World Footy News

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.

Earlier this year we launched a survey into techniques used by leagues around the world to try to grow the game, see World Footy Development Techniques Survey.  The results are now in.

The answers for the multiple choice questions are presented in pie chart form. What we can extract is that there is no easy short cut to success however it would be interesting to detail the instances where clubs had achieved effective outcomes where most clubs hadn’t.

Word of mouth via players, friends or colleagues

Haven't tried	1	2%
Little response	5	9%
Moderate response	17	31%
Effective response	32	58%

 

 

The door is ajar of New Zealand's Kurt Heatherley to make the next step at Hawthorn. Heatherley has been selected to play in Hawthorn's third pre season match against Melbourne at Casey Fields this Saturday. On the back of a solid debut and showing up high profile Sudanese born Majak Daw from North Melbourne in his second match, his third outing could be the performance that leads him to be upgraded from the rookie list (where he is listed as an International Rookie) to the senior list.

Due to Brendan Whitecross being placed on the long term injury list this week there is a spot open. And Heatherley is in contention alongside Derik Wanganeen to be given that spot with both youngsters playing this Saturday.

The GIANTS will once again celebrate cultural diversity in Western Sydney with the Many Cultures match to mark AFL Multicultural Round against Geelong at Spotless Stadium on July 19.

Auburn is the latest club from around Australia and overseas to become affiliated with the GIANTS. Recently the Dartmoor Swans became the Dartmoor GIANTS and last year Concord became the first junior club in Western Sydney to adopt the GIANTS name and colours.

AFL NSW/ACT General Manager Craig Bolton said: “The Auburn GIANTS represent what the AFL is building. An inclusive code that welcomes people from all backgrounds.

The following article comes from the AFL Sweden website, with their kind permission, and details the players selected for the nation's IC14 squad for August in Melbourne. Also attached is the video announcement of the Swedish squad.

The fifth International Cup in Australian Football will take place in Melbourne. The Swedish Elks will take part in this great tournament and compete against the best national teams in the world. Today, after much anticipation, the squad has been announced that will have the honour to represent Sweden.

For this landmark event, which is only held every third year, head coach Daniel McClaer will bring one of the strongest Swedish sides ever to Australia.

"The majority of players were part of last year's success at the European Championships, but there are some new faces as well," says Elks head coach Dan McClaer.

Head coach Daniel McClaer is excited about the strength and versatility of the Elks 2014 squad and has hopes of a top ten finish in the twenty-three team tournament:

This is the third time the Elks are representing Sweden at the International Cup, so this time we are planning and expecting a Top 10 finish. We have a slightly more experienced and mature squad in comparison to the 2011 campaign.

"The boys have been in preparations since last summer and are really looking forward to showing the football world that we are no walkovers."

"The squad is a well balanced group that will showcase their speed, skill and determination. The versatility of all the players to play any position is also a key to our game in this tournament, which we are looking forward to participating in!"

Read the full story for the squad list and video announcement.

The Edmund Rice Lions are holding a Registration Carnival this Sunday, 9 March at Barry Britton Reserve in Balga (Western Australia).

They are inviting all families, footy lovers and kids down for an afternoon of fun activities and a chance for those who would love to play with the Edmund Rice Lions Football team this year to sign up.

The Edmund Rice Lions are an Australian Football Team of individuals aged 6 – 23 from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) backgrounds.

“This free carnival welcomes all members of the public to increase awareness around opportunities for children coming from low socio-economic areas and CaLD backgrounds,” says Natasha Hanham from the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR).

The USAFL will bring a second women's team with them when they head to Australia for the International Cup in August.  The team to be known as "The USA Liberty" which is a development team made up of players who missed out of a place in the Freedom squad. 

The Liberty will play against local metropolitan and regional Victorian women’s teams to gain valuable experience and game time.  It is expected their games will be played during the International Cup but on non-IC14 match days and they will share the same staff as the Freedom.

 

The USA Women's team known as the US Freedom has been named for the 2014 International Cup.  The squad was named following the camp held in Houston, Texas two weeks ago.  More than 60 players and staff attended the event at the Cullen Park Soccer Fields on the outskirts of Houston.

The Freedom were seeded 5th going into IC11 but finished third behind Ireland and Canada.

From the IC11 World Team selected at the conclusion of the tournament Judith Stein, Becky Kraft and Lindsey Kastanek all return for the Freedom's IC bid.

The GIANTS will add a touch of green to the sea of orange at Spotless Stadium for the Battle of the Bridge against the Swans on March 15.

To celebrate St Patrick’s Day on March 17, the GIANTS have launched a special ticket offer for all Irish fans in Sydney.

It includes a reserved seat in a dedicated Irish “Green Bay”, a green GIANTS t-shirt and a beverage voucher (600ml drink or beer) for just $25.

Award winning Irish band Tolka will kick off the festivities and there will be demonstrations of hurling and Gaelic football before the main game.

No practice game is ever a waste, and the critics who see the NAB Challenge as a series of glorified practice games are probably right, though missing the point. Three points, actually.

Firstly, players got to show their wares as they jostle for starting positions in senior AFL line-ups for Round One in just two weeks’ time. They also gained valuable match fitness and awareness prior to the real show beginning.

Secondly, the fans who had patiently or impatiently waited since last September to watch their beloved game waited no more. It might not have been the start of the real deal, but a game with your own club to support is cherished by fans of all clubs. Practice match or not it is a wonderful experience for the footy tragic when they see or hear their team in actions again after such a long and seemingly endless wait.