World Footy News

In Germany there are a handfull of GAA and Aussie Rules clubs and a consistent report that there were Compromise rules matches played in the early 90s in Dusseldorf, but records of those games seem to have been lost with the comings and goings of early teams. Now the Gaelic and Aussie Rules clubs have more stability and it is in Munich where there has been a version of International Rules played on and off for the past 7 years.

The Pratt Industries 2004 US Nationals have been run and won (see earlier stories), with Denver, Arizona and Cincinnati/Pittsburgh winning their respective divisions. worldfootynews.com have some photos from the tournament.

One of the biggest growth markets in world sport has become fresh alternatives - more people are playing ultimate frisbee, American football, lacrosse, korfball, the Gaelic sports and (of course) Aussie Rules worldwide than ever before. Some predicted globalisation would kill off the smaller sports, but it seems that if anything more people are playing a wider variety.

An opening for a new alternative sport to fill a commercial niche market opened in Chile in 2002, and after some research, Adrian Barraza decided Aussie Rules was a prime candidate. The business never took off, but the code survived the project and grassroots footy in Santiago continues.

For a code that is sometimes derided as an artificial hybrid with little tradition, International Rules in various forms has quite a long history.

A dedicated group of footy faithfuls in the Kansai area of Japan are doing their bit to ensure footy in Japan is not just confined to Tokyo. Next Sunday a women's match, a kid's match and a men's 3-team tournament will take place in Osaka, highlighting the great developments that continue to be made footywise in the Kansai region, and in Japan as a whole.

The votes are in from World Footy News' second online poll, asking what method of recruiting has been most successful for clubs - and the two top responses were the internet and old-fashioned word-of-mouth.

In March, the Sydney Women's AFL played the local New South Wales (Australia) Women's GAA in an International Rules match. It is hoped that this will see the start of cooperation and expansion for the women's version of the two codes in NSW, perhaps even leading to a women's IR series between Australia and Ireland.

The Denver Bulldogs have again taken out the top division of the USAFL Nationals, the most prestigious event in US Australian Rules football. Other winners were Arizona and a combined Cincinnati/Pittsburgh side.

Each year the AFL holds draft camps around Australia, with talented young footballers tested to aid AFL clubs in making their draft choices. A tall young Englishman is creating some interest, setting a new sprint record.

The results are in for the first day of the 2004 US Nationals, being held in Atlanta, Georgia. Reigning back-to-back champions Denver are again dominating Division 1, but there have been a few surprise results across the grades.

Tokyo's new university league kicked off on September 26th, with a rookie-heavy Komazawa defeating the more highly-fancied Senshu.

In possibly one of the most dramatic developments in the history of Australian Rules football, the United States AFL has reportedly signed a three year contract with the new All Sports Television Network. If this deal reaches its potential, the major US leagues could be fast-tracked to the first semi-professional Aussie Rules leagues outside of Australia.