The Australian Rules Football League of Ireland (ARFLI) has revealed that Jeep Ireland has signed up to become its official sponsor for the next three seasons.

The partnership between ARFLI and Jeep will run from 2011 to 2013 and will extend across all Australian Football competitions and development programmes including the Schools' Cup. The Jeep logo will also appear on the national team kit during the AFL Europe annual EuroCup event, which takes place in Belfast on October 8th hosted by ARFLI.

Jeep Ireland's investment in Australian Football in this country is the largest single investment made in the sport and will allow ARFLI to continue to grow participation levels year on year. Announcing the partnership, ARFLI President Ciaran O' Hara said:"We are delighted to have Jeep on board as our major sponsor and partner for the next three years. Jeep's involvement with us will help us establish new development programmes and raise the profile of our domestic competitions, not to mention assisting us in the push to win the EuroCup on home soil later this year. Jeep's partnership, coupled with our recent teamwear sponsorship with Waterford-based Azzurri Sportswear, represents a massive endorsement of our league and we hope that our members, their families and our wider community will support our partners as passionately as they support us."

There is new footy club in Zagreb, with the new Zapruđe AFC (or KAN - Klub Australskog Nogometa - in Croatian) joining the Velika Gorica Bombers, Zaprešić Eagles, Agram Power and Zagreb Hawks clubs in the Croatian capital.

Zapruđe club founder and Croatian Knights stalwart Josip Kravar says that some players from other Zagreb area clubs decided to found their own club in their area of the town. The boys are aiming to build on real community spirit, and in the space of one month have attracted 25 players and have around 50 people watching every session from the sidelines.

Kravar says "This is a product of an idea to encourage progress of footy as in Melbourne, when the sport began long ago by founding the clubs in various part of the town. We are building strong community clubs and planning to start a project in September to pull up the kids from school in Zapruđe and start with school of Australian football.

The Australian Rules Football League of Ireland has reported on some significant historical events throughout its lifespan and today another significant milestone was reached. The first ever ladies match in Ireland was played today at the Boucher road pitches in Belfast between the Kilrea Kookaburras and the Dublin Angels, the Angels running out confident winners 6.5 (41) to the Kilrea Kookaburras 1.2 (8).

From the first bounce it was clear that both sides were giving 110% to the game, Dublin quickly scoring the first two goals and setting a tone with quick feet and hard tackles. Kilrea came back fighting after the first break, as they blocked the momentum Dublin had in the first quarter. but this didn't stop the points hitting the Angels board.

Thanks to Leiha Shrubsall for this report.

The German Black Eagles travelled to Paris last weekend to take on the French Coqs, in the first-ever 18-a-side international for the French national team. The home side battled hard, but struggled against their more experienced opponents, with the Eagles holding the French scoreless in the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the French rally and get their first goal on the board, but by half time the Germans were ahead by 35 points.

From the 3 minute mark of the third term the Eagles were reduced to 17 men on the field, after Daniel Karsch went to hospital with a dislocated shoulder, but in spite of this the Germans again held the French scoreless for the quarter, while they added 6 goals themselves, pulling away to a 74-point lead at the final break.

The last quarter effort from the French allowed them to regain some pride, dominating play and denying the Germans any further score, but inaccuracy in front of goal stopped them from making a bigger impression on the final result, Germany finishing 64-point winners, 13.5 (83) to France's 2.7 (19), in a performance described by Germany's coach Troy Pedder as "a solid effort from the whole squad, with no passengers."

The Vale Warriors made an impressive comeback in their Welsh Australian Rules Football League Round 2 clash against the experienced Cardiff Double Blues. The Barry-based Warriors were unable to put out a team in last week's Round 1 clash against Swansea Magpies but this week pulled off an impressive victory in the capital.

Despite a strong performance from the Double Blues' Tristan Lewis in midfield, Ethan Dicks & rookie Gareth Booker were standouts for Vale as the Warriors won 18.20.128 - 11.15.81 with Stuart Morgan prolific in front of the uprights.

Elsewhere, South Cardiff Panthers continued their impressive start to the season with a 15.23.113 - 2.11.23 victory at home to the Bridgend Eagles whilst the Bristol Dockers recorded their first win of the season, 16.23.119 - 7.13.55 at home to the Swansea Magpies.

Carlton look set to play 21 year old Irishman Zach Tuohy this week against Port Adelaide in Adelaide. Assuming that Setanta O'hAilpin plays, that will make two Irishmen in the one side, although technically Setanta is Fijian-Irish and born in Australia.

Foxsports is reporting that it will be the first time an AFL side has featured more than one Irish player in a game since Jim Stynes and brother Brian played for Melbourne in 1992, they discount fellow Gaelic footballer Sean Wight given he was Scottish.

Tuohy was recruited from Laois in northeastern Ireland and has spent 2010 and 2011 playing for Carlton's VFL feeder club, the Northern Bullants.  He has been elevated from the rookie list.  Countryman O'hAilpin will play his 77th game in this his 7th season (starting from his debut year).

Russia's set to go from having no organised Australian rules football presence a month ago, to having clubs in two separate cities by mid-June, with the fledgling club in Krasnoyarsk to be joined by a new group in Moscow who will begin training on the weekend of June 12th.

Australian expat Roger Scott is leading the charge in the Russian capital, after being inspired by news of Paul Kube kicking the footy with locals in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Phil Porublev from the EAFA / AFL Europe, being an Australian of Russian background, has also been working hard to support a footy presence in Russia, sending materials such as balls to Moscow.

Scott has found around a dozen initial interested players so far, with only two of those, an Englishman and another Aussie, being non-Russians. Judging by the size of Moscow's population and the positive response to the idea so far, he believes that having a number of 9-a-side teams playing by the end of the summer isn't out of the question.

A small group of enthusiasts are hoping to found Russia's first footy club, based in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. The current project is led by Paul Kube, who first came to Krasnoyarsk in 2007, but on that occasion was only in Russia for a year and wasn't able to get footy going beyond some kick-to-kick.

Since returning to Russia last year, he's been more successful. "We returned as a family in May of 2010, but spent the Summer settling in, and since we didn't know many people I did not start anything then either."

"But this year is the beginning of something. I have been running very informal clinics for about a month now. This has mostly been with locals and neighbours at the school soccer field. I have just persisted in inviting people every week and the numbers are slowly growing."

Kube's fledgling squad held their first training match last weekend. Although there was only a small number of players in attendance, the experience of getting a game underway has seen the members keen to grow their numbers and get some regular games happening in future. "It's still very early days here, and we will have to see if it takes off," Kube says.

For anyone who reads Russian, Paul received a write-up on a local blog here.

The rumours of Marty Clarke's return to Collingwood seem to have been flowing since he returned to Ireland after the 2009 season. Having made a meteoric rise to the senior ranks and performing admirably at senior level, he left the Australian game to return back to the GAA football that he grew up with. Had he stayed he may have been part of the 2010 AFL Premiership team.

Some thought 2011 would see his return but it was not to be. Now after persistent rumours this year it looks like Clarke will return to Australia after this weekend for a brief period in which he is likely to meet with Collingwood about returning to the professional ranks in season 2012.

With Paul Cribbin on the list already and Caolan Mooney signed to come onto the list in 2012, it would have to make those who this year have called "The Irish Experiment" in the AFL to be finished, have second thoughts.

The South Cardiff Panthers were victorious for the second year running in the Cymru Clwb Challenge which was hosted by the Bridgend Eagles at Heol-y-Cyw RFC last weekend. In a tournament featuring all the clubs who will play in the WARFL in 2011, the Panthers managed a perfect record on the day, with four wins from four games.

The winners were decided in the last round where the unbeaten Cardiff club faced off against an unbeaten Swansea Magpies team.

Unfortunately for the Magpies the Panthers were in great shape going in to the game, coming off a bye going in to the decider. Ruckman Chris James proved unbeatable in the contest, ably assisted by no less than four of his GB Bulldogs team mates. The inexperienced Magpies managed to put in a brave effort but the fitness and skill of the Panthers proved too much for them.

The Bristol Dockers made their WARFL debut in the tournament, securing third place. They proved they are not to be underestimated in the league this year, which is certain to be highly competitive.

Congratulations to Billy Hall from the Dockers who was voted Best Player for the tournament.