One of the great benefits of being at a footy carnival such as the National Diversity Championships in Townsville is just how close to the action and the people you can get. Routinely chatting to some of the biggest movers and shakers in the AFL – both past and present – adds an at times surreal feel to being in elite company.

From my own point of view, the chance to travel around with the Queensland squad of Kickstart and All Nations players was a lot of fun and also enlightening. From being on the bench with them at close quarters during matches to relaxing at dinner later in the evening, my experience has been memorable.

Match day, and Queensland All Nations coach, Anda Tyalana allows me to sit (quietly) at the back of the coaches box. It is a great experience to listen to the coaches talk on the run about what is unfolding in front of them.

“Be on the defensive side at ball ups and stoppages to stop their run.”

By and large, junior and youth football carnivals do not get the airplay or associated press that goes with the higher level national leagues. That is probably fair in the sense that there are only so many resources available for so many carnivals.

But the value of these carnivals is enormous, as anyone associated with them can tell you. With so many people across so many spheres of football involved it would be no surprise that these carnivals mean different things to different people.

The current National Diversity Championships in Townsville are a great example. From coaches to players, umpires, administrators, media representatives and a host of other employees and volunteers, meanings are as varied as the people who make the carnival happen.

The 2016 AFL season rolls into Round 3 Friday night in Melbourne with Port Adelaide hosting Essendon at Adelaide Oval. 

There a two significant events this week in the International Broadcasts.  The first is the start of coverage in the US on the Fox Sports 1 channel taking one AFL match live each week.  Fox Sports 1 is available to approximately 73% of US homes which dramatically increases the chances of Americans either deliberately or accidentally viewing our game compared to the Fox Sports 2 and Fox Soccer Plus channels.  The first match on Fox Sports 1 will be the Western Australian Derby clash between the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle.

The second is the broadcast by China Central Television of the Port Adelaide match against Essendon on Friday night. 中国中央电视台体育频道 or CCTV5 is the main sports broadcaster for the Peoples Republic of China and shows sport 24/7. While the exact size of the potential viewership is not known, there is the potential for this to be the most viewed Australian football match ever.  Time will tell. 

If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the schedule below. As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates.

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT	NETWORK
1	8/04/2016	Night	Port Adelaide vs. Essendon	Adelaide Oval	SA	19:20	09:50	SEVEN
2	9/04/2016	Day	St Kilda vs. Collingwood	MCG	VIC	13:45	03:45	SEVEN
3	9/04/2016	Day	Richmond vs. Adelaide Crows	Etihad Stadium	VIC	14:10	04:10	FOX
4	9/04/2016	Twilight	Sydney Swans vs. GWS GIANTS	SCG	NSW	16:35	06:35	FOX
5	9/04/2016	Night	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Carlton	Metricon Stadium	QLD	19:25	09:25	SEVEN
6	9/04/2016	Night	West Coast Eagles vs. Fremantle	Domain Stadium	WA	17:40	09:40	FOX
7	10/04/2016	Early	North Melbourne vs. Melbourne	Blundstone Arena	TAS	13:10	03:10	FOX
8	10/04/2016	Day	Western Bulldogs vs. Hawthorn	Etihad Stadium	VIC	15:20	05:20	SEVEN
9	10/04/2016	Twilight	Geelong Cats vs. Brisbane Lions	Simonds Stadium	VIC	16:40	06:40	FOX

 

Neville Stibbard has made a long career out of talent scouting. The current Western Bulldogs recruiter also had 16 years with the North Melbourne Kangaroos during their glory era of the 1990’s as well as working to put together the initial playing lists for the Gold Coast Suns and the Greater Wester Sydney Giants in the years before they hit the field as the AFL’s 17th and 18th clubs.

His years of experience put him in the ideal position to assess talent from across the nation. He is also a guru for young talent to tap into as they develop their skills on and off the field to improve as footballers and young men in the community.

In Townsville for the current national Diversity Championships, Neville is spending his time watching the best indigenous and multicultural talent from across Australia.

Adam Davis, the AFL National Umpiring Development Manager, proudly watches over his crop of umpires officiating at the National Diversity Championships in Townsville. Not only are these umpires representative of the six national teams competing at the carnival (Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, the combined Victoria/Tasmania team and the combined New South Wales/ACT team), they are also from diverse backgrounds themselves.

This diversity echoes the push that Adam and his umpiring team are chasing as their current recruiting program gathers steam.

In the last 12 months there has been a 15% increase in umpire registrations. As the game grows with more women’s footy, multicultural carnivals and other growth areas, umpiring numbers have to grow with that rather than fall backwards and further behind what is needed.

The 2016 AFL season continues tomorrow night in Melbourne with Collingwood hosting Richmond at the MCG. If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the schedule below.

*We have news through this morning from our friends at AFANA that Fox Sports 1 will be taking one AFL match live from next week.  This is big for the US as Fox Sports 1 has many more viewers and more potential new viewers of the game.

As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates.

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT	NETWORK
1	1/04/16	Night	Collingwood vs. Richmond	MCG	VIC	19:50	08:50	SEVEN
2	2/04/16	Day	Adelaide Crows vs. Port Adelaide	Adelaide Oval	SA	13:15	02:45	SEVEN
3	2/04/16	Day	Essendon vs. Melbourne	MCG	VIC	14:10	03:10	FOX
4	2/04/16	Twilight	Brisbane Lions vs. North Melbourne	The Gabba	QLD	15:35	05:35	FOX
5	2/04/16	Night	St Kilda vs. Western Bulldogs	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	08:25	SEVEN
6	2/04/16	Night	Fremantle vs. Gold Coast SUNS	Domain Stadium	WA	16:40	08:40	FOX
7	3/04/16	Early	GWS GIANTS vs. Geelong Cats	Manuka Oval	ACT	13:10	03:10	FOX
8	3/04/16	Day	Hawthorn vs. West Coast Eagles	MCG	VIC	15:20	05:20	SEVEN
9	3/04/16	Twilight	Carlton vs. Sydney Swans	Etihad Stadium	VIC	16:40	06:40	FOX

 

The following article by Ben Lisson at the ABC News website explores the TAC Cup team the Western Jets and their desire to recognise the cultural diversity of the players coming through their ranks. The role of the AFL Multicultural Program is to promote the game of Australian Rules football within diverse communities across the nation, and to promote the opportunities for diverse cultural and ethnic groups to embrace the game. This story clearly shows one of the success stories, of many.

 

The cultural make-up of Australia's youth is changing, and the AFL wants to make the most of it.

Weeks out from the start of the AFL season, the league carved up the country for an academy zone system.

 

Its aim was simple: to provide an elite pathway for the best Indigenous and multi-cultural talent.

The 2016 AFL season kicks off tonight in Melbourne with Carlton and Richmond doing battle at the MCG. If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the schedule below.

As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates.

 

GAME	DATE	TIMESLOT	MATCH	VENUE	STATE	LOCAL TIME	GMT	NETWORK	SD/HD
1	Thursday March 24	Night	Richmond vs. Carlton	MCG	VIC	19:20	08:20	SEVEN	SD
2	Saturday March 26	Day	Melbourne vs. GWS GIANTS	MCG	VIC	13:40	02:40	FOX	HD
3	Saturday March 26	Twilight	Gold Coast SUNS vs. Essendon	Metricon Stadium	QLD	15:35	05:35	FOX	HD
4	Saturday March 26	Night	Sydney Swans vs. Collingwood	SCG	NSW	19:25	08:25	SEVEN	SD
5	Saturday March 26	Night	North Melbourne vs. Adelaide Crows	Etihad Stadium	VIC	19:25	08:25	FOX	HD
6	Sunday March 27	Early	Western Bulldogs vs. Fremantle	Etihad Stadium	VIC	13:10	02:10	FOX	HD
7	Sunday March 27	Day	Port Adelaide vs. St Kilda	Adelaide Oval	SA	14:50	04:20	SEVEN	SD
8	Sunday March 27	Twilight	West Coast Eagles vs. Brisbane Lions	Domain Stadium	WA	16:40	08:40	FOX	HD
9	Monday March 28	Day	Geelong Cats vs. Hawthorn	MCG	VIC	15:20	04:20	SEVEN	SD

Week 4 of the 2016 NAB Challenge starts Thursday night (Melbourne time) when the Richmond host Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium. Footy returns to the city in the final round with 5 matches at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, two matches at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast and two matches at Domain Stadium in Perth.

 

 

The international schedule can be seen below.  Please check local guides as all telecasts are subject to change.