World Footy News

Former Collingwood, Adelaide and North Melbourne player Jason McCartney is well known to international footy for various roles performed on behalf of the AFL, especially as coach of South Africa at the 2008 Australian Football International Cup. McCartney has now been appointed as High Performance Coach for Australian football at the Australian Institute of Sport, which oversees the country's elite youth. Full details follow.

Media Release

The AFL today announced Jason McCartney had been appointed as AIS-AFL High Performance Coach, to replace Alan McConnell who recently accepted the role as Western Sydney High Performance Manager.

McCartney, 35, played a total of 182 games across a 13-season career with Collingwood, Adelaide and North Melbourne, and had been the AFL’s Youth and High Performance Co-Ordinator. McCartney commenced with the AFL in 2004, heading up AFL Youth Leadership Seminars that have reached more than 70,000 students across Australia.

A common complaint by people trying to promote Australian football around the world is that it's often difficult to show people the game regularly as it isn't on television very much. Happily Africa is getting some coverage in 2009, with 1 game per week and possibly a one hour package. Unfortunately it is almost certainly subscription based, however talk of producing local content relating to AFL South Africa is encouraging. The regions that should have access are:

Sub-Saharan Africa, that is, the continent of Africa – including Cape Verde, the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, St. Helena, São Tomé & Príncipe, and the Seychelles – other than Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara. And Israel.

The Salamander Company, looking after commercial activities for AFL South Africa, recently announced that:

The Salamander Company is pleased to announce that global sports broadcaster ESPN will broadcast one AFL match per week into Africa through the DSTV network.

The Salamander company will work with ESPN to look at ways to enhance the broadcast of AFL matches in the region including the production of local television content focusing on the growth and development of footyWILD in South Africa.

A while back, we caught up with Gavin Mahoney - AFL London's first fulltime employee, focused at growing footy in and around the capital in England. This month, we speak to Rick Shrowder, employed by Aussie Rules UK to support the leagues outside the city in regional England.

With established leagues in the South and North-East of England, along with new clubs forming to grow a Northern league, Rick's territory is a lot more spread-out and without the large population of Australians present in the capital who can help bring that initial level of experienced enthusiasm. The regional game is based around 9-a-side teams, utilising existing facilities such as rugby posts and pitches to make the beautiful game accessible to a wider audience.

As we move toward the start of the 2009 season, USFootyNews.com will be previewing the Top 10 teams in USFooty as voted in the preseason USFootyNews.com and WorldFootyNews.com poll.

At No. 2 is the Denver Bulldogs. Denver finished the 2008 season ranked 2 with a 3-3 record in the regular season and a record at the Nationals Tourney of 2-1. The Bulldogs regular season losses were all at the Florida FastStream Invitational Tournament early in the season and their only loss at Nationals was to the eventual champs, Vancouver, by 7 points.

According to Head Coach, Tom Ellis, "2008 was a big year for us. We had over forty-five men compete at Nationals and over twenty women. For us that makes the year a big success. Every year the Bulldogs have the goal of winning Nationals. 2008 was no different so it was dissappointing to not win but we still think the year was a big success. 2008 was our tenth Anniversary as a club and it was great to look back at six National Titles, over one hundred players on our list over the years and to also have six players that have now played over 100 games for the club. We now have a womens team and two players going to Australia this August to compete with the Freedom. The other teams around the league are getting better and better every year so that is something I really think is good to see."

While the Essendon Bombers came from behind for a famous victory over the Collingwood Magpies at the MCG, Australian rules football resumed in Japan with the commencement of the JAFL 2009 season. The Nagoya Redbacks hosted the reigning premiers, the Tokyo Goannas, on Australia’s most revered occasion on the national calendar, ANZAC Day 25th April. The Goannas showed their class in wet and difficult conditions with a dominant 10 goals to 2 first half before running out 13.9 (87) to 5.6 (36) victors. The Redbacks, playing their first game as part of the JAFL, valiantly fought out the game, matching the Goannas for goals in the second half. They were brave in defeat, facing a more experienced and hardened outfit that also had a significant number advantage on the bench. Two games were played on Sunday 26th April. The 2008 runners-up, the Eastern Hawks, had winners all over the ground as they thumped the Tokyo Leopards 25.18 (168) to 3.7 (26). The first quarter was marred only by inaccuracy in front of goals for the Hawks, although this improved over the course of the game. The Hawks showed a ruthless edge in kicking 9 goals in the final quarter to ensure a healthy percentage. The young Leopards battled hard throughout but lacked the skills and experience to match their opponents.

The final match of the round saw the Osaka Dingoes travel to Tokyo to play the Komazawa Magpies. After an even first half that saw the straight kicking of the Magpies take a 9 point lead into the long break, the more experienced Dingoes lifted their work rate, scoring 10 goals to 1 in the second half to run out 49 point winners, 14.15 (99) to 7.8 (50). First-gamer Sato was superb up forward for the Magpies with 3 first half goals, while the load was evenly spread by the Dingoes with 5 players kicking two goals apiece.

The Senshu University Powers had the bye this round.

Ed: WFN welcomes Roy Obal to our team of correspondents. An Aussie living in Japan as an English teacher, Roy will be reporting on the goings-on in the Japan AFL.

As we move toward the start of the 2009 season, USFootyNews.com is previewing the Top 10 teams in USFooty as voted in the preseason USFootyNews.com and WorldFootyNews.com poll.

At No. 3 is the New York Magpies. New York finished the 2008 season ranked 3 with a 6-3 record against tough opposition in the regular season and a record at the Nationals Tourney of 1-2. New York's regular season losses were to the Baltimore Washington Eagles (twice) and the Boston Demons at home. At Nationals they lost to Denver and eventual champs, the Vancouver Cougars. In 2009, the Magpies will be looking to compete with the Baltimore Washington Eagles for the EAFL Premiership and with Denver for the National Title.

On Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May the inaugural Australia.com Canadian National Championships of Australian Rules Football were played over the Victoria Day weekend at Humber college Toronto with great success. Eight teams from southern Ontario participated over the two days of competition and withstood strong wind, heavy rain and low temperatures to provide sponsors and spectators with a great event which is sure to be repeated next year.

The boys and girls from the Malaysian Warrior Auskick program recently won the Gaelic football competition of the South East Asian Gaelic games, despite not having played the game before.

The games were run by the Orang Eire Gaelic team and held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 9th. The Malaysian Warriors Auskick team beat the Malaysian Gaelic team in their first game, then drew with Singapore to make the final. In the final, the whole squad, aged from 6 to 11 and including boys and girls, played well as a team to win.

Due to relatively low numbers of children for both Auskick and Gaelic, the clubs have worked together to create more opportunities for games and in the process showing the benefit of team sports. The Warriors Auskick program aims to give Australian children the chance to continue Australian rules whilst abroad and encourages locals to play. Gaelic football involves similar skills to Aussie Rules and as shown by the results, the children can play both games, allowing them to enjoy team sports.

The Western Australian Football League has scored its first victory over the South Australian National Football League in around 15 years, winning a thriller by one point at Leederville Oval in Perth. Each year most of the state leagues play one interstate match, with WA, SA and Victoria battling for supremacy on a 3 year cycle, whilst slotting in games against Tasmania and Queensland in the off-years. In recent years the SANFL has held sway, winning 10 out of 11 matches, repeatedly claiming the title as best state league, keeping their noses ahead of the VFL.

WA in the meantime showed themselves to still clearly be third best, but have now stepped up, knocking off the Croweaters in soggy conditions on Saturday afternoon. After SA getting away early, WA bounced back to lead by 2 goals at the main break, SA nudged clear by 7 points at three quarter time then the Sandgropers got away again to lead by 7 points during the last stanza. There was a nail biting finish that saw the sides trade goals, with SA's Brant Chambers booting the final goal 29 minutes in, before the siren blew with SA falling short by a solitary point. To be fair to the South Aussies, it was the narrowest of margins, in foreign territory, and two early injuries were damaging, especially losing their ruckman. WA's leading scorers were Brent Le Cras and Lewis Jetta with 3 goals each, while for SA it was Chambers with 5.

As the first match in a new 3 year cycle, the title of best state league remains winnable by the premier three footy states. With an increased salary cap in 2009, and now an interstate win, it might be that local footy is resurgent in Western Australia. With the AFL National Draft compromised by the new AFL clubs in the coming years, it's likely AFL clubs will look closely at the state leagues for some mature age players - the VFL's best player in last year's loss to the SANFL was Robin Nahas, now one of Richmond's few shining lights in 2009. Jetta might be one who comes under similar consideration, looking a very elusive player in the stereotypical indigenous small forward style.

WAFL  3.0 7.4 7.7 12.10 (82)
SANFL 4.3 5.4 8.8 12.9 (81)

As we move toward the start of the 2009 season, USFootyNews.com is previewing the Top 10 teams in USFooty as voted in the preseason USFootyNews.com and WorldFootyNews.com poll.

At No. 5 is the Golden Gate Roos. Golden Gate finished the 2008 season ranked 4 with a 1-1 record in the regular season and a record at the Nationals Tourney of 2-1. Golden Gate had an excellent Nationals Tourney, beating Boston and the San Diego Lions for the second time in the year. Their only loss was in the first game to eventual Grand Finalists, the Baltimore Washington Eagles.