World Footy News

In response to our recent article which explored the changes to AFL Middle East for the upcoming season, new Operations Manager, Tyron (Ty) Farrell has provided World Footy News with his preview of the upcoming season. Not only does Ty look again at changes to the organisation, he also provides his unique insight into the teams and their prospects.

So the 2013/2014 AFL Middle East Season is almost upon us and the teams have been hitting the pre- season trail pretty hard over the summer in anticipation.

This year the season has made a few major changes with Walid Melhem stepping down as Operations Manager as he moved back to Australia with work. Walid worked extremely hard over the last few years and should be proud of the work that he has done in getting the league to where it is today.  From all in the region, we wish Walid all the best for his return to Australia and we look forward to continuing to build on the foundations that he left us.

 

 I have taken over the role and am being ably supported by all the club representatives. It’s an exciting but challenging position.

The 2013/2014 Season will begin with the Pre-Season Cup being played on Friday 4th October and a great chance for the clubs to feel each other out before the season begins on the 25th of October.

Unfortunately Bahrain, due to the political situation, still couldn't get a team but we continue to try to work with the guys who are in Bahrain.  Hopefully they will be-able to re-join us soon.

Another exciting development this year is we have increased the season to six games, in the first time in the history of the league.  The reason for this is to satisfy the appetite of the players for more Aussie Rules and also to make it more attractive to the clubs and leagues sponsors.  This is an exciting change and ideally we are working to a full home and away season, which is hard due to the short period of good weather to play but also to fit in around the various holidays and other sports played in the region by expats.

So who is the team to beat?

The Dubai Dragons are looking to replicate the Lions and are currently going for a three peat and they are definitely the favourite and benchmark of the league.  Matt Burn has recently taken over the Presidency from Nathan Burns and with his fresh enthusiasm no doubt their recruitment drive will assist them greatly.

Doha Kangaroos, who had an amazing year last year and just fell short to the Dragons, will be looking to build on their great year last year. They will again be led by Ben Simpson, Joe Barnes and Joe Lewczuk and will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.  With Qatar continuing to build for the World Cup in 2022, we expect more expats to the region which will only benefit the club.

Dubai Dingoes have lost a few players this year, but they will be there and amongst it as always. They are always a very tough team, led by Ben Dawson and they can never be ignored. Again expect a very strong team and with Mo Darwish coaching again they can never be counted out.

Abu Dhabi Falcons, continue to rebuild after the loss of most of their 2011 premiership season players. This year they have taken another blow with 2011 premiership player, and league best and fairest, Stuart Brohaska announcing his retirement due to a chronic back injury. This is a huge hole which will take some filling.  The club again will be led by player/coach Adam "Trigger" Trzesinski and after an intense recruitment drive in the off season the club has welcomed many new faces so hopefully they can gel quickly and ensure the Falcons are a force again.

Muscat Magpies this year strengthened their relationship with the local GAA team and will always give a great account of themselves.  They are the team with the least amount of Aussies playing but this doesn't diminish their players. Their attack on the ball is great for the league and a real showcase for the attraction of AFL.  Unlucky not to beat the Falcons last year and with their weekends now in line with the rest of the league, you can expect big things and improvement from the lads from Oman.

All in all it builds for an exciting season.

This year we have also redeveloped and revamped the website www.afl-me.com and created a new Facebook page and Twitter account to help spread the word.  Also after each round we will be posting photos and also match reports on the website, so people can keep abreast of what is happening in the league.

We have also strengthened our relationships with the Australian Business Councils' in the region and we hope this will help foster improvement in the league from new players and sponsors.