World Footy News

Melbourne Football Club is excited to announce China Southern Airlines as a new Platinum Plus Partner in 2014.

The world’s fourth largest airline will become the Club’s second highest commercial partner.

China Southern will become Melbourne Football Club’s presenting membership partner and gain extensive exposure through the Club’s media backdrop, scroll and parapet signage at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), digital advertising through the website and extensive match day activations.

The third official AFL USA combine will be held from 25-27th April this year. As with previous years there is expected to be college athletes (and recently graduated) from baskeball, gridiron and soccer put through their paces in LA.

The American athletes are available for clubs to sign up on an international scholarship or rookie deal immediately at the Combine or wait until the athlete goes through the Australian combine if they like what they see in April.  International recruiting is first in best dressed without having to face being gazumped in the Draft.

 Former Seattle University basketballer Eric Wallace was the ultimate success story of the first year's combine being awarded an International rookie spot with North Melbourne in 2012. Wallace features in this year's slightly updated recruitment video on Youtube that can be seen below.  Last year the success stories were Patrick Mitchell and Jason Holmes  (who feature briefly in this year's video below) who were given International Rookie spots by Sydney and St Kilda respectively.

[youtube:Hl-0apX3nYg]

Colm Begley and John Heslin talk to Irish radio Newstalk about the homesickness and the early return home of Irish international rookies recruited to the AFL. 

This discussion is quite timely, just last week Irishman Daniel Flynn who was recruited by the Port Adelaide Football Club had flown back home to be with his family as his grandfather battles a serious illness.

Daniel, who joined the club as a rookie in November 2013, has taken a leave of absence and there is speculation that he may not return to the club at all. 

Shane Savage speaks with the new International Scholarship signing at St Kilda.

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The following article was written by Libby Toovey for AFL South Africa detailing her recent trip to the nation to assist in the development of Australian Rules football umpiring. This represents another bold and positive initiative for the game in South Africa and will go a long way towards ensuring that the greatest platform needed for a football match – umpires – become more and more available to ensure the future growth of the game.

In December last year I spent two awesome weeks with the lovely guys at AFL South Africa. This was in fact the second time that I’d had the pleasure of working with Phindi, July and all the others, where in October 2012 I spent a week helping the umpires during their National Championships. As an umpire in Melbourne, I’ve been exposed to a lot of umpiring coaching, training and AFL football, so I believe I have a lot to offer all the umpires and players in South Africa. That’s why I decided to come back and further impart my knowledge onto these AFL lovers that are hungry to know more and gain more experience of the game.

Since the first instalment in 2003 of the biennial Papua New Guinea Games by the PNG Sports Foundation - teams representing each of the 20 Provinces have competed in a multisport program similar to the Pacific Games - and this did not include Australian Football. However that is about to change as AFL PNG reported today.

"For the first time since the commencement of the PNG Games, AFL PNG will be participating in this year's PNG Games thanks to the Host Organising Committee - Lae."

The PNG Sports Foundation describes the growth of the event : The Games themselves have now proved their success and have generated their own momentum, as each edition of the Games attracts more participants, more sponsorship, and importantly, more political support both at the National level and from Provincial leaders. Also underpinning that growth has been significant development of the Games Charter and the Host Agreement to ensure clear roles and responsibilities, to ensure sport development objectives are supported, and to ensure sport-for-development opportunities are also exploited.

AFL PNG are calling for the provincial associations to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity and join the event. AFL PNG can be contacted for more info on 3254943 or e-mail seniorfootball@afl-png.com or info@afl-png.com.

Wanderers defeated Waratah Saturday night at TIO Stadium in Darwin to book a place in the 2013/14 grand-final against the raging hot favourites, St Mary’s.

The grand-final that was most likely for most of the season came about through a solid if unspectacular win to the Wanderers in the preliminary final, downing the ‘Tahs by 42 points with a score of 11 11 77 to 4 11 35.

For Wanderers it means the chance to challenge for their “lucky” thirteenth premiership since their formation in 1917. This is almost in contrast to the St Mary’s behemoth which will be aiming for back to back flags and their thirtieth flag since their inception in 1952, which would give then an almost phenomenal rate of close to one flag every two years over their 62 year history.

 

Some of us, like me, are frustrated that we cannot do enough for the development of Australian Football. Well, here's the chance to do something incredibly simple.
 

We were all excited by the Renee Tong story where she (eventually) won $10,000 to enable her to contest the 2014 AFL International Cup to be played this August in Melbourne. 

Now, we have Aussie X with a chance to win $50,000 to run their sports programs in Southern Toronto. Aussie X came to prominence when they won backing in the TV program "The Dragon's Den".

Since then they have brought Australian Rules Football, cricket and netball to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and London. Aussie X were instrumental in establishing junior footy in Toronto. Now they have a chance to do the same in Southern Toronto. There is more information at this link.  All you have to do is "Like" their video.

 
 

The third and final part of our survey into Development Techniques.


Do you see benefit in developing stronger links with Australian clubs

Not really	6	11%
Probably be worthwhile	49	89%

Part two of our survey into Development Techniques.

Established youth football

Haven't tried or not applicable	40	73%
Little response	6	11%
Moderate response	4	7%
Effective response	5	9%

 

Thanks to the Williamstown Football Club for the following story.

 

The Williamstown Football Club is pleased to appoint Jiaming (Jamie) Pi as the club’s Multicultural Advisor. Jamie will be working closely with the club towards the lead up to our Multicultural Community Day on Sunday 13th April and when the club hosts the China National Team at the International Cup in August this year.
 
Jiaming (Jamie) Pi is leading the pack with diversity in footy. Jamie first came to Australia as a 13 year old with his parents from the far North Western corner of China. After falling in love with the game of Aussie Rules in  the school yard, Jamie used our great game to learn English and settle into Australia.