The AFL last night announced it had completed the broadcast rights deal for the period 2017-2022. The deal for Australian free to air, Pay TV and digital media rights will provide the clubs and players of the AFL with financial surety for that period and also allow the AFL to divide up the remaining cash to run the competition and fund development.

The following statements from CEO Gillon McLachlan and AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick outline the deals.  Any mention of international footy or fans outside Australia is notably absent which is somewhat understandable given this deal is all about domestic broadcasting.  It is still disappointing though that in the statements relating to the current state of the game and future growth that there is no mention of the game outside Australian shores.  The details of any carve up of cash and what proportion may go into international development will come down the track but given the omission in the following statements it would seem to be currently far from front of mind for the CEO or the Commission.  Having said that it was not mentioned during the previous deal announcement either. 

The AFL Women's match from Etihad Stadium starting in just under an hour between Western Bulldogs and Melbourne will not be streamed on WatchAFL streaming services. The AFL has advised that you need to do the following to view the stream outside Australia

"The only option would be to download the free AFL app and watch it through the ‘News’ section."

The AFL recently announced a number of changes to the organisation's management structure. While these moves may appear to be a long way removed from how footy around the world fits into the AFL jigsaw puzzle, the individuals at the top, their priorities and how their attitude to international  footy develops is key to the future. We will have more to come on this in a follow up article.

AFL Statement follows:

Former General Manager of Broadcasting Simon Lethlean has been appointed as General Manager of Game Development and will oversee community football. This portfolio will also include Customer, Diversity, Female Football and International.

Current Head of Corporate Affairs Elizabeth Lukin has been appointed to the AFL Executive as General Manager Corporate Affairs & Communications.

Getting to the business end of the season of the VFL.  Shem Tatupu and Conor McKenna's efforts up forward and Mason Cox's ruckwork were the standout performances among the Internationals in the VFL this week.

 

The 2015 AFL Multicultural Round is almost upon us and footy supporters are in for a feast of entertainment, events, promotions and raising of awareness for the diversity of people that make up our great game.

For the past few weeks the AFL’s Diversity unit has been putting in place the organisation of events, media opportunities and social media saturation to ensure that the widest possible amplification of the round is achieved. Volunteers all over the nation, Multicultural Community Ambassadors and other staff, have been visiting schools with clinics, presentations and the like to spread the word through communities, schools and a wide variety of cultural groups.

The AFL is pleased to announce the 2015 Toyota AFL Multicultural Round, celebrating ‘Many Cultures, One Game’ will take place in Round 19 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season.  

Multicultural Round highlights the contribution multicultural communities have made to the game’s history and welcomes new communities to embrace Australian Football as fans, players, umpires or administrators.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said he is proud to announce a record number of activities will take place in Round 19 to mark the Toyota AFL Multicultural Round.

“With 27 per cent of Australians born overseas and around 200 languages spoken every day in Australian homes, the AFL is committed to reflecting Australia’s growing cultural diversity. 

With a little over a week until the AFL’s Multicultural Round gets under way it is timely to have a look back at the genesis of our game and the part that players with strong and diverse ethnic backgrounds have played.

 

Whilst some might consider the “multicultural” aspect of the game a relatively new phenomenon, the fact is that the game’s past is garnered with a multicultural smorgasboard.

 

 

One of the first names that comes to mind is “Jezza” in the 60’s and 70’s. Carlton’s Alex Jesaulenko, of both Ukrainian and Austrian descent, became one of the better known surnames of his era. The commentary surrounding his famous mark in the 1970 grand final over Graeme Jenkins from Collingwood became part of folklore. Mike Williamson excitedly called “Jesaulenko, you beauty!” immortalising the mark and also a multicultural surname in one breath.

Another big week for International players in the VFL as Round 15 was played in good conditions on Saturday and not so good on Sunday. The standout performances were the ruckwork of Eric Wallace and an impressive defensive performance by Kurt Heatherley.

A quiet day for opposing Irish players in the Essendon vs Geelong match. Lucey (Ire) had 5 kicks, 5 marks, 4 hit outs and 3 handballs for the Cats and Conor McKenna (Ire) on the winning side had 8 kicks, 3 handballs and 3 marks and kicked 1.1 to see the Bombers home by 13 points.