World Footy News

Last weekend saw the Merseyside Saints host the AFLCNE Lightning Round, a round that threw up some more interesting permutations for the league as at rolls towards the 2016 finals series. There is still a battle for top spot, a battle for a finals berth and even a battle to avoid the wooden spoon. There was also an historic first win for the Merseyside Saints.

Sitting on top of the ladder are the Manchester Mozzies. They are a game clear of the Nottingham Scorpions, but with a lesser percentage. It means their final round clash could be played for premiership favouritism. The Sheffield Thunder have crept silently up behind the Huddersfield Rams to create a battle for a finals berth. Whilst the Rams have the better run home, they cannot afford to slip up of the Thunder could sneak a surprise finals opportunity.

The Merseyside Saints have been on a very steep learning curve in 2016, their inaugural season within the AFLCNE (Australian Football League Central & Northern England). The club was expecting defeats – heavy ones – and that has played out as expected. They also had a dream that maybe, just maybe, they might get their first win also. That, too, has played out to a myriad of emotions during the Lightning Round hosted by the Saints last weekend.

Their 11 point win over the Tyne Tees Tigers – 5 15 45 to 5 4 34 – will go down in club and league history as a day when the Saints proved to all and sundry that they belong.

The Paris Cockatoos have created all kinds of history in the CNFA Grand Final in Bordeaux, France, when they defeated the Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes by 20 points – 110 to 90. Not only did they win their first ever premiership, but they did it in their very first season as a club, ostensibly having grown out of the bigger “brothers”, the Paris Cockerels, only last year.

Regardless of how the Cockatoos arrived on the French football scene, it is a remarkable achievement in any sport to reach the highest level of success in an inaugural season. Credit must go to the Cockatoos, the Paris Cockerels and the CNFA for having the foresight to develop another club in Paris, and to do it so well that the new entity was blessed with the talent and belief to go all the way.

No matches were played in the AFLCNE competition last weekend due to the selections for the England Dragonslayers national team for the upcoming Euro Cup in Lisbon, Portugal. The AFLCNE is well represented with ten players selected either in the main squad or as reserves.

 

The list as posted by AFL England on their website is: (AFLCNE players in bold type)

Matt Whiteley (captain) (Huddersfield Rams)

Ross Denton (North London Lions)

Cameron Cope (Wolverhampton Wolverines)

 

Alex Overton (Huddersfield Rams)

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.