“It might not be the biggest of grants, but it was so important when we were only nine guys running around talking about making Odense Lions into a big club. We don't use the footballs we got anymore (we got new real Sherrins now) and we will replace the jumpers next year with new ones. So we are moving on from the first start grant we got, but even that small grant was very important for us. We would have had a hard time without it. It can seem little now with 35 players and two teams (male and female) but it was so important back then.”

These are the words of the Odense Lions and their gratitude for the Start-Up Club Program grant from AFL Europe. Whilst the grant may seem small compared to the resources that might follow, Odense have succinctly summed up the value of the grant, and this is echoed by other clubs across Europe.

Since the early days when the grant helped kick-start the Lions, their adventure has been a success story for Australian Rules football in Europe, and particularly their home nation, Denmark.

The provision of grants by AFL Europe to new and emerging football clubs has seen some successes in recent years that have helped to populate national leagues with new clubs, expansion and greater opportunities for players.

It will be interesting to see which clubs are successful in obtaining grants in 2015. There are always whispers of new clubs coming to fruition across Europe, and there is no doubt that some of these clubs have made it under their own steam. But it is also true that the “Start Up Club Program (SCP)” has helped launch many of these new clubs.

There have been whispers of new clubs in France for some time now. The ALFA Lions and Nancy Bobcats have arrived, but interest remains over the teams from Toulon and Pau. There has been some talk of a club starting in Zenica (Bosnia & Herzegovina), and there have been overtures in Bergen (Norway) for a possible club to start, though that is not much past conversational stage at the moment. But this short list (and there are others, without doubt, that I have not mentioned) could potentially be the candidates for SCP grants for 2015.

Without the ability to watch all teams over the course of all matches at the Euro Cup it is difficult to do an all-team analysis. For that reason, this analysis looks at the performances of all teams over the course of the event by looking at the numbers. This analysis looks at both the men’s and women’s teams.

 

Some readers who were there may see things slightly differently, but we would welcome any constructive insights in the comments section of this article below.

 

The corresponding article after the 2013 Euro Cup in Bordeaux was sub-titled “Something for Everyone” - http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20130922221122206 , which was true in that all teams had periods of success or performances which suggested a positive experience.

 

The Euro Cup for 2014 is well under way. The games for the group standings have been completed and the results for both men’s and women’s are listed below. The semi-final results will be added to this story in the comments section below, with the finals results posted in a separate story early tomorrow. This will include playoff results for Euro Bowl and Euro Plate.

 

Men’s Draw Results

 

Prince Charles Group:

Italy 5 6 36 d Netherlands  1 4 10

Germany 5 5 35 d France 4 5 29

Germany 5 5 35 d Italy 2 2 14

France 3 2 20 d Netherlands 0 0 00

Germany 7 4 46 d Netherlands 0 1 1

 

Italy 4 6 3 d France 3 4 22

Irishman Tommy Walsh has advised the Sydney Swans that he will return home to Ireland. Walsh was recruited to the Club via a trade with St Kilda at the end of the 2011 season. He made his AFL debut in round 8, 2012 and played a further two matches that year. Walsh was almost a late inclusion on Grand Final day in 2012, but luck was not with him.  The Swans went on to win the flag that day.

He returned to the team again in 2013 but his season ended when he was struck down with a serious hamstring injury.  Walsh struggled to return this year after that injury but finally played a number of good games in the NEAFL but not good enough to break into the ladder leading AFL team. 

A recent story by World Footy news reported on the great AFL/VFL eras. The article left open the possibility of clubs around the world coming forward with their own eras of greatness. It certainly hasn’t taken long for one great dynasty to show itself, and the story is quite remarkable. Enter, the Farum Cats from Denmark.

Ian Hill, creator of The Footy Record and long-time stalwart of the Australian Rules football scene in Denmark responded to the article (Dynasties, Cycles and Golden Eras - http://www.worldfootynews.com/article...2721192556 ) with his own comment on the Cats’ efforts.

 

The draw for the women's competition for the 2014 Axios Euro Cup in London has been released. This year the women's draw features a record five teams competing across 10 matches for the title. This is an enormous increase on the women's draw in Bordeax, France last year when just the French team and a combined Crusaders team locked horns. The Crusaders won by 19 points.

 

The women's teams for the event this year are:

 

England Vixens

France Les Gauloises

Irish Banshees

Scotland

Danish Valkyries

 

The Norwegian Australian Rules football season came to a close earlier this month with the grand- final of the nation’s Kenguru Cup. This year, Oslo East proudly claimed the title back after the Ås Battlers won in 2013. But this season went down to the wire, not only on the big stage of the grand-final, but also in the final round of matches.

The final round of matches certainly provided the perfect excitement level. Going into the day, Oslo East were clear minor premiers, finishing three games ahead of the field. But the excitement would come in the battle between the Ås Battlers and Oslo West to see who would meet East in the grand- final. Mathematically, Oslo West could get there if they won both games on the day.

The Oslo derby remained hard fought as West tried valiantly to stay in the grand-final race, but they went down in the end by 19 points. Final score saw Oslo East 7 5 47 d Oslo West 3 10 28.