the real game of Australian football, which is played by either men or women.

Previously, men interested in playing the full-tackle version of the game had to travel to the Bay Area on the weekends and play in a league known as the Golden Gate Australian Football League, and also play as the Golden Gate Roos at the National level against other team representing cities from across the country. There were no such leagues available for the women willing to play the tackle version, but Sacramento was still able to bring their first representative women’s team to the National competition last year in Austin, TX.

This year, the SAFC has retained the same level of endeavor as it aims to offer the first ever Men’s and Women’s Tackle Leagues, known as the Sacramento Australian Football League (SAFL). “The SAFL will initially consist of four men’s teams and two women’s teams.  I am excited to see many players out there trying the sport for the first time,” notes Saleh Tyebjee, President of the SAFC.

Anyone interested in the upcoming tackle leagues is encouraged to come meet the players and see for themselves why the sport is gaining momentum!

• Sundays through May 12 - 10:00am-12:30pm - Scrimmages, McKinley Park, 33rd & H Streets, East Sacramento
• Saturday, May 19 - SAFL Opening Day – 2:00pm-5:00pm, Nugget Field, Davis
• Saturdays/Sundays (TBD) May through September - 2:00pm-5:00pm - League Games, McKinley Park, 33rd & H Streets, East Sacramento

Those who choose to participate will also have to opportunity to be part of the Sacramento Suns, the Sacramento area national representative team. The Suns will have a number of exciting opportunities this year to travel and play other national teams such as the Denver Bulldogs, the Las Vegas Gamblers, and the nearby Golden Gate Roos.

For more information visit www.sacfooty.com or email info@sacfooty.com