World Footy News

This Sunday the 27th of February sees the Glasgow Sharks kick-off their Super Six League at Glasgow Green. The Sharks Super Sixes is an intra club league made up of six aside teams from the Sharks players. The league is designed to help players gain more match experience, fitness and for those who want to play or try Aussie rules in a friendly semi competitive manner. The Sharks also hope in future to allow start-up teams in Scotland that perhaps cannot get the number of players required to play in the SARFL Competition proper to play in the sixes, as an induction to Aussie rules.

Sharks President and Coach Stephen Connor had asked for volunteers to be captains earlier in the year, and the first four that stepped forward would be the Captains. The Sharks that stepped forward were, Adam Jack, John McIntyre, Scott O`Hara and Ross Thomson. The Captains along with Stephen had the first ever Sixes Draft at the beginning of February to choose the teams, each Captain drew a number to determine who got first draft pick etc. players were selected by each captain in order until all those available had been put into 1 of 4 teams. Games will be played at Glasgow Green in the city centre on a shortened field and will consist of 2 x 20 minute halves, it's thought the central location and shortened format may capture the public interest as well as being a good tool to develop new players to the sport.

The Sharks Super Sixes is part of the ‘Sharks are circling’ campaign, aimed at getting more people in Glasgow and surrounding areas involved in Aussie Rules and along with this year’s Schools programme and other initiatives will help grow the game in Scotland. For more Information on the Sharks Super Sixes league including Fixtures, results and Stats please visit www.glasgowsharks.co.uk

Bayanda Sobetwa joined Greater Western Sydney in 2010, becoming the first player recruited to Australia from the AFL South Africa program, notionally to an AFL club (although GWS are yet to fully join the AFL). With FootyWILD in many ways the AFL's flagship international program there must also have been a degree of pressure for Sobetwa to perform.

It was a huge step up for a young South African with only a few years in the game, and his statistics playing for GWS in the Under 16 TAC Cup were modest. However he did manage 13 games which will have been invaluable experience, making the best players list twice. With an influx of Australia's best young talent into GWS for 2011 and again in 2012, it was always going to be difficult for the young trailblazer to maintain his spot.

Happily he has found a home with Port Melbourne and a position at the AFL, and will spend 2011 continuing to develop his game. worldfootynews.com spoke to the AFL's International Development manager, Tony Woods, about Bayanda Sobetwa's efforts to keep his dream alive.

As part of Brett Kirk's world odyssey he recently visited Sri Lanka and amongst his activities he taught the footy basics to youngsters in Seenigama. Youtube footage below.

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Last year Kirk was also in Sri Lanka with other AFL players including Adam Goodes, Richard Tambling and Brad Sewell, as part of a Global Reconciliation program, see Sri Lankan MP agrees to support Australian Football. Youtube footage below.

The US and Canada have been playing each other in Aussie rules internationals almost yearly since 1999, with the US mostly holding sway. This Friday night in the NAB Cup qualifying final, two men from opposite sides of the border look likely to ruck against each other. Canadian Mike Pyke and American Shae McNamara have never played for their country, or for that matter played Aussie rules in their own countries. They are converts from rugby union and basketball that promoted themselves to Sydney and Collingwood as potential converts.

Nevertheless all those involved in the USAFL and AFL Canada will be very keenly following to see if the clash eventuates and how each performs. Pyke has become an established member of the Swans as a mobile ruckman after two years in Sydney. McNamara had a solid VFL season in 2010, his first season in the game. He now takes a step up to the Collingwood senior side for this NAB Cup match in which he will be hoping to demonstrate that he belongs at the higher level and set himself up for more AFL appearances in 2011.

On the list of teams hoping to make their International Cup debut in 2011 are Indonesia, planning to field a squad composed both of from players from Indonesia as well as Indonesians resident in Australia. AFL Indonesia Development Officer Lee Van Gils is currently recruiting Indonesian nationals through the West Java league coordinated by the Jakarta Bintangs, with current plans to bring at least 12 local players across from Indonesia, possibly more if the necessary funding can be secured.

The Australian-based contingent are being organised by the Indo Footy Stars, who last year made their debut as Team Indonesia at Aussie Rules International's Harmony Cup, and who are currently preparing for another tilt against other Australian Multicultural community teams at the 2011 HC, this year to be held on March 21st at Collingwood's spiritual home Victoria Park.

24 men's and 6 women's teams still in contention.

Once the AFL's 2011 Australian Football International Cup was announced a large array of countries lined up as possible attendees. Inevitably this has thinned out as some nations decide they do not have the players or fundraising capability to get a large squad down to Australia for two full weeks.

Here is a quick snapshot of who we think are still in contention. Note it is an unofficial list, primarily summarising the results from interviews we've conducted.

For the women's it seems that despite the men from Italy waiting until 2014, the women still plan to make the journey. The list remains Ireland, PNG, USA, Italy, Canada and a combined Multicultural and Indigenous team. With a small number of countries one would think that makes getting all the international sides to IC2011 crucial for a vibrant tournament.

Read on for the men's list.

AFLPNG has released its Binatangs side to play in the Under 16 Queensland State Championships in Brisbane.

Commencing on April 26, the championships will see the PNG Binatangs play against Queensland Regional sides.

Building on the success of 2010 which saw PNG perform successfully on the international stage, AFLPNG is hopeful of continuing the improvements of the sport throughout PNG.

Nathan Upkai has been named coach of the side, with AFLPNG officials Mesea Dorogori and Ian Karme named as his assistants.

The squad is:-
Jeremy Pikik, Kennedy Lavatu, Junior Francis, Isaac Bakani, Jacky Tony, Bruno Arnold, Ben Otio, Ricky Robert, Ben Tirang, Joshua Kavapo, Joshua Pisep, Samson Augerea, Harry Kambuou, Tony Ronnie, Nane Rai, Albert Gabi, Wilfred Dorogori, Daniel Gitua, Michael Macca, Jeconiah Peni, Raymond Prenai, Ruben Jiak, Max Lavai, Scott Johnson, Eddie Meli, Ori Nilmo, Noel Maguna, Freddy Kalandi

AFLPNG Asia/Pacific manager Andrew Cadzow has arrived in Port Moresby to oversee upcoming PNG coaching updates and school programs as part of the development of the game and to discuss with his large on ground staff the future of the sport for 2011 and beyond.

With a busy schedule awaiting Mr. Cadzow, he is hoping to improve the structure to the 2011 season so that development within PNG can reach even greater heights.

He will be overseeing the plans for the AFLPNG Academy in 2011, and will be hoping to improve the facilities as well as increasing the ways in which the system is run. “We are aiming to consolidate its position as a premier institution whilst creating the opportunity to partner with both the private and business sector to improve facilities, give more opportunities for higher level coaching, whilst ensuring the boy’s education is paramount”. The AFLPNG Academy was established in 2010 and was a great success in its initial year. Building on this success, AFLPNG recently appointed Moses Kar as the New Director of the Academy.

The AFL Europe will soon welcome Ben MacCormack as its new Regional Manager, after the previous apointee Peter Romaniw had to return to Australia following visa problems.

Gerard Murphy says he was disappointed Romaniw could not stay in Europe, stating "He was doing an excellent job and we were disappointed that he couldn't stay with us. Peter is working for the AFL in Melbourne and is continuing to provide us with support from Australia until Ben starts in mid-March."

The AFL Europe only received its current name after last year's Euro Cup in Milan, with the move creating some talk in the international footy scene. Murphy explains that "At the initial meetings, there was lots of discussion about what the relationship with the AFL should 'look like'. It was agreed by the countries that we should have a strong relationship with the AFL and that this relationship should be fostered and developed to produce maximum benefits for the region."

"The decision to establish ourselves as the EAFA was taken in order to create a 'neutral' brand that would enable everyone to join regardless of previous alignments. However, 9 months later in Milan, it was decided by the general assembly that we should change our name to AFL Europe, pending some clarification from the AFL on a small number of queries."

"We now have a very close relationship with the AFL and we have just appointed our new Regional Manager, Ben MacCormack, a position funded by the AFL. The appointment of Tony Woods has also been an excellent step forward as he is able to deal with any concerns that we have promptly."

 AFL International Development Manager Tony Woods was in Adelaide this week for the launch of a major AFL Fiji fundraiser by Port Adelaide's Fijian connection, David Rodan and Alipate Carlisle; more on that later.  worldfootynews.com took the opportunity to sit down with Woods to discuss a range of issues about the sport's international growth, and some of Tony's thoughts will be featured across several articles.

High on the agenda was August's International Cup, with two questions that come up each Cup top of our list - what format will be used and what support will the AFL be offering competing countries.

The AFL Italia have deciding to withdraw their men's team from the 2011 International Cup, with league president Nicola Giampaolo saying "Only in the last few days we have taken the hard decision to not go to the IC. The main reasons are the financial difficulties of funding a 30 person squad between players and staff, and the availability of the best squad of players for a period of three weeks."

Giampaolo remains upbeat about the AFL Italia's progress and believes they will be a strong position to compete in 2014. "We are a very young association. AFL Italia just stared kicking a footy around in mid 2009 and was formally registered in april 2010 and has already made huge steps forward both on the playing field (6th overall in the Euro Cup) and off the field hosting a great Euro Cup in Parabiago."

"We want to concentrate our attention on developing the national competetion and expanding the number of registered players and begin to play some 18-a-side matches. Our main goals are the European Championships in 2013 and the next International Cup in 2014 when we will have much more experience under our belt and will be able to field a competitive team."

Update: The AFL Italia women's team are still planning to attend, it is only the men's side that have withdrawn.

It was a first for Welsh ARFL club the Swansea Magpies on Tuesday 14th February 2011 where two of their senior players, Tim Atkins and Aled Morris, took Australian Rules Football into the classroom of Bishop Gore Comprehensive School. The club was invited by the local 5x60 officer, Louise Snelgrove, to introduce Aussie Rules to the Year 9 boys and girls.

The lesson went very well, with the children responding positively to a brand new sport that all but one of them had never heard of. The pupils are at a stage where they will soon choose which G.C.S.E. subjects they will take in years 10 and 11. The school were looking to use the session to help promote Physical Education G.C.S.E. and potentially offer an alternative pathway to football (soccer) and rugby. Maybe Aussie Rules will find its way into the curriculum at some point in the future.