The Catalan Australian Football League has rebounded this season, returning to four teams after 2007 saw the league go back to only Valls and Barcelona fighting it out for the title.

The founder club Belfry Valls will be joined by a second team from the town, dubbed the "Valls Fire". The Barcelona Stars have been renamed the Cornellà Bocs (Catalan for "Goats") and the fourth team will be based in the tiny nation of Andorra, situated high in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain.

The first round sees the Bocs take on the Fire on March 9th, followed by Belfry versus Andorra on March 16th.

In addition, interested parties are hoping to start teams in Pamplona and Valencia, two cities located not too far from the Catalan league.

The Catalan metropolis Barcelona is currently the likely host city for this year's EU Cup, to be held in October. Organisers are hoping for a delegation from the AFL to make an appearance, the event being just after the US Nationals where a few big names have been attendees in the past.

The French footy season kicks off in earnest on March 15th with a clash between the French national team and a German selection in Strasbourg. The game will mark the first appearance of players from the new Bourdeaux Bombers, who will join their counterparts from the Strasbourg Kangaroos and Paris Cockerels for the encounter. Kick-off is at 5pm, with free entry for spectators at the Hautepierre Sports Centre.

The Bourdelais will then back this up with their first home match, hosting Barcelona in early April, while Strasbourg have a match scheduled against the Flying Dutchmen in the coming months.

The weekend of July 5th has also been earmarked for the French national club championship, with Paris, Strasbourg and Bourdeaux possibly to be joined by a new club from Montpellier. The new club would be the second to have existed in their area of France, not far from Perpignan where the short-lived St Esteve Saints existed a few years ago.

More information at the internet home of French footy, FootballAustralien.com.

Pearce Hanley is the Brisbane Lions' latest Irish recruit and already is being favourably compared to Colm Begley who played 19 games last year for the Lions.

Hanley is interviewed by the Queensland Courier Mail talking of his homesickness for County Mayo in Ireland's west and the challenges he has had adapting to the oval ball.

He makes the point that the only real challenges are adapting to the oval ball and tackling, but that otherwise Gaelic football and Aussie Rules "are nearly the same".

Hanley was the Barassi medallist as best player in the 2006 Under-17 International Rules series. The loss of such top young talent from Gaelic Football has been cited as one reason for abandoning the under age series by the GAA, and losing Hanley would have been a particularly painful blow.

On that score, GAA fans can console themselves with some of Hanley's comments - that returning to Ireland a better footballer and playing for his club and county in the GAA remain his long term ambition. However it is early days and whether he will still think that way once he tastes AFL finals action and other attractions of the land down under remains to be seen.

Six players from the Nottingham Scorpions have been named in the 30-man squad for the Great Britain Bulldogs' 2008 International Cup campaign.

Last week the Nottingham Evening Post ran an article speaking with some of the players, as well as GB Coach and Scorpions founder Charlie Kielty.

With their 2008 season fast approaching, the Australian Rules Football League of Ireland have signed a two year sponsorship agreement with Specialist Mortgage and Australian Tax Services, with an option for two more years.

Under the agreement the Super 9s will be known as the Smats.net Super 9s and the Premiership will be known as the Aussieproperty.com Premiership.

The Irish have also launched their new "Irish Footy Record" newsletter, available by contacting arflipr@yahoo.com.

In other Irish news, the new club in County Kerry has been officially titled the Kingdom Kangaroos. Irish International rep and former Leeside Lion Denis Kennelly has the club preparing for their first season in the Irish Premiership and they are hopeful that their new site at www.kingdomkangaroos.com will help in their recruitment drive.

Denis, cousin of Sydney's Tadhg Kennelly, has been busy converting his fellow Kerrymen to the cause and is keen to hear from anyone who would have an interest in joining the fledgling team. He can be contacted by e-mailing kingdomkangaroos@gmail.com.

Collingwood's latest Irish recruit, Kevin Dyas, was interviewed for the Collingwood internet TV channel. He talked about the recruitment process and the inspiration provided by countryman Martin Clarke. The next few weeks for Dyas will speak loudly of the recent rapid changes in the internationalisation of Aussie Rules - consider that he is a recruit from Ireland, about to head to South Africa for high altitude training and community clinics, then heading to Dubai for a NAB Cup match against Adelaide (the squad will split, so it will depend on which group Dyas stays with).

The video interview can be viewed here, and the text can be read in Clarke success gives Dyas confidence.

The Australian Rules Football League of Ireland are organizing a one day Invitational 10-a-side cup for August 30th for Footy clubs around the Globe.

The competition will provide a opportunity for an end of season trip for clubs, as well as an opportunity for some more footy for those not involved in the International Cup. The ARFLI are keen to hear from clubs anywhere who would like to enter, enjoy some footy and the Irish Capital's famous nightlife.

There are direct flights to Dublin from most major European cities, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Tampa and Toronto.

ARFLI will assist all participating teams in obtaining accomodation. Clubs interested in attending should e-mail arflipr@yahoo.com to register.

The Mullingar-based Midland Tigers are hoping for some rejuvenation in the Irish league this year and are back on the world wide web after an absence of three years.

The club have established a new website with an address of www.midlandtigers.net hoping to recruit new players and coaches to the team, who have struggled of late.

The site includes a social networking page. The Tigers' Bebo page which can be accessed through the website and allows current members, past players and friends to interact and also includes video footage of Irish AFL Stars, an introductary video to the sport; as well as quizzes and polls.

The club are keen to attract new members from throughout the Midlands for the season ahead which commences in March and anyone interested in joining can do so by checking out the website or e-mailing recruitment@midlandtigers.net.

As reported by various Irish media agencies since early December, it appears that Northern Irish minor gaelic footballer Kyle Coney will come out to Sydney next June to trial with the Swans.

The Tyrone Times today reported that the Red Hand county minor is off to the land of Oz for a two-week trial in the summer, Coney the latest in a growing number of skilful youths being lured to the professional game, citing that the player had been encouraged to go for it by teachers at his Holy Trinity school - Anthony Devlin and legendary Peter Canavan.

"I have good opportunities here, so I am going to keep an open mind and not rush into things" Coney told Star reporter Karl O'Kane. "Peter thought it a good opportunity to get paid for doing something you like. I was over the moon."