World Footy News

July is the time of the year when northern humidity is at its lowest and conditions are ideal for Australian Rules football in our most northern cities. Hence, the next two weekends are the annual showcase of northern footy with two AFL premiership matches being played in both Darwin and Cairns.

Many good teams have travelled north at this time of year to play, but usually not in matches which would determine finals fortunes – at least not both matches together. But this year Darwin will be blessed with a genuine match which could determine the makeup of the top four, whilst Cairns will host a game which will spell curtains for the loser in terms of 2017 finals.

Journalist Wouter Pienaar has reported recently in the Potchefstroom Herald about the exploits of South African footballer, Godfrey Molohlanyi, and his journey towards the 2017 International Cup in Melbourne.

Finding an Aussie Rules Football player in Potchefstroom is almost like finding a needle in a haystack. And, if that player is also representing South Africa in the Australian Football International Cup then you know you have discovered something unique. 

Godfrey Molohlanyi is a South African Aussie Rules Football player from Ventersdorp. He is currently employed at Pick n Pay Vanderhoff Park in Potch where he works as a merchandiser by day.  

Godfrey Molohlanyi packs merchandise at Pick n Pay Vanderhoff Park by day and, after hours, he plays Aussie Rules Football for South Africa.

 

The airwaves for Australian Football will grow even larger, and better, with the addition of a dedicated Multicultural Football Show for the remainder of the 2017 season. The following media release from the AFL details the initiative.           

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

AFL partners with NEMBC and 3ZZZ Radio to launch Multicultural Football Show

 

The AFL, together with the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council (NEMBC), is proud to announce 3ZZZ Community Radio Station will produce a series of Multicultural Football Shows and match broadcasts during the remainder of the 2017 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

Inaugural All-Thai AFL Auskick Match

 Thailand Tigers Australian Football Club announced at AFL website the following news concerning an all-Thai local Auskick Footy match played out in Bangkok. 

Saturday 10th June saw the first ever match between all local Thai Auskickers as part of an AFL Tournament in Bangkok. The day comprised of under 9 and under 12 Auskick matches between the Bangkok Tigers and Pattaya Pirates, the 1st ever All Thai Auskick match between the Thai Blues and the Thai Reds and the AFL Asia match between the Thailand Tigers and Cambodian Eagles

We interviewed the founders of Australian Football Sri Lanka this week, just over a month out from their International Cup debut.   See the full interview below.

Their squad will be a mix of Sri Lankan and Australian based players. They will be coached by Sri Lankan born, former St Kilda big man Enrico Misso.

 

Round 15 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off tomorrow night at the MCG with Melbourne hosting Sydney.  The full international broadcast schedule can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).  You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the  Watch AFL banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

 

MATCH	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	30-Jun	Night	Melbourne vs. Sydney Swans	MCG	VIC	19:50	09:50
2	1-Jul	Day	Western Bulldogs vs. West Coast Eagles	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:45	03:45
3	1-Jul	Day	Carlton vs. Adelaide Crows	MCG	VIC	14:10	04:10
4	1-Jul	Twilight	Gold Coast SUNS vs. North Melbourne	Metricon Stadium	QLD	16:35	06:35
5	1-Jul	Night	GWS GIANTS vs. Geelong Cats	Spotless Stadium	NSW	19:25	09:25
6	1-Jul	Night	Port Adelaide vs. Richmond	Adelaide Oval	SA	19:10	09:40
7	2-Jul	Early	Essendon vs. Brisbane Lions	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:10	03:10
8	2-Jul	Day	Hawthorn vs. Collingwood	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20
9	2-Jul	Twilight	Fremantle vs. St Kilda	Domain Stadium	WA	14:40	06:40

AFL Media Release - Bachar Houli programs set to grow, including female Academy.

The Federal Government, together with the AFL, today announced a $625,000 investment to the Bachar Houli programs, growing the existing programs to include a female component of the Bachar Houli Academy and the Bachar Houli Schools Cup.

The Bachar Houli Academy is a high-performance football talent program while the Bachar Houli Cup engages over 5,000 Islamic school students, providing a starting point for players from a Muslim background to transition into football pathways.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said the Bachar Houli Programs have been an integral part of engaging Muslim youth into the AFL, allowing young men and women the best opportunities to excel on and off the football field through training and guidance.

A combination of recent premierships and past history – as well as results to date this season – might see the term “premiership favourites” directed towards the incumbent champions the Greater Glasgow Giants, their nearest rival the Edinburgh Bloods or even the historical record of the Glasgow Sharks. The Kingdom Kangaroos are not usually the first name tied to 2017 flag chances.

But after their last start home victory against the Glasgow Sharks, so soon after their maiden win against the Edinburgh Bloods, the Kingdom Kangaroos have sent a clear message to other teams and fans – write us off at your peril.

Their big win against the Glasgow Sharks – 21 16 142 to 12 9 81 – proved comprehensively that the ‘Roos do have the firepower to challenge any of the other teams. Add that to their efforts back in May to ground the Bloods by 45 points and the Kingdom Kangaroos are moving into flag calculations.

The www.afl.com.au  website reports that a match for premiership points could be played in India as early as next season. The following article gives details of the planned move which follows in the wake of a premiership match in China earlier this year.

GREATER Western Sydney and Richmond appear to have stolen the march in staging an AFL match in India, with the clubs confirming plans for a premiership-season encounter on the sub-continent.

The Giants-Tigers clash is likely to take place in Mumbai during the mid-season bye round, with GWS playing host.

 

"Both clubs have the ambition to play for premiership points in Mumbai as early as next year," Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale confirmed to News Corp.

Today AFL Japan announced the Japan Samurai squad to contest the 2017 International Cup in Melbourne in August 2017. The squad announced 20/6/17 has an exciting blend of youth and experience look to it.

Once again the IC veteran Michito Sakaki (I believe this is his 6th IC) graces the squad with his experience and talent, which could well make him the only player in international footy to play in all the International Cups. Other IC veterans include Hisayoshi Oura, Toshiki Matsuhashi (4th IC), Yuosuke Kuno (suiting up for his 5th IC), Yuta Toyshima (played IC14), Jumpei Ito, Yuki Akita and Ryosuke Sato (each 2nd IC).

By Dylan Wolfgramm

 AFL Fiji is set to take IC17 by storm with the naming of it’s strongest team to date. The men’s team otherwise known as the Fiji Tribe, will take part in their third consecutive International Cup since 2011.

With a core group of men who have been together since 2010, The Fiji tribe will look to build on its strong performances in their local competition and push for a birth in the Division 1 final. Speaking with Head Coach Simon Highfield, he was very impressed with the level of dedication the team had shown over the last couple of months “They are very fit and their skills have really improved, we under performed in past International Cups, so we are hoping to come of age this year.”

 

The Australian Football League Central & Northern England has reached half-way through the 2017 season. The following story is from the AFLCNE website and looks at the journey so far this season with hints towards what the season may yet bring.

With the last update being a month ago (blame it on the weather/footy/beers) we at the league thought it was an opportunity to give you all an update on the past few weeks (and a lot has happened).

 

The final round of May saw the Rams consolidate their position just inside the playoffs by defeating a travelling Tigers side, while the Mozzies narrowly overcame one of this season’s finals contenders the Wolverines in a show of intent to put themselves comfortably in prime position. Meanwhile, the Thunder secured their first points by default, after mechanical issues meant half the travelling Merseyside team were stuck near Manchester (credit goes to those who made it playing in an excellent scratch match with Sheffield and Nottingham players).