World Footy News

The AFL this week announced a new multi-year agreement with Rightster - the digital video distribution, marketing and monetisation specialist - relating to the AFL’s international live streaming subscription service, AFLTV. The service, operated and built by Rightster on the AFL’s behalf, offers live and on-demand coverage of every Toyota AFL Premiership season match to fans all over the world, via AFLTV.

Throughout the 2013 Toyota AFL Premiership season, AFLTV reached thousands of fans in over 216 territories, delivering more than 2.5 million streams, including Hawthorn’s Grand Final win over Fremantle earlier this year. 

Alex Starling was awarded an international scholarship with the Sydney Swans after the first unofficial US Combine in 2011. He was to continue his studies and basketball at a US college and return to the Swans at the end of 2012.  He also played a handful of games with the Florida Redbacks in the USAFL.

Unfortunately though injury meant he was unable to come to Sydney to fulfil his AFL destiny with the Swans. Starling left the radar, and the Sydney Swans did not respond to questions as to whether there was any chance he would get another chance with them after saying they would not list him as an International rookie at the end of 2012.

But he has now popped up in yesterday's Leader community paper having signed with AFL club Frankston.  Coach Simon Goosey has been in contact with Paul Roos who first found Starling at the US combine and set him up with the Swans and told Goosey that Starling was "one of the best athletes he's ever seen" . 

Jason Lassey of Bigfooty Media interviews General Manager of AFL Europe - Ben MacCormack.

Following last year’s success of the inaugural national level tournament of Australian Rules Football in Kerala, India and the wonderful reception it enjoyed from people, it was time for hosting the 2nd annual national championship - AFL India - OGM Cup 2013. The venue for the tournament this year was the richest state of India, in terms of per capita GDP, Goa which is located on the western coast of India.

There was fair bit of improvement on last year's tournament which witnessed participation of five teams from three states of India. This year, with the immense popularity of the sport increasing day by day, a new state featured in the tournament from West Bengal, the birth place of Footy in India. All up there were six teams participating- three junior teams and three senior teams. The senior teams were Bengal Tigers, Maharashtra Giants and Kerala Bombers and the junior teams were Maharashtra Giants, Maharashtra Tigers and Tamil Nadu Kangaroos. All the teams played in round robin format with the top teams qualifying for the Grand Final. This year the tournament witnessed two winners-one in the senior division and one in the junior division attesting the fact that the popularity of Footy in India is disseminating like wildfire.
 

Football in New Zealand continues to be supported by high quality touring Australian teams.

Locally this weekend sees the Senior Championships (NPC), all local Leagues have played their Grand Finals or are due to and the school-age Hawks Cup has recently been completed. It is important that all of this local footy leads to opportunities for the players to be tested against Australians.

The schoolboys aged U16 from the Hawks Cup will play the touring Flying Boomerangs which provides real purpose for their involvement in AFL.

The New Zealand National Provincial Championships (NPC) were held last weekend in Christchurch at Westminster Park. In a thrilling weekend for footy in NZ Auckland were undefeated in their three games, though Wellington pushed them hard. Canterbury won two matches with a particularly convincing win over Wellington and Otago were winless after losing to Wellington.

For more please view:- http://aflnz.co.nz/auckland-win-first-afl-new-zealand-npc-since-2007/

This week the 5th AFL Youth Oceania Cup will take place. Previous winners since the inaugural event in 2009 have been Tonga, PNG, New Zealand and last year Fiji. The pathway has changed somewhat with last years the first tournament without either of New Zealand or PNG involved in this phase. Next year the Oceania side will again take on PNG and NZ in the South Pacific Cup.

Below is a media release from the AFL

Fiji will host the 2013 Youth AFL Oceania Cup from December 10 to 14.

 The following interview aired on Radio Australia last week.

Jason Lassey of Bigfooty Media interviews James Moore, Development Officer with the Jakarta Bintangs.

GWS Giants chief executive Dave Matthews says the club may look at playing matches for premiership points in the coming years, with China, India and the USA mentioned in an article that appeared in Melbourne newspaper The Age this morning.

Mr Matthews praised the NZ venture that saw St Kilda and Melbourne clash in Wellington this year, and says the Giants may be interested in also taking matches offshore.

However, he also mentioned that Giants home games could not be transferred, with an agreement in place with the ACT government to play 3 home-and-away matches in Canberra each year until 2021, and the remainder to stay at the Sydney Showgrounds.

This raises the possibility of another AFL club to move an otherwise low-drawing home game against the Giants overseas, if a financial incentive presents itself.

For more, read AFL Team Giants keen to play in China, US and India.

Jason Lassey of Bigfooty Media interviews Sölvi Fannar Sigmarsson.

Canterbury, the current champions, will be keen to use home advantage to retain their title this coming weekend in Christchurch. In 2012 they won their third National Provincial Championship in a row.

With a strong squad in 2013, Canterbury has an excellent chance to beat the other three leagues sending teams.

Auckland, Wellington and Otago will all be competing at the National Provincial Championship. Otago is the newest team at the competition, and could be the surprise package of the weekend. Wellington and Auckland will both be tough to beat, with squads filled with experienced and tough players. Disappointingly Waikato are unable to make this year’s Championships after a number of years competing at this level.