World Footy News

Further information on the AFL's international development policy.

The North East Australian Football League in the US has come to a close, with the finals played in Philadelphia. The New York Magpies closed the season well, ensuring that their top of the table finish was translated into a Grand Final win.

The growth of Australian footy in the South Pacifc continues, with the initial forays into the Solomons solidifying into a formal association and practice matches are underway.

Kolja Koracak first encountered Aussie Rules in the USA, playing two seasons in the Arizona AFL. On returning to his homeland of Croatia, he started looking for ways to spread the word and get a regular fix of his new favourite sport.

Sash Herceg arrived in Perth in 1996, a recent immigrant from the city of Split on Croatia's Adriatic coast. After a few years of watching Australia's own football code, he decided to give it a go, playing senior football for West Coast Cowan in Perth and the Fitzroy Reds in Melbourne.

WFN recently caught up with the two to talk about plans for bringing the game back to Croatia.

The 2004 British Australian Rules Football League Premiership and Conference titles were won last weekend, with the West London Wildcats taking out the London Premiership, and the Shepherds Bush Raiders winning the London Conference. It was a big result for the Wildcats, as both winning teams are part of the West London club.

The Atlanta Kooaburras have cemented their club as legends of the South Eastern Australian Football League in the United States, winning an incredible four premierships in a row.

The first ever game of Australian Rules football played in the United States, at least in the "modern era", was between the Cincinnati Dockers and Louisville Cats, in 1996. In less than a decade the sport has spread to all corners of the country, with thousands of players competing. Alas Louisville went into recess a couple of years ago, but plans are underway to re-form this historic club.

World Footy News is aimed primarily at the game outside of Australia, but the expansion of Australian Rules within the country plays an important role in the likely future of the sport.

Raising the profile in America of Aussie Rules is an important job for US Footy, and getting an interview on Yahoo Sport is a good result.

When the Multicultural Cup was staged earlier this year, a Lebanese side took the field in connection with efforts by Lebanese-Melburnians who were setting up the structures for an Aussie Rules competition in Lebanon. The Croatian side in attendance also had links to compatriots hoping to foster their new homeland's number one code in the old country. Now the Vietnamese are getting in on the act.

In part two of WFN's feature on development in Japan and Vietnam, we caught up with Vietnam captain Tri Thoi.

Australian Rules football continues to grow steadily in the United States. Unlike many top American sports, Aussie Rules does not have a strong college presence. However several colleges have taken on the game, and September sees an exciting new phase for the sport, with the Inaugural Collegiate Invitational. This may well be the springboard needed to accelerate football's growth in universities throughout the US.

The AFL will host the 2005 International Cup in Melbourne, Australia. It is hoped that all the countries that attended in 2002 will return, and possibly some new ones.