World Footy News

In addition to the USA teams’ main supporter T-shirt sale fundraiser, some of the teams with representatives in the national team are also hosting their own fundraisers to help send their teammates to Australia for IC11.

Baltimore-Washington Eagles and Lady Eagles are hosting a Lobster Bake Fundraiser at Phillips Seafood Headquarters, 1215 E. Fort Avenue, Baltimore, on the 23rd July from 17:30 to 20:30, straight after the Metro Grand Final. They will also have a raffle for Australian beer/wine and other prizes. The money raised will go to support BWE Revolution reps Brandon Bladau, Freedom reps Jake Moyer, Judith Stein, Eileen Geogheedan, Karen Stablein, and Revolution assistant coach Denis Ryan.

Results from the 2011 NAB AFL Under 16 Championships Round Two Division One matches played today at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney.

Goals:

Vic Country: Willsmore 5, Impey 2, Pearson 2, Bourke 2, Tsitas, Mangan, Taylor, McCartney

Western Australia: Martin 2, Acres 2, Dawson, Garstone, Loo, Abbott, Jones

Best:

Vic Country: Tsitas, Dreher, Willsmore, Leslie, Miller, Taylor

Western Australia: Martin, Chatley, Grescos, Kennedy, Sheed

Stateside Footy presents a pair of Australian Rules Football matches, played on May 21, 2011 in Fort Washington, MD. The first half of the show features a 2x20 match between the New York Magpies and the Philadelphia Hawks. The second half includes the inaugural game of the Boston Lady Demons as they play a 2x20 Women's Footy match against the New York Lady Magpies. Stateside Footy is a cable access TV show produced at WCTV - Wilmington Community Television in Wilmington, MA. It features Aussie Rules Football as it is played in the U.S.A

Richmond Football Club have confirmed their young American born- Irish signing John Heslin will play for Ireland at the 2011 International Cup.  He is expected to be joined by a number of Irish expats playing footy in Australia with state league experience such as Conor Meredith who has spent previous years at the North Melbourne football club playing with their VFL affilliate Werribee.

“John’s commitments with his Gaelic team, Westmeath, are finished and he’s really looking forward to coming out to Australia again and representing Ireland in the International Cup,” said Richmond’s Recruiting Manager Francis Jackson. 

While he has never to our knowledge played Aussie rules in Ireland or anywhere else (other than a training stint at Richmond earlier in the year, and at Essendon the year before) he will be eligible under the International Cup rules to represent his country.

 

As already discussed on WFN, Samoa will not compete at this year’s International Cup. This is obviously hugely disappointing to the international football community, let alone the Samoans themselves after being a stalwart of international competition in the South Pacific since the Arafura Festivals in Darwin.

Behind their withdrawal lie a number of factors. These include most significantly the fact that the Samoans have not been able to develop any enduring local competition, that the AYAD Officer (Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development) who have previously done a lot of the on-ground development (Michael Roberts who is now at the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup) has not been replaced and therefore due to the lack of organisation funding streams could not be put in place, particularly given the massive tsunami that devastated the country in 2009.

The next round of matches for the World XVIII and South Pacific in the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships are as follows:

You can also read more about their first round here:  International teams in upset wins on the AFL website.

Pleasingly we can confirm that many of the truly international (still based outside of Australia) players selected did indeed play in the World team's win over the Northern Territory. Specifically, there were 8 internationals played: 3 Canadians, 2 South Africans, 1 from USA, 1 from Scotland and 1 from Ireland.

The following is for a fundraiser in Ireland.

The Irish Banshees are playing in the AFL International Cup for the first time this August. This is also the first time the AFL have included a Women’s Division in the competition! It was only last year that the Banshees wailed their success, defeating Italy at the Euro Cup- can they add another international trophy to their cabinet? OF COURSE! Can they do the Irish nation proud? OF COURSE! Can they show the world that chicks really do have balls!? OF COURSE! ... And they know how to kick them too!

The Banshees have been fundraising for the trip like mad but they are still to reach their target, so they expect to see everyone come together and support their national Irish team at a Table Quiz event on Saturday 23rd July at the Woolshed in Dublin. First Bounce 8pm sharp.

Tickets are 10 euro each and 4 to a table. 

Please contact Leiha or any of the team for tickets!

Ph: 08 5734 1096

Help support the USA Revolution and USA Freedom and buy an Offiicial Supporter's T-Shirt! All proceeds go toward helping fund the teams for 2011 International Cup. Shirts are available in men's, women's and kids sizes.

Shirts are $25 and can be posted out to USA or Australia ($5 for one T-shirt or $11 for up to six T-shirts) They can also be collected free from your local USAFL club or from the teams in Sydney and Melbourne.

Orders must be placed by July 17. To order online, click here. Payments can be made by PayPal to freedom@usafl.com, or by cheque within the USA, made out to USA Freedom, and mailed to USAFL, 1500 7th Street #6J, Sacramento, CA 95814. The T-shirts will be shipped out on August 3.

If there are any problems or questions, please contact Amy Bishop at freedom@usafl.com

Donations to USA Revolution and USA Freedom can also be made by PayPal. Click here to visit their PayPal site.

Interesting interview with Collingwood's recruiting manager Derek Hine and how they look at the juinor carnivals and looking outside the usual recruiting sources. Gives a good indication of why it is so important for the World XVIII and South Pacific to be at the Under 16 Championships as part of the talent pathway.

With now just a matter of weeks to the start of the 2011 fourth instalment of the AFL International Cup, the build-up begins in earnest. Our previews commence with the reigning champions.

The 2008 winners and three time finalists are Papua New Guinea. After finishing runners up to Ireland in 2002, and then to New Zealand in 2005, finally a young new generation of talent took the title in 2008, with some help from a few stalwarts. Their fleet footed players were supplemented by a few slightly taller finds that could take a mark and in a pulsating come from behind win they knocked over the Kiwis in the 2008 Grand Final at the MCG. Some of the names have become reasonably familiar to followers of international footy. Whilst providing a fitting finale to the international career of veteran Overa Gibson, the 2008 tournament also launched at senior level players such as Stanis Susuve, John James, Emas Wartova, Donald Barry and Amua Pirika.

PNG is on an upward curve that is hard to match, and many of those stars return. But the Mozzies will not quite be at full strength so back-to-back Cups may not be the formality one might expect.

In the lead up to the 2011 AFL International Cup we're getting various questions from supporters that want to see the action. We'll endeavour to answer what we can and find out what we don't know.

Answers to recent questions:

Q: When is the draw out?!
A: July 1st, i.e. it's out now! See Final IC11 draw released. Note that there have been several revisions and we endeavour to keep the latest there.

Q: Where is BISS?
A: The draw for the first round of IC11 shows BISS1 and BISS2. These are two ovals at the Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney. It's also home to the next AFL club, the GWS Giants, as well as a baseball club. See www.blacktownsportspark.com.au

Q: How do I get to BISS and what's the weather like?
A: Visit BOM for weather and here's a very brief guide to the weather and transport options to the ground: Transport and weather for Sydney start

Q: Can the public buy tickets to the IC11 Gala Function at the Crown Palladium?
A: At this stage, no. Limited tickets were sold in 2008 but this year the capacity is reduced and the number of players and officials has increased. If some space remains the AFL has said they will advise us and we will publish the details.

As reported previously, in a first for the championships, both the World XVIII and South Pacific teams won today. The results highlight the talent opportunity outside Australia.

South Pacific 11.13 79 defeated Tasmania 10.17 77

Goals
South Pacific: Beno (PNG) 5, Alphonse (PNG) 2, Tatupu (NZ) 2, Joel (Solomons), Stegman (PNG)
Tasmania: Wiggins 4, Boscott 2, Webster 2, Sergeant, Visser

Best
South Pacific: Simon (PNG), Heatherley (NZ), Beno (PNG), Gavuri (PNG), Joel (Solomons), Logo (PNG)
Tasmania: Sergeant, Boscott, Johnston, Webster, K.Kolodjashnij

World XVIII 13.11 89 defeated Northern Territory 11.7 73

Goals
World XVIII: Masaki (Japan/VIC) 2, Gamakhulu (South Africa) 2, Jalloh (Sierra Leone/NSW-ACT) 2, Saad (Lebanon/VIC) 2, Aneet (Sudan/VIC), Majok (Sudan/TAS), Lual (Sudan/SA), Selman (?), Aliir (Sudan/NSW)
Northern Territory: Richardson 2, Sedan 2, Wasley-Black, McGarvie, McDonald, Pollard, McAuliffe, Simpson, Darcy

Best
World XVIII: Saad (Lebanon/VIC), Aneet (Sudan/VIC), Masaki (Japan/VIC), Abdallah (Lebanon/VIC), Peni (Samoa/VIC), Gamakhulu (South Africa)
Northern Territory: Ankers, Seden, Pekham, Rioli, Pollard, Fuller