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.

Last night I sat in the comfort of home watching a thrilling game between Collingwood and Sydney. I don’t support either, but was grateful that I could turn on the television and (with the power of two remote controls) watch a genuine thriller. To live in a world where every AFL game can be live in the home is, to many, normal.

But it wasn’t always that way.

I am a product (proudly) of 1961. Hawthorn won their first flag, probably not directly because of me. It started something of a trend, with the Hawks winning far too many since. Geelong took out the “consolation” night series, Roos got the spoon and Carlton got the Brownlow & Coleman (John James & Tom Carroll). Meanwhile, I did little more than crawl around the floor making gurgling sounds (still do, occasionally!).

Round 3 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Sydney tonight where the Sydney Swans host Collingwood at the SCG.

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	7-Apr	Night	Sydney Swans vs. Collingwood	SCG	19:50	09:50
2	8-Apr	Day	North Melbourne vs. GWS GIANTS	Blundstone Arena	13:45	03:45
3	8-Apr	Day	Richmond vs. West Coast Eagles	MCG	14:10	04:10
4	8-Apr	Twilight	Geelong Cats vs. Melbourne	Etihad Stadium	16:35	06:35
6	8-Apr	Night	Port Adelaide vs. Adelaide Crows	Adelaide Oval	19:10	09:40
5	8-Apr	Night	Fremantle vs. Western Bulldogs	Domain Stadium	17:40	09:40
7	9-Apr	Early	St Kilda vs. Brisbane Lions	Etihad Stadium	13:10	03:10
8	9-Apr	Day	Carlton vs. Essendon	MCG	15:20	05:20
9	9-Apr	Twilight	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Hawthorn	Metricon Stadium	16:40	06:40

Round 2 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Melbourne on Thursday night with Richmond hosting co-tenant Collingwood at the MCG. The Grand Final rematch will be played on Friday night at Etihad Stadium where the Western Bulldogs will host the Sydney Swans.  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	Thursday March 30	Night	Richmond vs. Collingwood	MCG	19:20	08:20
2	Friday March 31	Night	Western Bulldogs vs. Sydney Swans	Etihad Stadium	19:50	08:50
3	Saturday April 1	Day	Hawthorn vs. Adelaide Crows	MCG	13:45	02:45
4	Saturday April 1	Twilight	GWS GIANTS vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Spotless Stadium	16:35	05:35
5	Saturday April 1	Night	Brisbane Lions vs. Essendon	The Gabba	18:25	08:25
6	Saturday April 1	Night	West Coast Eagles vs. St Kilda	Domain Stadium	16:40	08:40
7	Sunday April 2	Early	Geelong Cats vs. North Melbourne	Etihad Stadium	13:10	03:10
8	Sunday April 2	Day	Melbourne vs. Carlton	MCG	15:20	05:20
9	Sunday April 2	Twilight	Port Adelaide vs. Fremantle	Adelaide Oval	16:10	06:40

The 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Melbourne on Thursday night with the now traditional Carlton vs Richmond match at the MCG.  Once again in 2017 we will have the International Broadcast schedule available (below) so you can see when and on what network you can watch footy around the world. 

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.

 

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH		VENUE	LOCAL TIME	GMT
1	23-Mar	Night	Carlton vs. Richmond		MCG	19:20	08:20
2	24-Mar	Night	Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs		MCG	19:50	08:50
3	25-Mar	Twilight	Sydney Swans vs. Port Adelaide		SCG	16:35	05:35
4	25-Mar	Twilight	St Kilda vs. Melbourne		Etihad	16:35	05:35
6	25-Mar	Night	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Brisbane Lions		Metricon	19:05	09:05
5	25-Mar	Night	Essendon vs. Hawthorn		MCG	19:25	08:25
7	26-Mar	Early	North Melbourne vs. West Coast Eagles		Etihad	13:10	02:10
8	26-Mar	Day	Adelaide Crows vs. GWS GIANTS		Adelaide Oval	14:50	04:20
9	26-Mar	Twilight	Fremantle vs. Geelong Cats		Domain	16:40	08:40

 

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The AFL and Australia Post are pleased to announce the 2017 Australia Post AFL Multicultural Player Ambassadors which will include 19 AFL and AFLW players.

Female footballers Sabrina Frederick-Traub (Brisbane Lions), Darcy Vescio (Carlton), Helen Roden (Collingwood) and Akec Makur Chuot (Fremantle) will be joined in promoting some of the many diverse backgrounds in Australia’s game by Dayne Zorko (Brisbane Lions), Dyson Heppell (Essendon), David Zaharakis (Essendon), and Jake Kolodjashnij (Geelong), Adam Saad (Gold Coast SUNS), Tom Nicholls (Gold Coast SUNS), Stephen Coniglio (GWS GIANTS), Christian Salem (Melbourne), Majak Daw (North Melbourne), Jimmy Toumpas (Port Adelaide), Bachar Houli (Richmond), Aliir Aliir (Sydney Swans), Nic Naitanui (West Coast), Lin Jong (Western Bulldogs) and Jason Johannisen (Western Bulldogs).

(Picture: Adam Trafford - AFL Media)

We did find the new Watch AFL app last week in our desperation to help viewers around the world find a way to watch AFLW matches.  There was no release to the public and the Watchafl.com.au site was still down as they tried to get everything ready to go before Friday's AFLW debut.  We believe we were the first to download it after some detective work and shared it on our social media channels on Thursday.

The app looks like it will be a much improved service for most viewers outside Australia that will use it through the free AFLW and JLT pre-season series and into the paid regular AFL season.  The cost of subscription has been reported to have increased significantly in some markets.  We have also been told that a number of AFL clubs offer international memberships that include subscription to the service that may cost less for the whole membership than directly subscribing to the Watch AFL service.

As well as live streaming the app will give access to full replays and a number of programs from Fox Footy to viewers outside Australia/NZ.

The full release from Fox Sports follows:

It took way, way too long for women’s football to finally happen at the highest national level. But happen it did, and a lock-out crowd of spectators descended on Ikon Park (formerly Princes Park – iconic home of the Carlton Blues)to usher in a new era of Australian Rules football in style.

Such was the magnitude of the crowd, that caught organisers off guard, that AFL CEO, Gillon McLachlan actually went outside the ground to apologise to members of the estimated 2000 people that could not get into the game. Inside the stadium a crowd estimated at over 25,000 watched an historic but also highly entertaining match of women’s football.

The game had everything – snapped goals, pack marks, brutal tackles, dashing runs. Carlton’s Darcy Vescio scintillated the crown with four outstanding goals. Brianna Davey’s dash out of defence was as telling as her finishing skills, managing a goal along the way. Her 26 disposals set up Carlton’s attacking and left Collingwood players in her wake.

That isn’t my line. I heard someone say it recently, and they possibly nabbed it from somewhere else. But the advent of women’s football – Australian Rules football – is very well summed up by that line. It isn’t really an exaggeration either.

Numbers on backs, centre squares, interchange players, countless umpires on the field: all have played a part in refining the game along the way. But women’s football has seen the game grow in a way that is extraordinary, and we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. The game has moved along at an impressive rate since the 1850’s when it was first hatched as an alternative for cricket training. But in more than 150 since nothing has shown the next 150 years like the women’s game.