World Footy News

Under the lights on a beautiful, mild Townsville night, the 2016 National Diversity Championships got under way with an opening ceremony at Tony Ireland Stadium. With a cooling light breeze to welcome the event, an enthusiastic crowd, many having travelled from all points of the nation, watched on as the cream of national indigenous and multicultural talent marched onto the field.

With MC for the night, Ms Beth Kempe, welcoming firstly the umpires and then the Kickstart and All Nations Under 15 players to Townsville, the assembled competitors and spectators were treated to a small but focused program of speakers and local entertainment.

Following on from the national anthem, Randall Ross, elder of the local Bindil people, gave the welcome to country on behalf of both the Bindil and Wulgurukaba people on who’s lands the tournament is taking place.

The Port Adelaide Football Club and the world’s largest television network, China Central Television (CCTV) have reached a landmark agreement to broadcast AFL throughout China.

The agreement will see Port Adelaide’s upcoming home games against Essendon in Round 3 and Geelong in Round 5 broadcast on CCTV, with the latter to be televised live.

 

In an interview yesterday with Melbourne radio station 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, AFL chief Gillon McLachlan once again floated the distant possibility of an AFL team one day being based in New Zealand.

 

The full interview can be heard by following the link: http://www.3aw.com.au/news/gillon-mclachlan-says-new-zealand-most-likely-country-for-international-team-20160331-gnvt7a.html and playing back either of the video links. However, the most salient aspects of the interview are outlined below.

 

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan says New Zealand is the most likely location for the league's first internationally-based team.

 

While not on the agenda short-term, McLachlan said it could happen within 30 years.

 

 

AFL Asia has announced that Australian Football Coaching Courses will be held in Singapore and Vung Tau, Vietnam on the weekend prior to Anzac Day, 2016.

AFL Asia Media Release:

Thanks to the support of the AFL and in conjunction with the Vietnam Swans and Singapore Sharks and Wombats, AFL Asia is delighted to make available Level 1 Coaching Courses in Singapore on Saturday 23 April and in Vung Tau, Vietnam on Sunday 24 April.

The courses will be conducted by Wally Gallio, High Performance Manager for AFL Northern Territory and NT Thunder. Wally is an AFL High Performance (Level 3) accredited coach and the courses will be open to all levels of senior and Auskick coaches across Asia, free of charge.

The USAFL Regional Tournament Series is back for the 2016 season with the venues finalised today.  The three tournaments allow clubs to compete against a number of clubs from their region at one location.  The results are used as part of the ranking of teams for the National Championships in October to be held in Sarasota, Florida.

Each (East, West and South) region will host both men's and women's matches with a Sunday morning training camp at each weekend for the women's national team to help determine the USA Freedom and Liberty squads for the 2017 International Cup.

The AFL today announced three Women’s Exhibition Matches will be television broadcast in 2016. Matches will be broadcast by FOX SPORTS and will be aired live nationally. All three matches will be made available live on afl.com.au and the AFL Live App on mobile and tablet.

Broadcast matches:

West Coast Eagles v Fremantle

Saturday, April 9

Domain Stadium

3:05pm WST / 5:05pm EST



Melbourne v Queensland

Sunday, May 22

MCG

10:05am EST



South Australia v New South Wales

Sunday, June 5

Adelaide Oval

1:05pm CST / 1:35pm EST

 

An article in the Herald Sun this morning has linked AFL club North Melbourne with NFL club the Denver Broncos. The Colorado city of Denver, the home of the most successful USAFL club the Denver Bulldogs could be set to rapidly expand their footy interests. 

In the article Denver’s vice-president of public relations, April Thewell, confirmed the team’s interest in the AFL.

“There is a lot of intrigue about Aussie Rules over here and we see the North Melbourne Kangaroos as a perfect fit,” she said.

“Our VP of football operations John Elway and other members of our management team are heading out to Australia in the coming days to accelerate the negotiations.

“Could the next Peyton Manning come from Arden St? We’d like to think so.”

The 2016 AFL season continues tomorrow night in Melbourne with Collingwood hosting Richmond at the MCG. If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the schedule below.

*We have news through this morning from our friends at AFANA that Fox Sports 1 will be taking one AFL match live from next week.  This is big for the US as Fox Sports 1 has many more viewers and more potential new viewers of the game.

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	1/04/16	Night	Collingwood vs. Richmond	MCG	VIC	19:50	08:50	SEVEN
2	2/04/16	Day	Adelaide Crows vs. Port Adelaide	Adelaide Oval	SA	13:15	02:45	SEVEN
3	2/04/16	Day	Essendon vs. Melbourne	MCG	VIC	14:10	03:10	FOX
4	2/04/16	Twilight	Brisbane Lions vs. North Melbourne	The Gabba	QLD	15:35	05:35	FOX
5	2/04/16	Night	St Kilda vs. Western Bulldogs	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	08:25	SEVEN
6	2/04/16	Night	Fremantle vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Domain Stadium	WA	16:40	08:40	FOX
7	3/04/16	Early	GWS GIANTS vs. Geelong Cats	Manuka Oval	ACT	13:10	03:10	FOX
8	3/04/16	Day	Hawthorn vs. West Coast Eagles	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20	SEVEN
9	3/04/16	Twilight	Carlton vs. Sydney Swans	Etihad Stadium	VIC	16:40	06:40	FOX

Footy in tropical North Queensland has been growing solidly now for many years and AFL Cairns will welcome their newest addition, and most compelling piece of recent evidence of that growth, on the weekend when they see the Pyramid Power club run out in a reserve grade match for the first time.

One of the best measures of growth is the ability of a code to not only sustain numbers, but tap new player markets and increase participation in the game. AFL Cairns has worked hard to ensure that junior growth has translated into growth at the senior club levels as well. Pyramid Power is a club that has followed that model as it moves from the sphere of junior football to the ranks of senior adult football.

The club commenced in 2005, almost as a phoenix of past district clubs the Babinda Magpies and the Centrals Aloomba Bulldogs. By the 1980’s both of those entities had vanished leaving a football void in the vast areas south of Cairns from Gordonvale to Innisfail, west to the Atherton Tablelands and east to the aboriginal community of Yarrabah.

 

In excerpts from the media release from the AFL, the push has already begun to attract the biggest and best crowd possible for the annual AFL Premiership Match in the Tropical North Queensland city. The match this year will be a highlight of the Round 17 fixture, being played in Cairns on Saturday 16th July.  Already this match is shaping as a super contest. After the first round of the 2016 AFL season, the Bulldogs sit atop the ladder after hammering Fremantle, whilst the Suns are third after doing the same to Essendon. Whilst things will change, both clubs seem set for bigger and better seasons…and a tropical battle could be a highlight of the season.

 

MEDIA RELEASE

 

In Cairns with player Roarke Smith to help launch tickets going on sale, Western Bulldogs CEO David Stevenson said the club was looking forward to hosting a match at Cazalys Stadium for a third consecutive year.

 

 

“The Club is proud to return to Cairns for the third consecutive year to showcase AFL football in North Queensland.

The 2016 National Diversity Championships get under way at Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville next Sunday 3rd April. The tournament will again feature both the U15 Kickstart and the U15 All Nations Cup. Each year the event attracts the best indigenous and multicultural talent from across Australia, with all players vying to impress on their journey towards AFL stardom.

Past players that have come through this important component of the AFL talent pathway over the years include current players Steve May (Gold Coast Suns), Curtly Hampton (Adelaide), Callum Ah Chee (Gold Coast), Jade Gresham (St Kilda), Jay Kennedy-Harris (Melbourne), Karl Amon (Port Adelaide), Jarman Impey (Port Adelaide), Jake Long (Essendon) and a host of others across the AFL.

AFL Queensland Regional Manager, Kathleen Newman, stated in 2013 when Townsville last hosted the event that “there is every chance spectators will see the next Cyril Rioli, Lewis Jetta, or Chris Yarran, running around.”

The AFL’s US Combine is back in 2016 and back in LA. After the 2015 Combine was held at the IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida, the venue for previous Combines in Los Angeles will again host athletes from around the US. The Combine will be held in just under a month from April 24-27.

This year's video promoting the Combine to US athletes can be seen below and has been updated with clips of Combine graduates Jason Holmes (2015 AFL debut) at St Kilda and Mason Cox (2016 NAB Cup footage) at Collingwood.

The AFL will be hoping to unearth some more crossover talent and a number of clubs will be present to identify suitable recruits. We know the Gold Coast Suns are on the lookout for a big American so would expect them to be keen participants.