World Footy News

The boldest innovation of the 9th Asian Championships in Singapore on September 6th was the first Under 16s Championship involving teams from the Jakarta Bulldogs, Singapore Wombats, Singapore Gaelic Cubs and Hong Kong Dragons. Anyone who was present could not have been anything but uplifted to watch these young lads, the vast majority of whom were non-Australians, show the levels of passion, excitement and commitment that we have come to expect with our game.

The International Cup was a great success because of the many people who made it happen, from the AFL Development staff and a range of other people, mostly volunteers including the umpires, trainers and physios, the ground announcer and the alternative as well as official AFL IC 08 media. It also had its scenes, its images, its moments off the field as well as on – that’s footy.

The New York Magpies AFC footy jumper has taken out the Special International Award in the ‘Australia’s Favourite Football Jumper’ competition which ran as part of the 150 Years of Australian Football celebrations.

In the club's blurb about their kit they said "We are very proud of it our jumper, as it’s remained true to the black and white of our sister clubs, Collingwood and Port Adelaide Magpies, but also adds some New York highlights with the outlines of the famous buildings on the back. We sell a good deal of them to people in Australia through www.nyfooty.com."

Other finalists in the International section were jumpers of Timor Crocs, Vietnam Swans, Bromma FC and Borneo FC. The overall competition for Australia's Favourite went to the Old Hobartians Association (OHA) Football Club guernsey. In total, more than 34,000 website visitors voted in the poll.

Paul Duncan was one of the standouts for the US Revolution team at this year's International Cup. The mobile forward played in five matches for his country in the competition kicking goals against South Africa and China and featured as best player for the US in the match against China.

Duncan was this week featured in the Winston Salem Journal - the full article is reproduced below.

Ben Graham, who was waived by the New York Jets last week has reportedly been re-signed by the same team. The Jets brought in two new punters but Reggie Hodges was added to the injury report with an undisclosed problem with his left (non-kicking) thigh. And it seems the Jets did not want to 'punt' on Waylon Prather from their practice squad.

So Graham who just happened to be in San Diego visiting trailblazing fomer Aussie rules player/NFL punter Darren Bennett, got an emergency callup and now looks to start as punter in his 50th game for the Jets. He by no means has a permanent home with the Jets though, and fortuitously he will be playing on Monday night football, probably the best place to showcase his abilities in front of an estimated 50 million TV audience (including the other NFL clubs who he is hoping will sign him).

Essendon Football Club yesterday released details of a significant enviromental project and came hot on the heels of the announcement by the USAFL that they would be aiming for a "Green Nationals" tournament this year. This is part of the world wide push to look after the environment, bringing footy into line with communities and corporations across the globe looking to carry out their activities in an enviromentally sustainable manner.

Construction of an 800,000 litre water storage system - which will be housed underneath the famed Windy Hill oval surface - officially began yesterday. The system (called a 'StormTech' water storage system) will capture 5-8 million litres of water each year from existing roof structures, the oval and an approved bore into massive underground cylinders for use around the club. Construction will take just four weeks to complete.

Once he has caught his breath after the 2008 Grand Final, Geelong 2007 Premiership coach Mark "Bomber" Thompson will appear at the this year's USAFL National Championships in Colorado Springs. He will be at the tournament's Saturday night event – attended by all teams in a happy hour format. Bomber will be part of a panel to discuss the next 10 years of footy both in the US and internationally. He will also present the wining trophy and tournament medals at the tournament.

Thompson follows in the footsteps of other AFL greats Kevin Sheedy, Robert Dipierdomenico, Stephen Silvagni and Peter Schwab among others to attend the US tournament featuring three men divisions and one women's division played over the weekend Oct 11th and 12th. The weekend will see 1,000 players, officials and support staff compete for the title of best in the USA at the amazing fields at the United States Airforce Academy Athletic Fields.

For more information on the tournament the USAFL have a dedicated section on their website here.

During the 2005 AFL Grand Final, Tadhg Kennelly received a lot of publicity for his part in the Sydney Swans AFL premiership team.

While many talked up the "Luck of the Irish", the luck of the Kiwis runs just as strong. Of the ten or so New Zealand born players to feature in the VFL/AFL, almost half of them have tasted premiership glory.

The last New Zealander to play in a premiership was Wayne Schwass in 1996. Before him was Warren Jones with Carlton in 1982, Geelong's Joe Sellwood in 1937 and Richmond's Thomas O'Halloran in both 1932 and 1934. An enviable record indeed.

Croad, who has already had a couple of injury scares during the AFL finals series and is under an injury cloud but likely to make a Grand Final appearance. A premiership would add to Trent Croads growing AFL star status and impressive list of career achievements as reported earlier in the WFN article Kiwi Croad in the Big V on the big stage.

The AFL's General Manager of National and International Development, David Matthews, has written a piece for the Melbourne newspaper the Sunday Age, urging (and thus effectively justifying) support for international Australian football. He notes that "People tend not to remember opportunities missed as much as opportunities that failed", which is an acceptance that by promoting international footy there is a risk of criticism if it fails - but that the football community should try anyway.

It's a continuing theme from Matthews, who has put forward a strong case on several occasions, and has over-seen the AFL's practical efforts. Although the support so far rolled out by the AFL remains somewhat uneven, there's no doubt the last three or four years have seen a tremendous increase in their commitment to international football. Although the article has nothing new to our regular readers, it's great to see the message in such a major Australian paper.

The article is AFL needs to seize opportunities to make inroads at home and abroad and is also re-produced below.

For another view on International footy and the International Cup, have a look at the work of Richmond Football Club writer John Green here.

Green viewed the final between PNG and New Zealand, and gives some background on various Falcons players, as well as his report on the match.

Ben Graham has been dumped by the New York Jets. The former Geelong captain who made the code switch to play in the NFL as a punter, was cut from the Jets after a poor punting performance last weekend.

Graham, a former Geelong and NY Jets captain who has played 49 games for the Jets, said he would embrace the challenge of other opportunities within the NFL. In a press release Graham reaffirmed his commitment to continue his punting career elsewhere. “I would like to thank the Jets for the opportunity they have given me and my family, and the privilege of playing for the organisation,” Graham said.

“Today’s events are disappointing but I'm confident I will continue my career elsewhere and I will fully explore the initial enquires that have already presented themselves. The NFL is a tough business and all players move freely and far more often than back at home in Australia. There have already been several punters change teams during this season.

Papua New Guinea recently won the Intenational Cup 2008, defeating the gallant New Zealand Falcons. However there is a whole lot more to PNG footy than the Mosquitoes' performance. We have touched on the many aspects of AFLPNG’s operations in a variety of articles but I thought it would be great to get an overview from National Operations Manager Peter Cates about the story so far, and where to in the future.