World Footy News

The new year has heralded some changes to the Australian Rules football scene in Denmark. In 2013 the DAFL will look different to the past in a number of ways as the league continues to make changes to benefit and grow the game.

The first round of the 2013 season is a cracking start. The two newest teams in the league, both running with working titles until official names are chosen, will play each other to start the show. The “X-Men” will take on the “Greater Southern Suburbs of Farum” team to get the ball rolling on the 9th April. After that, the season will continue in a larglely revised format with regards to team numbers and fixturing.

The decision to play matches this year with 12 per side will assist in obtaining players each week to field sides as well as opening up the playing opportunities to fill spaces within the new clubs. The major theme being that there will now be 8 teams (the two new teams as well as Aalborg Kangaroos, North Copenhagen Barracudas, Randers Dockers, Farum Cats, Port Malmö Maulers and Helsingborg Saints), more games and less travel.

Part of this scheduling sees an experimental 3 team round robin match format (similar to the first week of the Australian NAB Cup) where each team plays each other on the same night which will be trialled by North Copenhagen and X-Men during the season, and “Swingers” games or double-headers. This format will also see that all teams play each other at least once, adding to a more even draw across the board.

The opening round between the league's newest clubs will also be the Mark Zaga Memorial Round, remembering the Australian Rules footballing pioneer, player, coach and legend who passed away recently after a short illness.

We will keep an eye on how things go this year in Denmark, with whispers that another new team in Odense (who we profiled back in 2011 here) could finally take the field after a few years in development.

We will also be keen to watch the progress of young Aalborg Kangaroos and Danish Vikings player, Aksel Bang, as he commences the next stage of his Australian Rules journey to join the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the AFL.

It promises to be a new and exciting year for Australian Rules football in Denmark. In due course we will endeavour to bring you more details about the newest clubs, but until then there is plenty to like.