World Footy News

With the AFL season closing in on finals time the smaller regional matches have come to an end for 2014. In saying that the two Tasmanian venues at Aurora Stadium and Blundstone Arena are still active but are part of a six match deal for footy in the state, as is Star Track Arena (formerly Manuka Oval) in Canberra which has three matches throughout the year.

The matches referred to here are the one-off regional showcases in Alice Springs, Darwin and Cairns which finished last weekend when the Western Bulldogs upset the Gold Coast Suns up at Cazalys Stadium in Far North Queensland.

Now that these matches are done and dusted, it is possible to look at the value of these games. But that value cannot simply be results or money made. When considering value, local aspects need to be taken into an overall equation.

There is an argument from down south that taking clubs away from their home fans is not always a popular move. Some say that the average fan cannot afford to travel to such far flung locations, which is probably true. Even if this results in better TV coverage, there is nothing like watching your team from the grandstands.

On 2 August 2014 the small town of Drniš in Dalmatia, Croatia, will play host to a friendly match between Croatia and the Netherlands, a reply of the 2010 Euro Cup final.

With the Croatian Knights unable to attend this year's International Cup, the match will be a chance for the national team to prepare for this year's Euro Cup.

The Drniš town council is excited to see footy for the first time and host an international match, providing transportation, field, dinner and a tour to the nearby national park.

The match will kick off at 6pm. During the game, funds will be raised for parts of Croatia devastated with recent foods. All are welcome to join in the BBQ event after the match.

LEFT: A view of Drniš from a nearby hill.

The South African Lions finished 11th in 2002, 8th in 2005 and roared up to 3rd in 2008. Their goal in 2011 was to make the Grand Final but they dropped to 5th.  2014 sees them return to Australia with only a few experienced campaigners and some very young talent.  Their goal - make the top four and from there have a crack at winning the tournament.

Traditionally the South Africans have played a fast, attacking, but at times chaotic style.  A lack of regular club matches has probably deprived them of the chance to consistently experience pressure football every week for a long season, and to practice structured play under real match pressure.  But their academy program and the first steps towards a national league are addressing these issues so it will be interesting to see whether the Lions can return to the top four and challenge the best the rest of the world has to offer.

When asked about the likely style the Lions will bring, AFL South Africa National Operations and Local Partnership Manager July Machethe explained "To play entertaining and competitive footy in all of our games".

The Finland Icebreakers are readying for their second International Cup campaign this year, after attending back in 2008. With a relatively small local league and a limited pool of players to choose from, the Finns have been battling to finalise their squad for the tournament, with numerous withdrawals due to finances, injuries, work and family commitments.

However, they have also been able to select Finns playing at clubs in Ireland, the USA and Asia, as well as a handful of Finns currently living and playing in Australia, so the Icebreakers are still optimistic about their chances of making a good impression Down Under in 2014.

Mika Kupila spoke to WFN about the team's preparations and goals.

LEFT: Some of the Icebreakers members at the IC08

AFL Fiji return to the international arena with the Senior mens team "Fiji Tribe" and their first ever senior womens squad the "Fiji Vonu" looking to fight for a spot in the final of the mens and womens fixture at the 2014 International Cup.

The Fiji Tribe hope to make it one better and take it to the premier squads such as 2011 Premiers Ireland, Pacific neighbours New Zealand and the powerful Papua New Guinea after claiming top spot in Division 2 at IC11.

Fiji Tribe return a more stronger, skillful but most of all experienced side compared to the side which claimed division 2 at IC14. The new look Fiji Tribe in the black and ocean blue strip look set to fire up IC14 and be a very competitive group of young men.

The Community Round fixture has been released.  Clubs across Victoria were asked to apply to host these matches and the AFL reportedly had a very strong response.  So much so that many clubs missed out and subsequently made their disappointment known to the AFL and requested to remain as backups should there be any issues with the selected clubs.

Matches will be played across suburban Melbourne and in regional centres including Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.  Some top quality matches that will majorly determine who will battle for the top few places in the mens tournament include the NZ vs USA match as Montrose, Ireland vs Nauru at the QEO in Bendigo and PNG vs South Africa at Geelong.

The three Women's Division matches will be played at Plenty, St Albans and Wheelers Hill.

Fixture details below.

Nauru is a tiny Pacific Island nation that has the distinction of being the only country in the world that has Australian Rules as its national sport (assuming that status is disputed/shared by several sports in Australia). The capital city is Yaren and the population is just 12,000 but the number of Australian football participants is around 300.

The the national team is known as the Nauru Chiefs and they are a team just below the top tier at the International Cup and capable of stepping up with an upset.

Road to the International Cup

After finishing IC08 in fourth place Nauru were probably a little disappointed to finish sixth at IC11. Coming up against PNG in their second Division 1 match was probably an unfortunate draw, which saw them play South Africa in the 5th/6th place playoff. On form most would have expected them to win that match but they were narrowly beaten by the South Africans. The Nauru domestic competition is made up of six teams that are based on AFL club names and colors.  They are the Bulldogs, Magpies, Cats, Bombers, Kangaroos and Hawks.  The Bulldogs have won the last three Grand Finals (and were Premiers and Champions in 2012 and 2013). 

The Irish Banshees are the defending International Cup Women's Division Champions. In 2011 they defeated allcomers including Canada in the Grand Final.  Their squad was made up of players from Ireland but also a heavy contingent of Irish players who had been playing in Sydney.

There are almost 2 million people living in Australia who have Irish ancestry according to the 2001 Census, and approximately 250,000 Irish Citizens living in Australia. Australians with Irish ancestry form the second largest migrant group after the 6.3m people with English ancestry.

With strong ties like this, it is no wonder the Banshees will again be right at home when they visit Australia for the IC14, in fact less than half the team are making the long haul journey from Ireland with the rest of the squad already based in either Sydney or Melbourne. Having picked up most players through Australian Gaelic football connections the Banshees already have the building blocks for what will be an impressive line up once again.

 

 As a feature of Multicultural Round, Indian AFL fans in Australia will be able to watch Essendon Football Club’s Sunday afternoon game on FOX Footy with Hindi and Punjabi commentary by PRESSING RED.  PRESS RED: EMBRACING INDIA will broadcast the game in the two biggest Indian dialects LIVE from 4.35pm.

To view the PRESS RED: EMBRACING INDIA trailer featuring captain Jobe Watson, click here.  Essendon has established itself as the AFL club of choice for Melbourne’s Indian community and PRESS RED: EMBRACING INDIA is another example of the club’s ongoing commitment to grow its relationship with the Indian community.

PRESS RED: EMBRACING INDIA will feature the experienced call team of broadcaster and presenter Manpreet Singh, radio broadcaster Gurtej Singh and special commentary from Essendon captain and AFL Multicultural Round ambassador Jobe Watson as well as a Tom Bellchambers and Alex Browne.

The AFL and Australia Post are inviting up to 30,000 new arrivals to Australia to join in the celebrations this Multicultural Round, thanks to the My Passport to Australian Football campaign.

 

The AFL this week confirmed ABC International that broadcasts footy on the Australia Network into the Asia/Pacific region would continue this season to provide AFL matches and in fact increase the coverage from five to six matches per weekend.

This came after the Australian Government announced the ABC's multi-million-dollar Australia Network contract had been cancelled and the corporation had its overall budget cut by 1 per cent, with a possible 80 jobs to be axed.

It should be noted that the statement does not make any indications that the service will or will not continue in 2015. The full statement can be read below.

A team is still a team without a uniting jumper or jersey. A team is made from the bonds among the people within that club. But to wear a jumper that symbolises that club and brings it together in a visual sense is one of the most powerful images in sport.

Some examples highlight this. Collingwood supporters would struggle for breath if they lost their iconic black and white stripes. Would the “Old Dark Navy Blues” still be so mighty in another shade of blue? (Remember those ghastly pale blue M & M jumpers!) The red strip of Manchester United? Liverpool? The green and gold of the Brazilian national football team and most Australian teams playing anything.

The hearts and souls of the people make the club, but the emblematic face of that club is often the jumper.