World Footy News

The fifth AFL Unity Cup, which brings together particular and mixed multicultural footy teams from all around Australia, came to Holland Park ovals in Kensington, a few torpedo punts away from North Melbourne’s Arden St ground, on the last Sunday in March, the month which celebrates Harmony Day around Australia.

This festival of footy and community festival was started originally by Essendon. Supported by the AFL Multicultural Program and the Australian Federal Police, it featured teams from Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. The teams played under 18 footy in the AFL 9s format – 9 a side played on a small oval marked out on the artificial turf ground at Holland Park and smaller grounds on the adjacent ovals.

In this game, contests are for the football rather than tackling contests as it is a game of limited contact and with several varied rules. The result was exciting and skilful contests.
 

VFL team the Box Hill Hawks have defeated the Australian Under 18 team by 31 points in the curtain raiser to Richmond v Carlton at the MCG today.

In an entertaining game, after being down by nine points at half time, the stronger and more experienced Hawks overcame the Australian youngsters, kicking five goals in the last quarter to win convincingly.  Clearly their upcoming European opponents will have their hands full with these young Aussie guns. 

On the 17th of March was AFL England Central-North West League’s St Patrick’s Day tournament, hosted by the Manchester Mosquitoes at their home ground in Burnage. Six teams participated in the event, with the hosts facing off against teams from Sheffield, Huddersfield, Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

WFN managed to catch up with the Huddersfield Rams before the tournament, and Sheffield Thunder's coach afterwards.

 

Aussie Rules ‘Touring’ season is heating up as AFL in Asia gets underway.

It’s a competition that requires a passport and plane ticket for nearly every away game, has one team boasting a forward line that includes champion Hawthorn AFL premiership player Trent Croad and another that fine-tuned its campaign under the guidance of Brisbane Lions triple premiership player and Brownlow medallist Jason Akermanis – welcome to AFL Asia.

The five time winners and reigning Asian champion Singapore Wombats will kick off their 2012 campaign at the end of March, playing an opening fixture against the Jakarta Bintangs in Indonesia.

In a 2011 season that saw the dominant Wombats taste defeat on only the rarest of occasions, their Bintang rivals were able to buck the trend and solve the Wombats in two of their three encounters. Adding insult to injury, Jakarta claimed both victories by the narrowest of margins, taking the honours at home by 3 points and then again in Manila by a solitary point.

A healthy crowd of around 200 onlookers and players were present to see the excitement unfurl as the Australian-Irish Swans took on the Irish-Australian Gaels in Vietnam for St Patrick’s Day. More than 50 players, from nine nations, were split into two mixed sides of 15, with each side having plenty of subs.

The scoring was modified with a goal in the net only amounting to three points, and a score over the crossbar only registering one point.

15 minutes quarters were played, alternating between codes and balls (rather than playing International Rules), beginning initially with the native Irish game. A tightly contested first half meant that scores were tied going into the big break. The second half was a lot less confusing as everybody had become more accustomed to the rules, but the Irish-Australian Gaels' persistence paid off and they managed to wrap up the game with some straight kicking in the fourth quarter.

The game was played in great spirit and both teams got together after the match for dinner and to celebrate St Patrick's Day with a few pints of Guinness.

A raffle was held after the game, which generated 9.5 million VND ($450USD) for Loretto, an organisation which helps disadvantaged children through education programmes.

The fifth annual Unity Cup will be held in Melbourne this Sunday. The Round Robin tournament aims to promote community understanding and social inclusion. Teams travel from around the country and represent various ethnic and religious groups.

A joint press release from the AFP, AFL Victoria and Essendon, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn Football Clubs can be read below.

A legend on the field.

An inspiration off it.

The AFL has announced the 2012 NAB Under 16 Championships draw.  This year's tournament will include a WA Northwest team as well as a Flying Boomerangs indigenous team. 

The South Pacific and WorldXVIII teams will be back for their third tournament which will be held in western Sydney from July 7 to July 14.  The introduction of the new teams this year will see the international teams play each of the new teams once each as well as the other international team.  

The draw is as follows;

On the 10th of March on Clapham Common, London, the Sussex Swans and some of the AFL London teams got together with London’s Kanga Footy touch players to compete in the Kanga Footy pre-season competition. Unlike normal football played in AFL London, Kanga Footy is 9-a-side, non-contact and the teams are required to have at least two female players on the field at any time. To further encourage the involvement of women in the game, the rules are modified so a goal kicked by a female full forward is awarded 9 points.

Eight teams took part in the competition: Two Kanga Footy “All Stars” and combined “Allied Forces” teams, the Sussex Swans, and five AFL London teams- Wandsworth Demons, Wimbledon Hawks, North London Lions, Putney Magpies and West London Wildcats. The games were two halves of 8 minutes, played on two ovals on the Common.

The Harmony Cup is back in 2012, with 8 teams representing Melbourne's multicultural communities competing this Sunday, March 18th.

This year's comp will see the return of regulars Israel, Turkey, Greece and Albania, along with first-timers Ireland. Rounding out the field will be composite sides representing Team Africa and Team Harmony, plus an Australian indigenous team. Each team will play three matches (2 x 20 minute halves) under the banner of their country of origin and in their full national colours.

Team Africa features players from countries including Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa, Botswana, Egypt and Kenya. Team Harmony will feature players from a number of backgrounds, including five members of New Zealand's 2011 International Cup side.

Albania will be captained by former Melbourne Demons star Adem Yze, while Mick Finn, who starred in the Irish side at the last two International Cups, will be captaining Ireland.

Organised by Aussie Rules International, the Cup will be held at Ransford & McAlister Ovals at Royal Park North, the same venue which hosted the bulk of the Melbourne leg of the 2011 International Cup. Entry is free, and the day will feature food, music and cultural performances besides the footy.

The two teams ranked first and second at the conclusion of the preliminary round of matches will play each other in the Grand Final. The winner will be awarded the 2012 Harmony Cup by footy Legend Ron Barassi.

More information and full schedule at harmonycup.com.