The Edmund Rice Lions are holding a Registration Carnival this Sunday, 9 March at Barry Britton Reserve in Balga (Western Australia).

They are inviting all families, footy lovers and kids down for an afternoon of fun activities and a chance for those who would love to play with the Edmund Rice Lions Football team this year to sign up.

The Edmund Rice Lions are an Australian Football Team of individuals aged 6 – 23 from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) backgrounds.

“This free carnival welcomes all members of the public to increase awareness around opportunities for children coming from low socio-economic areas and CaLD backgrounds,” says Natasha Hanham from the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR).

No practice game is ever a waste, and the critics who see the NAB Challenge as a series of glorified practice games are probably right, though missing the point. Three points, actually.

Firstly, players got to show their wares as they jostle for starting positions in senior AFL line-ups for Round One in just two weeks’ time. They also gained valuable match fitness and awareness prior to the real show beginning.

Secondly, the fans who had patiently or impatiently waited since last September to watch their beloved game waited no more. It might not have been the start of the real deal, but a game with your own club to support is cherished by fans of all clubs. Practice match or not it is a wonderful experience for the footy tragic when they see or hear their team in actions again after such a long and seemingly endless wait. 

Alice Springs’ own TIO Traeger Park shone today, as did the blazing Centralian sky, as Geelong locked horns with Melbourne in the second last “18 Games in 18 Days” NAB Challenge.

With a touch of history thrown in, this was the first match played in Australia’s heart involving two Melbourne based clubs, with both being the founding clubs of the competition in Australia, coming into existence in 1859 as the oldest of the current AFL clubs.

With temperatures in the low 30’s, a crowd of a little less than 5500 fans turned up at to watch the Northern Territory’s first AFL match of 2014. The Alice Springs crowd was the biggest for an NAB Cup/Challenge match at the venue since 2008.

Essendon District FL team Northern Saints FC are proud to announce they are fielding a Youth Girls team for the 2014 season. To get local girls involved in the club and the game has been a longstanding aim of the Saints, a club renowned for their investment in juniors footy and their inviting, family atmosphere.

The club, based at Mutton Reserve in Fawkner, Melbourne, is currently recruiting girls aged 13-17 to join up. From experienced players to total beginners, everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy a great, fun sport in a safe and friendly family orientated club.

Along with players, the Saints are also looking to recruit an experienced coach who is comfortable with the idea of coaching seasoned players and girls who are new to the game. Some players may not be as skilled and others may need to learn the rules and skills of the game, but the ideal coach would be a supportive leader with the drive and enthusiasm to make playing Aussie Rules footy a fun and inclusive time. A passion for the game and fitness is a must, and leadership and organisational skills are paramount.

The club will provide all the resources necessary to make a positive impact into the world of Youth Girls footy and is prepared to contribute towards coaching costs if the candidate can show how this will benefit the girls and the club.

If you are interested in becoming a coach or a player, please get in touch with Geoff Kosmak on 0420 672 327. Visit their website at northernsaints.org.au for further information on the club and their hopes for the 2014 season.

Townsville hosted its second NAB Challenge/Cup game in two years today, with the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns locking horns in the first Queensland derby for 2014. This follows on from their successful foray into the AFL’s pre-season competition in 2013 when the Gold Coast Suns played the North Melbourne Kangaroos.
 
It was Townsville’s turn to host one of the AFL’s “18 games in 18 days” NAB Challenge matches, with Tony Ireland Stadium, the Australian Rules showpiece in the tropical North Queensland city, on display again to a national audience. In 32 degree heat, and a relatively enjoyable 67 percent humidity, it was the Lions who escaped to a 33 point lead before the Suns could even register a score. Something of a surprise given Brisbane’s horrid thrashing from Hawthorn to start this carnival in the first game, and the Gold Coast pipped Essendon by a point after a five goal comeback.

Last year World Footy News posted an article concerning the history and future of the Wadeye Magic football team in the Northern Territory (see The True Magic of Wadeye). The following press release from AFLNT looks at the Magic’s inaugural season in the Tiwi Islands Football League and their success in reaching the 2013/4 season finals.

Wadeye Magic book place in T.I.F.L finals series in inaugural season as final round shaped finals fixture

In their inaugural season, the Wadeye Magic have booked their place in the Tiwi Islands Football League Finals Series after a gripping win in the final round against the Tuyu Buffaloes.

A dramatic final round of T.I.F.L action reshaped the top five with Imalu taking top spot, overtaking Mulluwirriri and Tuyu.  The Magic leapt Ranku to take fourth as the 2014 T.I.F.L final series gets underway this weekend with Muluwurri playing Tuyu on Sat 22nd and Wadeye Magic taking on Ranku on Sun 23rd.

The following press release from the AFL Northern Territory outlines funding agreements which will strengthen player pathways for the NT Thunder NEAFL team for the next two years, and benefit players well beyond that time.

The Northern Territory Thunder Football and Federal Minister for Health and Sport, the Hon Peter Dutton, today signed a funding agreement that provides over $800K in the next two years for NT Thunder, to continue strengthening its player pathway programs.

NT Thunder CEO Jarred Ilett was delighted to meet Minister Dutton today at TIO stadium and is thrilled at the level of support provided by the Federal Government for NT Thunder’s suite of programs being delivered throughout the NT.

CEO Jarred Ilett commented that “The funding provided by the Federal Government and signed off on today by Minister Dutton will allow us to retain a number of resources primarily in Central Australia whose job it is to engage as many young Territorians as possible in the NT Thunder program.”

For the first time in the club’s short history the Tiwi Bombers will miss out on finals action as the home and away season wrapped up in Darwin on the weekend.

In a season that did not go according to script for the boys from the Tiwi Islands, their final round defeat at the hands of Southern Districts saw the team say farewell to what has been a disappointing 2013/4 season. Premiers two seasons ago and runners up to St Mary’s last season, the Tiwi Bombers will watch on from the stands over coming weeks as the NTFL finals series plays out.

After the Round 18 round, the ladder saw St Mary’s finish the season undefeated. In an ominous show of strength from last year’s premiers, no club was able to find a way past their tight defensive structures, powerful forwards or run and carry from the middle. A betting person would have them locked in as premiership favourites – deservedly.

But footy is a funny beast, and four other clubs remain convinced that this party isn’t over yet.

The following is a press release from the AFL detailing the new joint initiative between the AFL and Rio Tinto to promote opportunities for indigenous players, culminating in a match which will be the prelude to the “Dreamtime at the G” clash later this year.

The AFL and Rio Tinto Footy Means Business program is holding its first training camp in Perth this week, February 10 - 15, led by coaches Aaron Davey and David Rodan.

Each year the Footy Means Business program provides 50 Indigenous men, aged 18 to 24-year-old, with exposure to elite AFL programs and training, along with networking opportunities in corporate environments over two training camps.