World Footy News

Behind the scenes in the world of Australian Rules football there are people who volunteer their services in all manner of ways, whether that be on or off the field. In this article, written for the AFL Diversity team on the www.afl.com website, I look at what a year as a multicultural ambassador looks like. 

It is hoped that the story might inspire others to consider taking on this ambassadorial role in the future to help develop our great game further and reach out to people and communities across the nation.

The New Year arrives with the tingling sensations of a new footy season. But somehow, this year was even more…tingly. With the first ball being bounced in anger in April, something more exciting preceded it. Would I be successful in my bid to be a Multicultural Community Ambassador for the AFL in 2015ω

 

A flurry of emails and letters in the mail heralds the news. I have been successful. For at least a year I have a chance to play a role for the AFL in spreading the message of a multicultural future for the game. So, was that the biggest challenge overω Selectionω Far from it. Now the hard work would begin.

The Vietnam Swans’ ambition to be considered amongst the AFL Asia elite took a big step forward last Saturday 30th May in Manila, winning their first ever Manila International Cup in a clean sweep and moving to the top of the AFL Asia ladder.

Read the full article on afl-asia.com here

 

In this article by James Gottschalk from the AFL Europe website the rise of women’s footy, specifically the London based Australian Rules football , is traced and opportunities for women to play the game are shared. The article comes on the back of the recent acknowledgements of women playing the game with the 2015 Women’s Draft back in April and the subsequent Western Bulldogs versus Melbourne Demon’s women’s match on May 24th. A second match will be played on August 16th, again as a curtain raiser to the Western Bulldogs versus Melbourne Premiership match.

 

Both of these related events add the necessary clout required to validate and promote the place of women playing Australian Rules football. Whilst the women’s football scene is not triggered by these events in Australia, the game is certainly aided by the interest generated and associated increases in women’s player numbers.

 

 

In 2014, Australian Rules football celebrated 25 years of a sporting competition in the country of England. In 2015, Women’s Australian Rules football officially took off with an AFL London Women’s league comprising of four already established men’s clubs each becoming host to a Women’s team. Those founding clubs being: Wimbledon Hawks, Wandsworth Demons, North London Lions and the South East London Giants.

The Huddersfield Rams certainly made a statement about their intent to be part of the finals action with a massive win over the Tyne Tees Tigers to catapult themselves into third place on the AFLCNE ladder after eight rounds. In front by over 100 points at the half time break, it was a matter of how far they could ram home their advantage and build valuable percentage for the run to the finals.

 

The match of the round, however, was played in Nottingham where the Wolverhampton Wolverines pipped the Scorpions on their home turf by just two points in a thriller. The result was a blow for the Scorpions which needed the win to stay in the group of teams in the battle for a finals place. They are not out of the running, but the loss leaves them a game behind the Wolverines, Rams and Bears but with a poor percentage.

 

 

For the Wolverines, they would simply be grateful that they took the points in another cliff-hanger after going down narrowly to Sheffield last start.

 

I just cannot shake the dream that lives somewhere in the back of my mind. It is an African city – maybe Johannesburg, maybe Nairobi, there is nothing specific. All I can visualise is grand stands full of cheering people – all African fans from whichever country the dream is set in, cheering wildly at a football match. We have all seen the image many times before, with the soccer teams pin-balling the play from one end to the other.

 

But the combatants here are not playing soccer. In this dream, hazy at times but very exciting, the half back flanker has just rebounded the ball out of the defensive fifty, hit the wingman lace-out on the chest with a daisy-cutter. The wingman has wheeled around and booted the ball to the goal square where the powerhouse, muscle-ridden full forward has taken a hangar over the pack and duly gone back and slotted the goal.

 

(Photo: Courtesy AFL Footywild)

 

In this dream the African fans are cheering the African players – at an Australian Rules match somewhere in Africa.

Watching Sydney Swans player Mike Pyke being chaired from Metricon Stadium tonight after playing his 100th game against the Gold Coast Suns was quite special. Not so much the fact it was 100 games, but that it was achieved by a player who, by his own admission, would have been content to play just one.

To reach the 100 games mark after switching codes sends strong messages to any other players from overseas. If it isn’t enough to see Pyke’s milestone as proof that it is important to follow your dreams, he has also demonstrated that age, background, tyranny of distance and knowledge of the game are just small impediments on a journey which is dictated more by determination, opportunity, a little luck and most of all belief.

Much has been written about Pyke’s journey previously Pyke reaches the peak of Aussie Rules Football and his story is inspirational, especially when looked at from the point of view of international success for prospective players. But a brief recap certainly provides a remarkable insight into a very talented athlete.

In a round where other results were far more lop-sided, the North London Lions held off a determined Wimbledon Hawks team in Round Four of the AFL London Premiership Competition. Going into the match, the Lions sat in second place on the ladder and the Hawks in fifth. But in reality only one game separated the teams on the ladder and this result showed how close many of the London teams are in talent on any given day.

 

In other results, the West London Wildcats reinforced their dominance of the competition with a 135 point crushing of the London Swans. It was their third win in succession over 120 points and underlined again how strong the Wildcats are. For a full match review, read the following article by Sarah Ongarello from AFL Europe: http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/top-effort-from-rover-dog-as-wildcats-clip-swans-wings/

 

 

The Wolverhampton Wolverines have to be considered extremely unlucky to lose last weekend. It is not often that a team can kick a score of 24 21 (165) and still be beaten…by a mere 7 points to the undefeated Sheffield Thunder which kicked 25 22 (172). Whilst losing is never a palatable result at the best of times, the Wolverines will take heart that they pushed the league leaders to the limit and found 45 ways to score against them.

But the high scoring wasn’t just confined to the Wolverhampton match. Up at Huddersfield the goal spree continued unabated.

The home team, Huddersfield Rams, scored their best win of the season with a 72 point victory against the Nottingham Scorpions. The result keeps the Rams in finals contention, but certainly places pressure on the Scorpions to fight for a finals berth. In another high scoring match, a combined 40 goals were kicked.

 

Friday night footy in Perth kicks off Round 10 with unbeaten Fremantle hosting Richmond who have notched up three consecutive wins. 

Once again viewers around the world can access matches live or delayed on a number of TV networks or stream the telecast via subscription to Watchafl.com.au. 

The broadcast schedule for this round can be seen below.