After exploding onto to the European footy scene with a strong performance at the EU Cup 09, the Iceland Ravens are preparing for their first full-field outing next weekend at the European Championships in Australian Football.

The Icelanders have been playing footy for barely a year, but have already founded a 3-team domestic league, besides now undertaking their second international tour.

The Ravens' squad will include the Iceland-native footy journeyman Pálli Finnsson, who has previously captained the Denmark Vikings, was named in the World All-Star team at the International Cup, and is currently captain of the Paris Cockerels. Pálli is also bringing a small contigent of Frenchmen to bolster the side, with Icelandic footy pioneer Friðgeir "Fritz" Ásgeirsson explaining they could have fielded an all-Icelandic team, but that would have meant a very lean squad of only around 20 players.

Regarding the core leadership group of the Ravens, Fritz says "Pálli is always a leading figure in the group and gets a lot of respect, and the same goes for his brother Jón Hrói Finnsson. Both of them have been playing the sport since around '95."

"Eyjólfur Bjarni Sigurjónsson took over as national coach from me after the EU Cup. Valdimar Gunnarsson leads by example, he's looked up to and respected by the team as he always gives 110%."

"I retain the captaincy, but I don't know for how much longer! Everyone is getting so good I'll be off the team sheet in no time."

In a season with more people playing footy in Wales than ever before, the third Welsh Australian Rules Football League (WARFL) Grand Final is almost upon us.

With their partner clubs languishing at the bottom of the ladder in the SANFL, the consistent South Cardiff Panthers and formidable Swansea Magpies have won the right for the second year running to play for the biggest prize in Welsh Australian Rules football. By the end of this week one of these proud clubs will be crowned the best team in Wales and get their hands on the coveted WARFL Premiership Cup.

The Denmark Vikings are going into the European Championships with a squad that includes young guns such as World XVIII representative Mathias Biron alongside long-time DAFL stalwarts of the calibre of Jesper Gjørup and Kristian Stetter.

Coach Jim Campion explains that the national team is still in a rebuilding phase and focussing on younger players, however unavailabilities led the DAFL to select a more experienced side than that named for the test against Great Britain earlier this year.

Among the talented youngsters out due to injury is 18-year old Morten Merhøj, whom Campion considers more than qualified to have played in the World XVIII and 19-year old International Cup veteran Joachim Secher.

"This made way for two players and they happen to be Gjørup - who has gotten over long term injury, and Kristian Stetter - who has returned from Australia," Campion says.

"We are still in a building phase, with an emphasis on the 17 to 25 age group. But with the older more experienced players back it can only improve our chances for success."

Brian Donnelly, the Adelaide Crows' first and only international recruit, has decided to return to Ireland despite having several months to run on his contract. Donnelly never made a senior appearance for the Crows and has decided to follow in the footsteps of Martin Clarke and Colm Begley by returning home. He has recently discovered that he requires a shoulder operation. With no hope of playing in the remainder for the year he has decided to cut his losses and head home.

The Finland Icebreakers are bringing a lot of new faces to the inaugural European Championships, with only five players still in the squad from their 2008 IC campaign. Despite having a number of rookies, the Icebreakers are confident they can hold their own against Europe's best.

This weekend saw Finland take on the Norway Trolls in Helsinki, and although the Icebreakers were defeated 36-34, they were not by any means disgraced, with the Norwegian team featuring a large Australian contingent.

Coach Grant Siermans says the Finns are good across the ground, but are strongest in the midfield. "Ville Koivunen, Jani Saarinen and EU Cup all-star Mika Kupila will get plenty of the football and are also very physical. Their job is made easier by our very mobile ruckman Ville Suominen. The defence will be held up by Jukka Reiman and Juha-Antti Koskinen and the main target up forward will be Juuso Timosaari."

"Selection was initially undertaken through invitations which was then going to lead to trails combined with form, but unfortunately it turned into who was available, who could afford it and if they could get the time off work. The team will be arriving for the first game with either eighteen or nineteen players, and more might join the squad during the week."

Five members of the team played in the IC in Australia two years ago, and many have also played in EU Cups. However, most of the squad have only one game's experience on a full ground, which may test them against the British and Danish teams. All four domestic clubs are featured in the squad, including the new Vaasa Wombats side who are currently in development. The team is very close to all-Finnish, with the only third-country representatives being Irishman Keith Byrne and Colombian Fernando Leon, both of whom are veterans of Finnish Aussie Rules.

The Australian Rules Football League of Ireland has expanded from five teams to eight this season, and as a result the league is enjoying its most competitive season yet.

The Belfast Redbacks and the Clare Crows have returned, having previously been in the league, while the Galway-based Midwest Magpies are a brand new club.

Worldfootynews.com will be profiling all three new clubs in the coming days, beginning with Belfast.

The Croatian Knights have been an up-and-coming power of European footy in recent years, taking the silver on debut at the 9-a-side 2008 EU Cup in Hamburg, and then picking up the bronze at the 2009 event in front of a home crowd in Samobor, near the Croatian capital Zagreb.

This year sees the Knights step up to playing full-field footy for the first time, in the inaugural 16-a-side European Championships being held in Denmark and Sweden next month.

Croatian footy pioneer Kolja Koracak is managing the squad, which will consist of 20 players. "We selected from the pool of 32 players. At the end some got injured, some couldn't come because of work and other reasons, and so our list was easy to put together. We'll be taking 20 players to Sweden and Denmark, including 5 rookies." All three domestic clubs, the Zagreb Hawks, Agram Power and Velika Gorica Bombers, are represented in the national team.

Footy in Croatia has been helped along by the support of the AFL's Hawthorn Football Club, a fact reflected in the nation's first club being dubbed the Zagreb Hawks. The Hawthorn connection is also evident in Kolja's assessment of his team's stars, saying "Tomislav Cvetko is Buddy Franklin, Josip Kravar is Sam Mitchell, and Davor Deranja is Luke Hodge. 'nough said!"

At 44 years of age, Ante Loncar was set to be the squad's oldest member, but had to pull out. His 18 year old son Adam Loncar will be there however, being the youngest representative for the Knights in 2010. All squad members are Croatian citizens and grew up in Croatia, although Adam Loncar and Toni Grguric were born in Australia.

Koracak says the squad will be camping out in Denmark, with a lack of sponsors leaving a very tight travel budget. "The Croatian national team will sleep in tents in camp, because of lack of support from the country and beyond, even though this week we got so much press space after winning the tournament in Italy!"

With a reputation to uphold as a strong contender on the European stage, and a long history of Croatian champions in the AFL, the Knights will be eager to prove they can match it with all comers.

A perfect day for footy saw the 10th Brit Cup tournament run on the South coast, hosted by the local Southampton Titans. An annual tournament which only the European players from the UK clubs can compete in, the event has been held in a number of venues around the country and is a great chance for the regional clubs to level the playing field against their Aussie-rich London counterparts.

The Great Britain Bulldogs have named a squad drawn mainly from England's Southern and Central-North West leagues for their upcoming 2010 European Championships campaign. With the EC2010 coinciding with the AFL London finals series, a number of the GB regulars will be playing for their domestic clubs early August, which opens the opportunities for new faces among the Bulldogs.

GB coach Mark Pitura says the squad was chosen mostly from the teams that competed in the Brit Cup in Southampton on July 3rd, and is a good mix of youth and experience, lead by veterans Adam "Skippy" Bennett from Reading and Rob Fielder from Chippenham.

"As you can see, most players come from regional teams outside of London. A few exciting players to watch are Martyn Hinchey (Southampton Titans) in the ruck, 6 foot 6 Full forward Lee Tarn (Chippenham Redbacks) and goal sneak Mark Todd (Reading Kangaroos)."

The Bulldogs will be hoping for a strong showing at the Championships, having a history as being one of the "Big 3" alongside Ireland and Denmark, and being the only European nation ever to have defeated the Irish.

The re-branded Scottish Clansmen travelled abroad for the first time to the Four Nations Cup on July 3rd and 4th in Fontanafredda, northern Italy. The tournament was part of a Festival of Rugby and included the hosts Italy, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

Scotland has entered tournaments before, such as the EU Cup, but this was the first time the squad was exclusively players who are eligible for selection under the new Euro Cup rules. Having previously only played two Tests against Wales, the Clansmens' management team felt that this trip would be perfect preparation for the upcoming rematch against Wales, the first Test series against England and the Euro Cup in October.

The performances as much as the results have set the bench mark high for the remainder of the International season, with a competitive defeat to the highly rated Croatia and a comprehensive win over the Czech Republic. Scottish Head Coach Stevie Connor had his squad well prepared and highly motivated and the experience gained in Italy will be vital for the Clansmen in the upcoming matches.