World Footy News

Every week in football there are the thrashings when a mismatch of teams occurs. Often it is top of the table versus cellar dweller (though it can be any team versus any other on any given day) and usually comes about when one team is undermanned or overwhelmed. An occasional hiding can be cast aside and used as motivation to change. More regular thrashings can lead to a variety of confidence related issues which can send a club into the doldrums for lengthy periods.

Often people speak of mercy rules (especially in junior grades) and prefer that these kind of results “are never spoken of again lest they be bad for football.” Maybe that is true and valid.

By the Nunawading Lions in suburban Melbourne have endured a season that could well have been played inside Dante’s Inferno, such has been the hellish nature of 2016 scorelines. Yet this club is leading the way in resilience in a way that very few clubs have done before.

The Wandsworth Demons have temporarily reclaimed top spot on the AFL London ladder with a comprehensive thrashing of the Wimbledon Hawks. In the only Premiership Division game played last weekend due to the split round, the Demons flexed their muscle to down the Hawks by 136 points.

The final score saw the Wandsworth Demons 22 18 150 defeat the Wimbledon Hawks 2 2 14.

It was a timely statement by the Demons after losing top spot the previous round when they were downed by the West London Wildcats. Whilst the Wildcats will most likely claim top spot back again next weekend, the Demons needed to keep the pressure on and themselves stay in the race for the minor premiership.

The following article by Michelangelo Rucci in the Adelaide Advertiser looks at the continuing search for an AFL home for Port Adelaide in shanghai, China. The original story can be found at:  http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/teams/port-adelaide/port-adelaide-eyes-china-stadium-with-potential/news-  

PORT Adelaide’s home in China is now down to two prospective venues in Shanghai — either a 1930s open “colosseum” or a modern 15,000-seat concrete bowl.

 

And Power president David Koch is now preferring the 1935 Jiangwan Stadium that hosted the 2010 AFL exhibition match between Melbourne and Brisbane.

 

The following story by Matt Thompson is from the www.afl.com.au website detailing the new head of diversity for the AFL replacing Jason Mifsud who left the position earlier this year.

THE AFL has appointed a second woman to its executive ranks, in a week when social issues, particularly attitudes towards women, have been at the forefront of the football conversation.

Tanya Hosch becomes the League's general manager of inclusion and social policy, a position revamped following the departure of long-time diversity advisor Jason Mifsud.

 

The AFL started its search to replace Mifsud more than four months ago. 

Over the past couple of years the Lazy Koalas team in Moscow and the St Petersburg Cats have revolutionised the state of the game of Australian Rules football in Russia. Their combined successes have seen a genuine increase in interest in the game after a slow burn initially. This interest is set to extend all the way to the Russian national team for the 2016 Euro Cup in Lisbon, Portugal with a novel and exciting recruitment tool.

The national selection process will see a combine take place, modelled as close as practical, to the combine testing events used across the world and through the AFL’s own Draft Combine. On 2nd July, potential players from both Moscow and St Petersburg can come and try out for national team selection with two spots up for grabs in each city for athletes from any field who excel and have the desire to try out the game.

For some this will be a fast-tracking of the highest order as players could go from no experience at all to national selection in the blinking of an eye.

Round 13 kicks off in Melbourne on Friday night with North Melbourne hosting Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium. 

If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the full schedule below.

As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates.

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT	NETWORK
1	17-Jun	Night	North Melbourne vs. Hawthorn	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:50	09:50	7
2	18-Jun	Day	Brisbane Lions vs. West Coast Eagles	The Gabba	QLD	13:40	03:40	FOX
3	18-Jun	Twilight	Fremantle vs. Port Adelaide	Domain Stadium	WA	14:35	06:35	FOX
4	18-Jun	Night	Western Bulldogs vs. Geelong Cats	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	09:25	7
5	19-Jun	Early	Sydney Swans vs. Melbourne	SCG	NSW	13:10	03:10	FOX
6	19-Jun	Twilight	Essendon vs. GWS GIANTS	Etihad Stadium	VIC	16:40	06:40	FOX

The following is a story from the Coburg Football Club’s website which looks at how two of its Muslim footballers balance their celebration of Ramadan and football. Towards the end the article also looks at a cross-section of the cultural backgrounds of a club in suburban Melbourne – their case is not unique as the multicultural growth in footy goes from grass roots to the highest level. It is nevertheless an interesting example. The story by Adrian Dixon can be found at: http://coburgfc.com.au/lions-stars-embracing-culture/

 

One aspect that the Coburg Football Club prides itself on is its diversity with regards to its multiculturalism.

 

As the suburb of Coburg is based in the City of Moreland, there are many different cultures that represent the municipality, whether it be the background of their heritage or what religion they believe in.

 

And while the AFL encourages its clubs, at both league and state level to promote their multicultural stories among its players and staff, it provides great publicity for clubs like the Lions in order to increase its awareness.  

To borrow a phrase from Wallace & Gromit, Galway footy fans were treated to a “Grand Day Out” when the Galway Magpies hosted Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2016 ARFLI season. It was the third carnival day for ARFLI fixtures, following on from previous carnivals held in Dublin and Cork. Whilst the off field entertainment was regarded as a delight, so was the performance of the Magpies on the field with two wins from their two matches, seeing them claw their way off the bottom of the ladder.

The Leeside Lions also enjoyed their day with two strong wins from their two matches, downing both the South Dublin Demons and the Belfast Redbacks. The Swans and Redbacks had days they would rather forget, neither winning a match for the day.

 

At a function today, AFL Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick announced the initial eight women’s teams to take part in the national competition for 2017. As well as the Melbourne and Western Bulldogs, both teams having had teams playing on a regular basis, Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle and Greater Western Sydney were granted licences to compete next year.

 

Geelong, St Kilda, Richmond, North Melbourne and West Coast were the unlucky clubs to miss out on inaugural selection, but have received provisional licences to clear their path for entry into an expanded league for women from 2018.

 

 

The Gold Coast Suns, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Sydney and Hawthorn did not pursue a licence for next year but will consider their options for women’s teams further down the track as the new competition unfolds.

The Manchester Mozzies were given their sternest test of the season so far, and passed with flying colours. Challenged by the Wolverhampton Wolverines, themselves determined to make a statement as the season gets closer to finals time, the Mozzies held firm to win by 13 points in a tough encounter. For the Mozzies, their dream of a continued dynasty is on track to come true. For the Wolverines, who have lost recent clashes to both the Mozzies and the Scorpions, the opportunity now exists to measure themselves and evaluate their chances going forward.

The Sheffield Thunder’s slow ascent up the ladder continued with a solid five goal win against the Tyne Tees Tigers. Whether this win is enough to keep the Thunder out of the cellar remains to be seen, but the win was welcome and something to build on. The task for the Tigers doesn’t get any easier, drawn to meet both the Mozzies and Wolverines in coming rounds.

The undefeated streak of the Wandsworth Demons came to an end on the weekend when the West London Wildcats clawed their way back into top spot on the AFL London ladder with a narrow but important 13 point win. After dropping their first round match to the demons, the Wildcats were determined to again assert their dominance over them, and the rest of the competition.

The Wimbledon Hawks took a big step towards securing a finals berth when they downed the Putney Magpies. Despite it being just their second win of the season (as well as a draw), the result gives the Hawks a valuable game and a half buffer over the fifth placed Magpies with just four rounds until finals.

The vast tentacles of Australian Rules football have been spreading across India at an alarmingly pleasing rate, driven enormously by the work of Sudip Chakraborty and his tremendous team at AFL India. Teams are springing up all over India – north to south, east to west – and many young people are being inspired to start their own dream and create a club.

One such example is the Pink City Triceratops team in Jaipur, northern India. The city of three million people is around 250 kilometres from the nation’s capital, New Delhi. Jaipur is also referred to as the “Pink City Of India”, hence the new club’s name.

The Triceratops are a long way from having a competitive team at a national, or even local, level. But their commitment, dedication and desire suggests that things may change. Certainly, if D’Costa david, club founder, has his way that change will be sooner rather than later.