Herald Sun journalist, Chris Cavanagh, has reported on the new style of Australian Rules football to be experimented with at season’s end. Loosely referred to as a “Twenty 20” version of the game, the AFL is looking closely at this format assisting in the development of the game in overseas markets. The move is sure to create conjecture and only time can tell if the game will have the proposed and hoped for merit. The following story from Chris gives the first hints.

THE AFL is reportedly preparing to launch a Twenty20-inspired version of the game later this year which is seen as the answer to opening up international markets.

After months of secret trials, AFLX — a high-octane, seven-a-side version of football played on soccer-sized grounds with quarters shortened to 10 minutes — is being slated to be shown off to fans on the pre-finals bye weekend this year.

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Round 7 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off at Ethihad Stadium on Friday night with St Kilda hosting the GWS Giants. The 125th Anniversary match between Collingwood and Carlton will be shown on the main Fox Sports 1 station in the USA.  Hopefully they will get to see Collingwood big man Mason Cox on their screens in the US.  The full international broadcast schedule can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).  You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the  Watch AFL banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

Round 6 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off in Canberra with GWS hosting a Friday night match for the first time against reigning premiers, the Western Bulldogs.

The full international broadcast schedule can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).  You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the  Watch AFL banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

MATCH	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	28-Apr	Night	GWS GIANTS vs. Western Bulldogs	UNSW Canberra Oval	ACT	19:50	09:50
2	29-Apr	Day	Hawthorn vs. St Kilda	UTAS Stadium	TAS	13:45	03:45
3	29-Apr	Day	Carlton vs. Sydney Swans	MCG	VIC	14:10	04:10
4	29-Apr	Twilight	Brisbane Lions vs. Port Adelaide	The Gabba	QLD	16:35	06:35
5	29-Apr	Night	North Melbourne vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	09:25
6	29-Apr	Night	West Coast Eagles vs. Fremantle	Domain Stadium	WA	18:10	10:10
7	30-Apr	Early	Essendon vs. Melbourne	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:10	03:10
8	30-Apr	Day	Geelong Cats vs. Collingwoood	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20
9	30-Apr	Twilight	Adelaide Crows vs. Richmond	Adelaide Oval	SA	16:10	06:40

Round 5 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off in Adelaide tonight with the Port Adelaide hosting Carlton at the Adelaide Oval. 

The full international broadcast schedule can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).  You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the  Watch AFL banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

MATCH	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	21-Apr	Night	Port Adelaide vs. Carlton	Adelaide Oval	19:20	09:50
2	22-Apr	Day	Western Bulldogs vs. Brisbane Lions	Etihad Stadium	13:45	03:45
3	22-Apr	Twilight	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Adelaide Crows	Metricon Stadium	16:35	06:35
4	22-Apr	Night	Sydney Swans vs. GWS GIANTS	SCG	19:25	09:25
5	22-Apr	Night	Fremantle vs. North Melbourne	Domain Stadium	17:40	09:40
6	23-Apr	Day	St Kilda vs. Geelong Cats	Etihad Stadium	15:20	05:20
7	23-Apr	Twilight	Hawthorn vs. West Coast Eagles	MCG	16:40	06:40
8	24-Apr	Night	Richmond vs. Melbourne	MCG	19:25	09:25
9	25-Apr	Day	Essendon vs. Collingwood	MCG	15:20	05:20

If there was one thing that was learned last week being witness to the 2017 AFL National Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships it was that the multicultural game is growing in numbers and standards. The future of the game’s growth both in Australia most likely overseas could get a huge boost as the multicultural carnivals drive growth.

This claim is highlighted rather dramatically by the growth since the 2015 carnival in Cairns. At that event the team numbers were smaller, as was the playing field. Fifteen players a side played on a makeshift mini-field within the larger Cazaly’s Stadium. It looked very much like the set up for junior matches.

Fast forward to 2017 and the All-Nations competition (made from teams where player’s ancestry of themselves or their parents was having been born overseas) and teams played 16 per side, no wings and on a full sized oval. Not only that, but the standards of play were a far cry from the tournament in Cairns.

 

The recent 2017 AFL National Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships were not just a place for players to show their wares. It was also an environment where young umpires were able to continue their development journeys. During the course of the championships, David Rodan – former Richmond, Port Adelaide and Melbourne footballer and current AFL goal umpire – spent time speaking to the boys to tell them of umpiring pathways. Also, Mathew Nichols, a current AFL umpire with almost 300 AFL games experience, spent the event teaching and mentoring the new breed.

Both were willing to speak to World Footy News and talk about the opportunities for umpires, and how important this tournament was to the development of umpires. 

 

David Rodan: David, you played in an elite environment as a player and you have also witnessed first-hand elite level umpiring. How does that prepare you to help grow our new batch of young umpiresω

Round 4 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Perth tonight where the West Coast Eagles host the Sydney Swans at Domain Stadium.  Tomorrow night the first Good Friday match will take place between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

The full international broadcast schedule can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).  You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the  Watch AFL banner below and paying the subscription fee.

 

MATCH	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	13-Apr	Night	West Coast Eagles vs. Sydney Swans	Domain Stadium	18:10	10:10
2	14-Apr	Twilight	North Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs	Etihad Stadium	16:20	04:20
3	15-Apr	Day	Melbourne vs. Fremantle	MCG	13:45	03:45
4	15-Apr	Twilight	GWS GIANTS vs. Port Adelaide	UNSW Canberra Oval	16:35	06:35
5	15-Apr	Night	Carlton vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Etihad Stadium	19:25	09:25
6	15-Apr	Night	Adelaide Crows vs. Essendon	Adelaide Oval	19:10	09:40
7	16-Apr	Day	Collingwood vs. St Kilda	Etihad Stadium	15:20	05:20
8	16-Apr	Twilight	Brisbane Lions vs. Richmond	The Gabba	16:40	06:40
9	17-Apr	Day	Hawthorn vs. Geelong Cats	MCG	15:20	05:20

One of the most endearing images from the 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships was former Port Adelaide Power premiership coach, Mark Williams, standing beside a young African player on the All Nations oval after a match stepping him through the basics of how to kick. As this story is being typed he is doing it again with a young Queensland indigenous player.

In a decorated career spanning playing days in the SANFL (West Adelaide & Port Adelaide) and VFL (Collingwood & Brisbane Bears) and a variety coaching, assistant coaching and his most recent specialist coaching role in the AFL with Richmond (Head Development Coach), Mark knows the coaching game backwards, forwards and sideways. The son of the “father of Port Adelaide” – Fos Williams – Mark holds one of the finest pedigrees in football. It is that pedigree he is bringing to the championships, coaching the coaches and watching over the players.

Micky O, as he if commonly referred to, has had an incredible journey in AFL football and is in a unique position to share his vast experience with the next generations of footballers. At the 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart and All Nations Championships Michael did exactly that when asked to motivate the boys with a talk about his background.

 

The following story is taken from a transcript of his presentation to the players during the championships. Not a pin drop could be heard as Michael entranced his audience.

 

 

I’m originally from Adelaide and moved to Sydney as a 17-year old to play footy with the Swans. I’m from a little place called Salisbury in Adelaide where I spent a lot of time at the Central Districts footy club. I guess the journey to get to Sydney has been a pretty tough one.