World Footy News

The South China Morning Post has reported on Port Adelaide Football Club legend Russell Ebert in Hong Kong to set up ties with the Hong Kong Dragons. Ebert has signed a reciprocal deal on behalf of Port Adelaide with the Dragons which will be beneficial to their Auskick programme, which currently boasts 300 kids. Click here to read the original article.

Now that the 2013 season has ended for most Australian competitions, the avid fan will turn their attention to ongoing leagues such as the AFLNT, AFL Middle East or the CNFA in France to get through to next season as they play through the Australian summer months.

But this is the perfect time for a collection of updates from northern Australian leagues whose seasons have recently finished.

The Far North Queensland city of Cairns has been in the running to have a team in the NEAFL competition for some time as a prelude to a potential AFL team at some point in the future. Aftersuccessfully hosting three Gold Coast Suns v Richmond matches at Cazalys Stadium (including the remarkable match where a Karmichael Hunt kick after the siren won the match for the Suns), Cairns was hoping for good news. The following article, reproduced from the AFL Queensland website, details the decision today.

AFL Queensland today advised that a North Queensland team will not be introduced into the restructured North East Football League (NEAFL) for season 2014.

CEO Michael Conlan said that while the organisation supported the concept of a North Queensland side, the timing was not right.

Well how good is it? Good enough for a quick kick and handball around the region with your mates. Or more simply put "Its mega awesome".  The 21 member clubs of AFL Asia show us how good.

The USAFL has released the pools for the men's 2013 National Championship Divisions. Division 1 has no reigning champion as the Dallas Magpies who won the 2012 title and were subsequently stripped of the title have been suspended from competition at the National Championships this season. Canadian team the Calgary Kookaburras will again compete in Division 1 at this year's US Nationals.

Pools are:

The England Dragonslayers have sent out their official review of their successful Axios 2013 Euro Cup campaign, with the following article and photos courtesy of coach Rob Fielder.

A new USAFL advertisement will screen during the US coverage of the 2013 AFL Grand Final today. You can catch the video below.

 The Australian Banking corporation NAB will today provide commentary of the 2013 AFL Grand Final live on "Footify FM" in 10 languages.  This can be heard at the website link - http://listen.footifyfm.com/ from 2.15pm Melbourne time today.

The broadcast languages are Arabic, Croatian, French, Japanese, Madarin, Spanish, German, Greek, Punjabi and Turkish on 10 seperate streams.

A cool, windy morning with a few showers greets us on this Saturday in Melbourne. Just hours before the kickoff to the 2013 AFL Grand Final being contested between Hawthorn and Fremantle, we have been told that many around the world will not be seeing the pre-match coverage to this year's game. You may miss the return of Mike Brady performing today so we present to you the video from 1979 - "Up there Cazaly" to get you in the mood.

Michelle Cowan has today been named the 2013 Football Woman of the Year at the annual Grand Final Comedy Debate at Crown Palladium.

At least 5 AFL clubs are reportedly interested in some international talent arriving in Melbourne, with American pair Jason Holmes and Mark Cisco, and Irishman Daniel Flynn being invited to train under the clubs' eyes before taking part in next week's NAB AFL Draft Combine.

The two Americans were first flagged as potential AFL players at the combine held in Los Angeles in April. They are both looking at key position or ruck roles, with Holmes standing 203cm, and Cisco at 207cm.

Young Irishman Flynn is being groomed as a running defender as the 19-year-old has explosive pace and power. He played for the European Legion against the AIS-AFL Academy team in Surrey in April.

More at Clubs looking closely at International Talent on the AFL website.