World Footy News

There has been plenty happening of late across England and Scotland as local competitions gradually build towards the start of their respective 2016 seasons.

 

The Haggis Cup was played last weekend at the CSE Peffermill Playing Fields in Edinburgh, Scotland. After a hotly contested event which featured Scottish teams – Greater Glasgow Giants, Glasgow Sharks, Falkirk Silverbacks, Kingdom Kangaroos and the Edinburgh Bloods – AFL London club the Wimbledon Hawks, ARFLI’s own Leeside Lions, the Netherland’s Amsterdam Devils and a combined Huddersfield Rams/Tyne Tees Tigers team (AFLCNE), it was the Wimbledon Hawks victorious.

 

 

In the men’s final the Hawks downed the Greater Glasgow Giants to take the 2016 Haggis Cup. In the women’s competition it was the Saltires defeating the Wolves.

 

This weekend sees the AFL London Pre-Season Cup. Hosted by the South East London Giants and played at the Peckham Rye Common, the event will see a men’s division featuring the six AFL London clubs (West London Wildcats, Wandsworth Demons, North London Lions, Wimbledon Hawks, Putney Magpies and London Swans). Also playing are the South East London Giants and the Northern Storm representative team from the AFLCNE. There is also a women’s competition featuring South east London Giants, Wandsworth Demons, Wimbledon Hawks and North London Lions along with the newly formed GB Swans. In the Over 35’s”Supers” competition, the Giants and Demons will be joined by the Southern Saxons and the Reading Roos.

 

For the AFLCNE’s new team, the Northern Storm, the London tournament provides another hit out for the team. Recently they ran out for the first time in a match against the England Dragonslayers. The final score saw them go down: Dragonslayers 20 19 139 d Storm 8 9 57

 

A tough initiation, but certainly a great learning curve for the new representative entity.

 

The AFLCNE season commences on the 30th April with a revised season due to the withdrawal for 2016 of the Birmingham Bears. The AFLCNE website states that “they are not folding completely  and will continue to train in Birmingham and keep an active presence on social media whilst allowing any available players to compete in the AFLCNE for their nearest team the Wolverhampton  Wolverines. It is hoped that the Bears will be in a position to re-join the League in 2017.” Much excitement remains, however, as the competition welcomes their newest club, the Merseyside Saints.

 

It has certainly been a busy time, and that will accelerate over coming weeks as the home and away competitions begin for 2016.

 

 

 

Draw for the AFL London Pre-Season Cup