World Footy News

AFL Fiji has named a training squad for IC11, with some of their talented Under 16s currently in contention.

Although we haven't had official comfirmation yet that the Fijians will definitely make it to Australia for the 4th installment of the International Cup, the squad will be preparing with every intention of being there.

For more see the story by Torika Tokalau on Fiji Live: U16 reps boost Fiji AFL senior squad.

The 40-member squad consists of mainly players that have only taken up the sport in less than four months but will be cut down to a final 30-member team by June 5th. AFL Fiji development officer and acting coach Glen Butler knows his side will be inexperienced but will gain a lot from the exposure. “These countries have competed in this competition already and know what to expect. This will be the first Fijian team to compete in the AFL International Cup” says Butler.

Finally an AFL game for Nintendo Wii! Created by Wicked Witch and published by TruBlu, AFL Wii has been released ahead of schedule. And in a first for AFL games, AFL Wii will also feature an International Cup with teams from IC08.

AFL Wii boasts more teams and greater player progression than any other AFL game. Including the 2011 AFL teams and Greater Western Sydney, there are over 70 different teams to choose between and 5 different leagues. There are also bonus teams, such as the 2010 All Australian Team. You can also play in the NAB U18 National Championship.

Saturday the 21st of May saw a milestone day for Australian Rules Football in Ireland, with the contesting of the country's first ever inter-school match.

The match took place between Gaelcholáiste Mhuire A.G. and Coláiste an Phiarsigh, two all Irish-speaking schools in Cork City, in Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown. It came about as a result of a decision made at the league’s AGM in December to appoint Vincent Manning as a schools development officer to introduce the increasingly popular sport to a younger playing spectrum.

"A lot of work has gone into this, both on and off the training ground," said ARFLI President Ciarán O’ Hara. "After ten years of Aussie Rules in Ireland it’s great to see it finally being played by a younger generation."

Stateside Footy presents an Australian Rules Football match between the Boston Demons and New York Magpies, played on April 30, 2011 in Yonkers, N.Y. 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. The man behind Stateside Footy is Bill Robert and we thank Bill for submitting his video.

Stateside Footy presents another two-part episode to kick off its second season. The first part is a preview of the Boston Demons 2011 Australian Rules Football season including interviews and highlight footage. The second part presents a Women's Footy match played in Yonkers, N.Y., featuring female footballers from the Boston, New York, and Baltimore-Washington teams.

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.  We thank Bill Robert the man behind Stateside Footy for the video.

The CNFA have announced the French national squad who will be heading to Australia in August to make their International Cup debut. The squad is composed largely of players from the Paris Cockerels, Bordeaux Bombers and Toulouse Hawks, with the Bordeaux players coming off a premiership win last weekend with an all-France squad.

The Strasbourg Kangourous have one representative, and a contingent of French players currently playing in Canada are also making the trip. Six French nationals currently playing in Australia are listed with the squad, including the trio of Thomas Urban, Cyril Jan Mahamad and Grégoire Patack from the Toulouse Hawks, who are suiting up with the Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Blues reserve grade team this season.

Included in the squad are Wilfried Houvion and Sylvain Maylie, who were both selected to play with the European Legion against the AIS-AFL squad in London last month. Wilfried took part in the Legion match, although Sylvain was unable to make the trip to London due to work commitments.

Head Coach and Manager for the team is Cyril Talon, who is also the current CNFA President. His assistants will be Graham Andrews, who coached the Paris Cockerels over the past 3 seasons, and Luke Anderson, who coached the Montréal Saints in 2010 before moving to Singapore this year.

It took nearly 40 years to develop the first competitive team of Australian Football in India, after the very 1st exposure of the game in India in 1969, when Western Australia Football League toured India, to when the Indian Tigers participated (jumper pictured left) in the International Cup 2008 in Melbourne. The team then comprised of players mostly drawn from West Bengal and Indian residents in Melbourne.

Thereafter it has taken three more years to spread the joy outside the state of West Bengal in eastern India to the state of Kerala in southern India.

Rajeev Raj, a member of the Kerala Olympic Association and a big sports enthusiast, has taken up the responsibility to promote the game in his state. Hence 40 odd players from different sporting backgrounds are practicing the game in the city of Kozhikode, where a week long footy clinic was organised in April and it led on to the first ever Aussie Rules match played on 22nd April 2011.

The good work has been carried forward by Rajeev, who has started organising footy clinics in a few schools of the city and is looking forward to spread the game to all the districts of Kerala and have a state championship very soon.

See also our story about AFL India now recruiting players within Australia for the fourth International Cup.

The Australia Network provides Australian TV content into Asia (on satellite/cable TV) much the same as Radio Australia does with radio content. It is a government program that has been provided by the ABC but with programs from across the Australian TV networks. On weekends this extends to coverage (often live) of AFL matches. This provides a strong link and easy access to the game for homesick expats but also a window into the Australian game for many Asian locals who have an interest in the game.

With a number of junior programs being conducted by footy clubs across Asia, other than playing the game there is no better way to give these kids an appreciation of the game than by being able to show them footy beamed live from a packed MCG, Footy Park or Subiaco. Developing links with the local community can also be based on gatherings around the TV particularly on Anzac Day and for the AFL Grand Final when many are introduced to the AFL for the first time.

This is however all under threat with the current 10 year deal set to expire at the end of August and the winner of the next 10 year tender, is yet to be announced by the Departmentof Foreign Affairs & Trade. According to AusNet's CEO, Bruce Dover, "DFAT has indicated in the associated tender documents that in any case in thefuture, sports programming on the channel should be limited, as 'much of the Sports [football] historically shown appeal more to the expatriate community rather than the target audience.' Consequently, sports programming - be it NRL, rugby or AFL - will be significantly restricted on the channel after August 2011."

We've had some comments and links regarding Ugandan sensation Emmanuel Irra but it's worth noting his rise as a separate article.  He first came to our attention last year as a 16 year old when he was selected for the World XVIII to compete in the NAB AFL Under 16s.

Irra made his league debut for South Adelaide a few weeks ago, a remarkable effort at 17 years of age, with only a brief history in the game.  Irra is playing some exciting footy and must surely be on the cusp of being drafted into the AFL.  With so many young African immigrants in Adelaide playing soccer Irra's success could be a strong positive for footy winning over the next generation.  And of course if he makes it to the AFL he could have a similar national significance, as well as continue to highlight the benefits for the AFL of a push into Africa.

Some of his highlights have been posted on Youtube:

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Team India are holding weekly training sessions in Melbourne in the lead-up to this year’s International Cup. Sessions commence at 1pm every Sunday at Ashwood Reserve on High Street Road in Melbourne’s East.

All Indians in Melbourne that are interested in playing football are urged to attend, regardless of their skill level or knowledge of the game. Non-playing roles are also available.

Like in 2008 Team India will be comprised of eligible players based both in India and Australia; an even split is expected. In 2008 the India-based players were drawn solely from Kolkata, whereas this year players from Mumbai and Kerala are also trying out for the squad. Hopefully this expanded talent pool results in India securing their first victory at an International Cup.

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The Madrid Bears defeated Belfry Valls by 62 points last weekend, in the first ever match to see a Catalan footy club travel to the Spanish capital of Madrid.

Instead of playing a three-way tournament as planned, the Belfry Valls squad combined with members of the Móstoles Kangaroos. The first two quarters were hard-fought, with the Bears holding more possession of the ball but the Catalans' greater accuracy in front of goal kept them in the game, only trailling by 11 points at half time.

The second half saw the Bears pull away from the Catalans, eventually running out 116-54 winners.

The Bears are planning to organise an international tournament in June to promote Aussie Rules in Spain, in addition to a promotional event on May 28th to recruit more players and find a sponsor for the national team.

Besides preparing for the Euro Cup over the northern summer, the Bears are planning to play a match against Portugal's Lisbon Dockers and visit Catalonia for a rematch later this year.

There are currently three AYAD positions available for Australian football development roles, in Indonesia, Vanuatu and Tonga. The youth ambassador positions are paid jobs open to Australians to assist in overseas development.

All are for 12 months and applications close May 27th.  More details at www.ayad.com.au/assignments and search for "Australian football".

The following is an extract from the Vanuatu description: