World Footy News

worldfootynews.com has closely followed Mathias Biron's progress since assisting the young Danish player to make it down to Australia for the 2010 NAB AFL Under 16 Championships, in which he performed well for the World XVIII. Since returning to Denmark, the 18 year old (pictured front row at the far left) has represented his country at senior level during the Vikings' gallant run in the inaugural European Championships (the full field version not to be confused with this weekend's Euro Cup 9-a-side tournament). WFN caught up with Biron to discuss the benefits of the World XVIII experience.

"I think that I learned a lot in the weeks that I was there. We had some really good coaches that taught me many new things at the training sessions. I improved a lot on those two weeks, not only because of the training sessions but also the matches taught me a lot. I learned to manage the pressure before a match, but I also learned many things on ground. To play against the Australian teams, we obviously didn’t have a chance, but it taught me how I should play and what I should work on. I think that you always learn a lot from players that are better than you".

Irishman Michael Quinn has been awarded the Cater medal for the Best and Fairest of the Bendigo Bombers, the VFL affiliate for Essendon. It is a huge boost for the County Longford native who has struggled in his two outings for the Bombers in the AFL this season. Despite this he has consistently impressed in the lower grade.

The Sydney Swan's Dennis Carroll Trophy for Most Improved Player was last night awarded to Canadian Mike Pyke. This award is decided by the Match Committee and is based on votes in 2010 compared to 2009, among other criteria.

Pyke, 26, played International Rugby Union for Canada before moving to Australia in 2008 to try his hand at AFL with the Swans. This year he played 18 senior games, developed his all-round game and skills, and held down the number two ruck position.

The night's main award, the Bob Skilton Medal (for the club's best player in 2010) was won by Kieren Jack, completing a fairytale rise from budding rugby league junior to elite AFL midfielder.

The notion of Aussie Rules being played in Europe is no longer new but until now it has been an entirely male environment. This weekend Milan will host the continent’s first ever women’s international match of Australian Football.

The Euro Cup, an annual 9-a-side tournament, has been going since 2005. Every year Aussie Rules continues to expand, and that growth is reflected in the increasing numbers of teams taking part.

This year that expansion goes across genders as well as borders with both Ireland and Italy fielding women’s teams as well as men’s.

This article courtesy of Nic Townsend, photos courtesy of Daniela Scalia.

While Australia is being treated to a second Grand Final this weekend, on the other side of the world, another big day of footy will also taking place: the Euro Cup. This year the annual 9-a-side Australian Football tournament will be held in Milan, Italy.

The competition has only been running since 2005, but in that time it has grown dramatically in terms of nations competing and players participating, and its growth is reflective of the growing popularity of the game in Europe.

The 2010 Euro Cup will be contested by 15 countries. Wales and Switzerland will be taking part for the first time where they join other emerging football-playing nations such as Austria, France, Catalonia, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Scotland. England, Ireland, Germany and Croatia, who are all relatively well established, will also be involved.

This year’s Euro Cup will also feature the first ever women’s international in Europe, between Italy and Ireland.

This article courtesy of Nic Townsend.

Six teams are set to contest the 2010-11 AFL Middle East season, which will kick off in October. In surprising news the Dubai Heat, who have been Premiers in the league’s only two seasons are apparently not taking part. This season will consist of five Home and Away matches, plus a Grand Final and playoff for Third and Fourth position.

Read on for the complete fixture and club previews.

The AFL, Richmond Football Club and Queensland Government today announced that they had formed a partnership that would see Toyota AFL Premiership Season matches played at an upgraded Cazalys Stadium in Cairns in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Richmond will play a home match against the Gold Coast Suns at the stadium every year for the next three years.

It also brings AFL football closer to PNG. While the SUNS currently have Stanis Susuve listed, the Tigers also have scholarship listed players from PNG in Gideon Simon (pictured) and Nathan Malbak who will be happy to have top level footy on PNG's doorstep.

Considering the contribution Greek Australians have made to Australian rules football, and that leading figures in the game including current AFL chief Andrew Demetriou are of Greek or Greek-Cypriot background, it is perhaps surprising that until now the game has not been exported back to Greece.

Behind the match were AFL Multicultural Development head Nick Hatzoglou and members of the Hellenic-Australian Cricket Federation, on tour in Corfu. The lead-up to the game included Auskick clinis in local primary schools, as well as some recruitment of local sportsmen to take part in the match.

The following article by Mike Sweet originally appeared in Australian Greek community newspaper Neos Kosmos.

A club from Sydney's west are the 2010 Sydney AFL Division Four Premiers. Quite incredibly the Premiership was won in the Auburn Tigers' debut season and in promising signs for the AFL's development plans for the region (2012 sees a Greater Western Sydney team join the AFL) the vast majority of the team are of a non-Australian background.

Coinciding with the AFL Grand Final rematch this Saturday 2 October, is the 2010 OAFL Grand Final, to be contested by the Central Blues and the Toronto Dingos.

The event will be held at Humber South (Lakeshore West and Kipling) and will get underway at 11am.

Apart from the match itself, guests will have access to a licensed beer garden, live music and plenty of BBQ food.

The Dingos are four-time OAFL Premiers, with their most recent Premiership in 2005, whilst the Blues will appear in their first ever Grand Final. The Blues were stronger throughout the Home and Away season, although both teams have performed solidly thoughout their finals campaigns. The Blues enter the match with fresher legs, given a week off because of their superior ladder position. The Dingos and Blues have met twice in 2010, with the Blues comprehensive winners on both occassions, and consequently they enter this match as favourites.

Ending months of speculation, the Gold Coast SUNS today announced Geelong champion midfielder Gary Ablett has confirmed he will join the club for the next five years. The 2009 Brownlow medalist, dual Geelong premiership player and four-time All Australian, is widely recognised as the best player in the AFL competition.

Gold Coast SUNS CEO Travis Auld said the announcement is the biggest endorsement of the new AFL team yet with Ablett joining recent player signings Nathan Bock, Nathan Krakouer, Michael Rischitelli, Campbell Brown and Jarrod Harbrow.

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