This week the AFL will celebrate the official AFL Women’s Round. The Round acknowledges the valuable contribution of women to Australia’s Game and focuses on recognising and developing female leadership across all levels of the Australian football industry, from community to the elite.

A range of activities will take place during the week, headlined by the AFL Women’s Industry Luncheon on Friday July 20 and culminating in several match day events across the weekend. Nominations for the Essendon Football Club Woman of the Year Award will also be named at the AFL Women’s lunch.

The Under 16 Championships concluded today.  Yesterday Western Australia clinched the Division one title.  Today Queensland won to take home the Division two title.  In Division three the winner was WA North-West in a great sign of strength for that state and the opening up of further development in the remote communities in that part of Australia.

The international bragging rights were on the line in the final match of the championships and it was the South Pacific team coming out on top to win by 46 points.  Some consolation for the World XVIII however with Hugh Curnow (who plays with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup) being awarded the inaugural Mark Browning Medal for the Division three best and fairest.

Full results below. 

For those that missed the video for the multicultural round last week it can be seen below via Youtube.

The World XVIII and South Pacific teams have arrived in Sydney over the past few days and completed training sessions and warm up matches.   The 2012 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships will commence in Sydney tomorrow, Saturday, July 7.

The seven-day carnival has been expanded to 12 teams with the inclusion of the AFL’s Indigenous Youth side, the Flying Boomerangs, and the Western Australia North-West team.

 

The Australian Football League today launched the 2012 Toyota AFL Multicultural Round, a themed round to acknowledge and celebrate our game’s cultural diversity.

AFL General Manager National and International Development Andrew Dillon, AFL Legend Alex Jesaulenko, AFL Hall of Fame member Stephen Silvagni and AFL Multicultural Ambassador Nic Naitanui were in attendance. 

See below for video from the ABC's 7:30 Report featuring David Rodan and Emmanuel Irra.

The AFL is pleased to announce Andrew McLeod and Phil Narkle will coach the Flying Boomerangs and the Western Australia North-West teams respectively in the upcoming 2012 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships.

 

AFL Community Engagement Manager Jason Mifsud said for the first time the two teams will play along with the World XVIII and South Pacific in an expanded division three section of the championships.

 

“This is another significant milestone in providing young Indigenous players the opportunity to compete in our talented player pathway under the leadership of experienced mentors,” he said.

The AFL has made a major commitment via expansion clubs Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants. Part of a long term plan they have drawn both criticism and support from within and outside of football circles. Few non AFL journalists though have focussed on the AFL more than the Sydney Morning Herald’s Roy Masters. However, in his latest attack on GWS he’s made a bit of a blue that is worth reviewing especially given some recent developments and stories around GWS.

Results from last weekend's interstate matches between various state leagues.

The SANFL narrowly defeated the WAFL, the VFL smashed the Tasmanian State League and QLD/NT destroyed NSW/ACT.

Detailed result follow: