World Footy News

With the news of another Australian Rules football club coming to life in St Petersburg, Russia, another club has also emerged closer to the current Russian “heartland” of the game in Moscow. The Lazy Koalas are the latest addition to the footy scene and their co-founder, Mikhail Artemyev, was kind enough to answer some questions about the club’s creation.


Mikhail began by saying that “the second in August 2014 is considered to be the founding date of the new Australian Rules football club the "Lazy Koalas". In Moscow there are 5 or 6 teams and there is also one team (we know of) in St. Petersburg. From the moment we created our team, we were able to take part in two cups under the auspices of AFL Russia.”

The team is always looking for opportunities to play, but sometimes the weather or other factors intervene. “Competitions are held in Moscow every 2 to 3 months, but due to adverse weather conditions during the period from December to April, the team only trains on individual plans of each team.”

When asked about what the team means to the players, Mikhail stated that “for the "Lazy Koalas" football is not just a sport. It is a team of like-minded people with the same understanding of the game and desire to win in every game.”

So what does the future hold for the Moscow based Koalas? “In 2015, we plan to take part in the championship of Russia to win the right in 2016 to represent our country in the European Champions Cup.”

“The team plans on the basis of gathering the best players, but only to carry out centralized training to prepare for the European Championships 2015. As we plan we will promote this sport to attract new players. Of course we'd like to try our hand at the international level, so we are ready for friendly matches and the Cup with teams from other countries.”

The Lazy Koalas are keen to hear from any other European club that might be in the market for some pre-season practice matches leading into the 2015 season.

Roger Scott, President of AFL Russia, has previously stated that growing the game within Russia is problematic due to the small market and large travel distances for local clubs. Not that Roger and his team have ever let that prevent them from developing the game admirably to date. But a visit from one or two club teams or national squads might be the catalyst needed to propel Russian footy further.

World Footy News will remain in contact with Mikhail and his Koalas, and hopefully the club will hit the ground running once winter is over and the playing fields once again play host to the Sherrin. We will also be reporting shortly on the St Petersburg team’s progress.