Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

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Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Monday, August 06 2012 @ 09:29 pm ACST
Contributed by: Aaron Richard
Views: 5,326

The AFL Europe has announced that a European All-Stars match will be held as the curtain-raiser to the November 3rd clash between the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide in London.

The match will pit a team drawn from across the European continent against a team representing the islands of Great Britain, Ireland and Iceland. The official team names will be released later in the year, with squads to be named following the 2012 Euro Cup in Glasgow.

The Bulldogs vs Port clash will this year be played as a twilight match at the KIA Oval, with tickets on sale via kiaoval.com at £5 for kids and from £20 for adults.

For more information, visit afleurope.org.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port | 16 comments | Create New Account

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Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Michael Christiansen
on Thursday, August 09 2012 @ 04:01 am ACST

Ah!! Great minds....

I can't help but think back to my comment below when the AFL exhibition match was discussed.

Authored by: Michael Christiansen on Thursday, July 19 2012 @ 06:14 PM NUT

How about a British Isles vs Continental Europe match. IC rules.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Troy Thompson
on Thursday, August 09 2012 @ 06:58 am ACST

But you didnt see Iceland coming Mick.

So how about names?

My first ideas - North Sea Oilers (must be some sponsorship value in that one) vs Continentals (also sponsorship potential).

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Thursday, August 09 2012 @ 07:15 am ACST

"Continental" make good pushbike tyres!!!!!! German I think.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Thursday, August 09 2012 @ 07:20 am ACST

Probably not a good idea to call the "islander's" the Cods or Mackerals seeing Iceland and the poms nearly went war over fishing in the North Sea back in the seventies :-)

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Aaron Richard
on Friday, August 10 2012 @ 02:24 am ACST

To be fair on Michael, I think it was originally going to be British Isles vs Rest of Europe, Iceland were added later.

But still, I reckon it's a good call. Get as many people involved as possible, might mean there's an extra 100 or so footy fans from around Europe there in the crowd too.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Jas
on Thursday, August 16 2012 @ 02:37 am ACST

I reckon this is another lost opportunity. England Vrs Denmark in a full 18 a side test would've been great to see. Remember how successful the Allies State of Origin concept was? No one cares about these composite teams, they want to support their own national sides.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Aaron Richard
on Thursday, August 16 2012 @ 05:27 am ACST

I understand what you're saying, and that's true at a professional level. However, talking in terms of current footy in Europe, we aren't talking a professional all-stars game that you show up to see the elite skills. The most important development point is that you've got a big field of amateurs who want a chance to play in front of a crowd.

Doing it this way, you're getting a bigger number of players and organisations from right across Europe involved, which is crucial at this stage of development.

An idea though - with the European Championship back on next year, could the final of that tournament be the curtain raiser to the AFL game? Probably not logistically feasible, but you never know.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Friday, August 17 2012 @ 03:47 am ACST

Gday Aaron and Jaz.

I have to disagree with you Aaron and tend to agree with Jaz, full Internationals are of greater value promotionally than the allies concept even at the level that footy is being played in Europe. Take a look at the IRB World Cup website and have a look at the crowd that watched Madagascar play Uganda or Namibia in World Cup qualifiers last month. Rugby would not be much more important in Madagascar than Aussie Rules in Europe. Admittedly the match was a Rugby World Cup Qualifier and the matches were tests to see how far the country could go(still no where near making the FInals). Internationals are the real indicator of how Footy is faring around the world. Look how stable Denmark is and how many Internationals they have played.

Nothing better than being able to play for your country!!!

We've all been told, no doubt. by the Les Murray's of this world 'Aussie Rules will never expand , because you can't play footy for your country'. So far they right as far as Aussies are concerned. BUT other country's CAN, NOW!!!!!

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Friday, August 17 2012 @ 07:28 am ACST

European Championships in Australian Football

THE PREMIER European Australian Rules Football Tournament

To relegate the Final down to the status of a curtain raiser to the AFL exhibition match would be an absolute insult to the Leagues of Europe that have worked so hard over the last ten years or so to raise the profile of Aussie Rules in Europe to the point of being able to stage the tournament in 2010 and again next year.

IT MUST remain the most important competition held in Europe if the game is going to further develop in Europe. Sorry Aaron, just don't give the AFL the idea that it might be good for AFL, cause it would be terrible for Aussie Rules in Europe.

Would the European Championships Final in Soccer ever be relegated to a curtain raiser to say, a South America v Asia Exhibition match?? Hell NO!!!!!! The best of South America v Asia Match would probably be played at higher standard but it just wouldn't happen cause it would just downgrade the importance and devalue the Champ final.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Aaron Richard
on Friday, August 17 2012 @ 11:32 pm ACST

So I suppose you have a problem with the IC final being played as the curtain raiser to an AFL match?

I mean, seriously - if it's the difference between playing the EC final in front of a couple of hundred (if you're lucky) at a bare bones ground in terms of facilities, compared with playing in front of multiple thousand spectators at a world-class venue, then the decision would be pretty easy from my point of view.

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Sunday, August 19 2012 @ 08:29 am ACST

Have to agree with Aaron there. Having a European Champs final played in front of a few 100 would be far less attractive to the players and do less for promotion than having it at a professional standard ground in front of a growing crowd arriving for an AFL match. It seems obvious in theory and was demonstrated in reality at the last EC tournament... a way to grow these matches to attract big crowds by themselves has not been found.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Sunday, August 19 2012 @ 11:41 am ACST

Pity that the AFL as the 'ruling world body' didn't have the foresight to have Andrew Demetriou (as 'head' of the 'ruling world body') attend the 1st European Championship of Australian Football and to have sent the invitation to Europe's most famous Taswegian to be alongside him to present the Championship Trophy and Best and Fairest Medal.

Promotional mileage from that would have been immeasureable.

IC final as a curtain raiser to an extent does devalue its status as the Premier World Football Tournament. The upside, I agree gives the finalists(players) the chance to play on the MCG in front of a sizeable crowd. I admit I have not attended an IC Final, but I would imagine the atmosphere would be akin to that of the Seconds Grand Final when the finalists are teams that are not the A Grade finalists. Some polite applause???

The only promotional benefit is probably educating the average Melbourne footy follower that Aussie Rules is played outside Australia and that there is a 'best of the rest' competition.

Playing the EC Final as a curtain raiser would also devalue the status of probably the 3rd most important tournament in world footy to that of a side show.

Send a couple of AFL or State League teams to Ireland to play an exhibition match but not on grand final day, good for promoting footy but preserving the status of the EC as the premier European competition/trophy. I would wonder how many of the players who make it thru to the Grand Final and that match is then only a side show would really feel.

These guys are playing for their country, in the sport they believe is the best in the world, in the game that is deciding the best in Europe. Sorry fella's, you're a side show! Good for the the game, really? Hmmm??

Assign the European Championship of Australian Football Final with the 'status' it deserves NOW even tho crowds and bare bones oval as you derogatively put it this year might be crap, they will come and the game will grow. Keep relegating the competitions outside Australia to second rate or sideshow status and that is what footy outside Australia will remain.

Just might remind you guys that the 1st Rugby World Cup was denigrated and scoffed at by many from inside and outside the sport before the event and the crowds were pretty average. RWC is now 3rd after Soccer World Cup and Olympics.

The AFL as the 'ruling world body' must assign greater importance or status to all these world competitions and be seen to be assigning that greater importance if footy is to grow. For instance: I wonder what would transpire over the next few years if Demetriou or Sheeds had presented the medal for Best and Fairest Asian Born Footballer at the recent Asian Championships. Fewer Asian's taking up the sport? I doubt it.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Monday, August 20 2012 @ 07:37 am ACST

Hey Cam you're free to speculate about what the players do or don't want but we're just telling you what we've heard direct from players over the years with the International Cup. You could probably find some differing opinions, but in general players more than anything want to play on the MCG in front of a big crowd - of course they'd love it if the crowd was there purely for them, but they take what they can get at this early stage of the game's growth.

I'm with you that we want the AFL to do more to promote these internationals but at this stage I reckon the players would be pleased to be playing the EC final as a curtain raiser at the Oval as opposed to say retro-fitted polo fields or parklands... effort goes to make such fields as good as possible but it isn't quite the same.

I just don't think it's as simple as put it on and they will turn up, eventually. There are success stories but also plenty of tiny sports that have tried and failed. There's often luck and accidents of history on side, or a lot of hard work and money. We all want to see a lot of the latter from the AFL to support all the grassroots hard work, and hopefully we get some of the luck too.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Sunday, August 19 2012 @ 09:41 pm ACST

Hi Guys.

I would like to relate a personal experience to explain why I think you are wrong about playing the EC Final as a curtain raiser from the players perspective.

Some time after the 1868 Mexico City Olympic Games, Tommie Smith and (I think John Carlos) and a few other world class athletes competed in Adelaide by invitation at Olympic Sports Field at Kensington, home of the SA Amateur Athletics Association.

IF you are not familiar with the Tommie Smith/Black Power story just google Mexico City Olympics Black Power

The athletic meeting was attended by a huge crowd by SA athletic competition standards for the time. (SA athletics standard in world athletics then probably akin to Europe footy standard in AFL now) The best of SA sprinters ran in that invitation race, and I would have done so in a flash if I had been good enough at the time. A few years later I twice made the SA State Final over 200metres (Putting me in the top 8 over 200metres in SA) and was probably damn close to running at the standard to have deserved an invitation (tho I probably wouldn't have got one as my club came from the wrong side of town :-) )

Our club did win the 4 x 100 metre relay SA State Championship and I do have a Gold Medal that has State Champion inscribed on it. My point is that I would have been very p----d off if SA AAA had run that invitation meet in conjunction with the State Championships just to get more spectators to the State Titles. As an athlete competing at that level (I was only running for my club and district) to have my fleeting moment of glory over shadowed by the Invitation Race would have had me and the rest of my team pondering whether it worth continue in the sport. (One member of our team did continue and placed 4th at the Edmonton Commonwealth Games over 200metres behind the likes of Don Quarrie and other West Indian stars).

The guys in the EC Final will be competing for their country and I don't believe they would be too impressed with their 'moment" of glory being overshadowed by an exhibition game even with the quality of the teams playing. It would be devalueing the EC FInal.

I did attend the invitation meet and Tommie Smith was awesome (the Usain Bolt of the era) and if my memory serves me correctly Brett, the prominent Adelaide lawyer who has just become Heather instead of David was one of the SA runners in that 200 metre invitation race.

Footnote: Tommie Smith and John Carlos both, I believe, attended the funeral of Peter Norman(the Aussie who split them for the Silver Medal) when he passed away not long ago. Shows how much respect for they had for him.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Thursday, August 09 2012 @ 07:07 am ACST

Might have to start calling you 'The Prophet' Michael! :-)

Would be interesting to hear the AFL/AFL Europe reasoning for going down this path, rather than having an International Test between two European Nations, and if part of their reasoning is giving as many as possible European players a chance to compete at a higher, more 'elite' level than their (European) league level.

Cam

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Euro Continent vs Euro Isles as curtain-raiser to Bulldogs vs Port

Authored by: Harley Vague
on Tuesday, August 21 2012 @ 12:52 am ACST

The issue of a curtainraiser is a bit pyschological and emotional..Even with the larger crowds, they are not there for the openning and are coming in for the lead up to the main game and are unsettled. I would suggest the Euro game as a cutain downer. The crowd would be there for the start of the game and more likely to get interested. The event could then be billed as double header.(hoping lighting isn't an issue)

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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