World Footy News

It appears the Australian Football League and the nations likely to attend the 2008 International Cup are considering whether to loosen the criteria that controls which players are eligible to represent a nation at the tournament. In the first two Cups the definition was very strict, though not always enforced as rigorously as intended. Options are now being considered which could widen the net considerably, to allow players who are simply passport holders for a given country. This has the potential to be a major issue with some countries likely to favour a free-for-all and others keen to maintain the status quo. Changes to the overall structure of the event are also on the cards.

AFL Samoa development officer Michael Roberts sees big potential for Aussie Rules in Samoa, so much so that he believes it could easily become the second biggest sport on the islands. At the moment, there are school tournaments with around 3000 primary school students and 250 high school students to be held this year, a ten-team senior league and test matches against Tonga planned at both schoolboys' and senior level.

In fact, Roberts believes the game is growing too fast for their limited resources, saying "we could easily have another 15 highs schools and 20 primary schools on our books if we could only man such programs". With 6 AFL matches televised on Samoan TV each week he estimates around 60,000 of the national population of 200,000 people will have been exposed to Aussie Rules by the end of 2007, with the only thing holding back increased expansion being a lack of funds.

James (pictured left) and Jared Brunmeier (pictured at end of story) hail from Wisconsin, but since December they have been in Perth trying to make the grade in the Western Australian Football League (the WAFL is a AAA league for footy). The Brunmeier boys are completing the second stage of the first year exchange program between the West Perth Falcons and the Milwaukee Bombers. The first stage saw Brett Cousins spending six months in Milwaukee helping the Bombers to their first ever Mid American Australian Football League (MAAFL) title. This is the second time in Australia for both boys. In 2005 Jared spent a few weeks with Kevin Sheedy as part of the Essendon/USFooty exchange program and played reserves for the Hampton Rovers in suburban Melbourne, while James played in Sydney's amateur league. Both boys represented the USA at the 2005 International Cup with James being named to the All-International team.

Update: both the brothers played for West Perth reserves this weekend (Saturday 21st April) with Jared named best on ground in the Falcons' loss to East Fremantle.

Since the establishment of the Dubai Dingoes and their recent Dubai 9s tournament, there has been a flurry of football activity in the Middle East - additional clubs have been formed, rumour of a preseason AFL match in Dubai has surfaced and now we have been informed that preliminary talks have taken place investigating the possibility of league in the region, spanning as many as five countries. WFN spoke to Gary Johnson about the Doha Kangaroos and the heights footy might reach in the Middle East.

The Sussex Swans were founded by Julian "Rooster" Clark in 1990 as the first BARFL club outside London. From the start the Swans have been a particularly British club, with the majority of players British born and providing many players to the national squad. As a result it would be fair to say the club has struggled for success against the dominant London clubs which have had a greater share of expatriate Aussie players. However this situation has forced the Swans to become more innovative. With a controversial northern winter coming to a close in which regional teams had to decide between staying with the BARFL or joining the new ARUK league, the Swans chartered a different course – expanding their numbers to play in both competitions, as well as greatly expanding their club's junior operations as one of the first British teams with a junior development officer.

(Alexandria, VA) In the shadow of the George Washington Masonic Temple here in Alexandria, Virginia, and with the snow melting on the George Washington Middle School Football field, 20 to 30 young men and women are out trying their hand at Ausball. It is a cold Easter Saturday morning but those brave souls willing to get out of bed are excited to put the footy boots on, kick some goals and have some fun. Ausball, is a version of "Rec Footy", developed for the US. It is a 9-a-side game played on a smaller oval (100 yards in length) with no tackling and various rules to encourage coed participation. According to the Eagles website, "No previous experience is necessary. Just some running clothes, maybe a pair of cleats or sneakers and plenty of enthusiasm."

The Vienna Kangaroos have announced they will host the 4th Central European AFL Championships on Saturday 9th June, 2007. The CEAFL tournament has run every year since 2003, pausing only for the EU Cup in 2005, and has traditionally been a chance for countries with only one club or European leagues not yet at the stage of fielding an International Cup side to get a game against regional competitors. This year the format will be 9-a-side with one representative team allowed from each country. At least four countries in Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Finland are committed so far.

Further north, the year's second all-Europe 9-a-side championship, the EU Cup, is scheduled for September, hosted by the Hamburg Dockers. The tournament will be the second EU Cup, the first being held in London late 2005 and last year's tournament in France being cancelled.