Tuesday June 7th saw the AFL Women's National Championships kick off in Adelaide, with four matches on the day.

Division 1

Western Australia 4.2(26) vs Victoria 8.10(58)
Queensland 3.7(25) vs South Australia 2.7(19)

Division 2

New South Wales 8.7(55) vs Australian Capital Territory 3.2(20)
Northern Territory 5.6(36) vs Tasmania 12.6(78)

The 2011 Australian Women’s Nationals, to be held in Adelaide, South Australia, are almost upon us! As the days count down, the four division 2 teams, NT Thunder, ACT, New South Wales and Tasmania, have finally announced their line-up.

The event will run from June 7th to 11th, and will include a rest day on the 9th. An opening ceremony will be held on the 7th at the City Mazda Stadium, Richmond. The Grand Finals will take place at Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg, on the 11th. More information can be found in the event’s programme, downloadable here.

The Port Adelaide Football Club has been in the news again this week, crippled by debt, with an under-spending football department, tiny crowds, and board under siege and calls for radical changes.

As I see it, there is one key reason for Port's problems; its supporter base.  That base can be divided into three groups - long term core supporters, bandwagon fans (the ones who only follow during success) and the next generation.  I contend the hard core supporters are divided, the bandwagon group was larger (as a percentage) than most clubs, and the next generation has been slow to be converted.

To explain these thoughts requires some history.

If you keep up to speed with footy news in Australia and on this site, then you’ve probably come across comments by Hawthorn’s President, Jeff Kennett regarding how the AFL is being run at the moment, as well as his thoughts on the international development of the game. Soon after this came a thoughtful response from Mtutuzeli Hlomela, a South African player currently looking forward to the 2011 International Cup, which sparked my interest in the matter. Mtutuzeli’s letter put’s forward good counter-arguments and Mr Kennett’s remarks may have been heat-of-the-moment, but where do you see footy going in the next 25 years?

Let’s look at other sports across the world today. Sports you can make a direct comparison with such football and rugby – had their own humble beginnings back in the mists of time. The former consisted of dozens of people from neighbouring British villages getting the ‘ball’ from one point to another and the latter was invented when a football player took advantage of a loophole in the rules and used his hands rather than his feet. There was no inkling then of the popular, widespread and powerful forces that these sports would become.

Outspoken Hawthorn Football Club President Jeff Kennett has launched an offensive against AFL support for international football, in an attack that was ironically wrong in so many ways, and prompting a response from former South Africa Lions captain Mtutu Hlomela.

Kennett, also a former Victorian Premier, said that "AFL football will never be an international game." Regarding a proposed African match Kennett said, "To be quite honest, I would rather my players, if they were asked, didn't go on the trip", also stating "trips to South Africa are just a part of the gravy train".

The first point in which he is wrong is whether Australian football will be an international sport, because it simply already is. A sport does not have to be professional to have "made it". There are tens of thousands of players across dozens of countries. As Mtutu Hlomela pointed out in an open letter published on the AFL website, "I invite you to take some time in August to go and witness the AFL International Cup. It's a magnificent event that is full of colour and cultural diversity; things I think are great for the game. It will also show you how the game has grown internationally in the last decade despite minimal resources in some countries".

It was ironic that such an attack came from the President of a club that has invested in New Zealand and which is already yielding promising results, with Kiwi rookies Kurt Heatherly, Rhys Panui-Leth and Shem Tatupu already signed by the Hawks. It was also Kennett who not so long ago called for an AFL club to one day be based in NZ. Why can Australian football be successful in one country, or a series of countries around Oceania, but not others?

AFL F has teamed up with iconic fashion designer Peter Morrissey to create a new range of football sportswear specifically designed to fit women’s body shapes.

The new football guernsey deigns and other footywear will be worn by AFL Femminile Italia’s team and some of the other women’s teams at this year’s history making female division of the AFL International Cup.

Though designed with footy in mind, there Female-Fit range also hopes to cater for female players of many different sports. Items in the new range include team guernseys (jumper) and shorts, running tights, performance polo, tracksuit jacket and pants and socks.

A unique Aboriginal pattern of fish spawning designed by famous Indigenous artist Billy Doolan will feature on the signature range, but the designs can be customised for team colours and to include club and sponsor logos.

This unique sportswear range will be available exclusively through AFL F and their manufacturing and distribution partner, Australian Rules Football Apparel (ARFA). The designs are in the final stages and images will be on AFL F’s website over the next few weeks. If you would like more information on the range or how to order, please email either Peta Lowry at peta@aflf.com.au or Barry Bird barry@footyapparel.com.au.

You can also follow the progress on their Facebook page or by following afl_f on Twitter.

After hearing no word for a while we were concerned whether plans for the 2011 NAB AFL Under 16 still included the World XVIII side. Happily the AFL has confirmed that indeed both the World XVIII and South Pacific will once again be international highlights for the youth championships.

The two international sides will be in Australia for less than the full tournament, resulting in them playing one less game each than the other teams in their grade, Division Two. The AFL's Peter Romaniw explained that "At this point in time they are part of the tournament by invitation, and the “traditional” states who have been involved over the past 16 or so years still wanted the opportunity to play each other, hence some of their games starting earlier. Currently the 2 new teams are allowed some concessions in relation to eligibility of players. We see that in the future they will become a permanent fixture, and therefore play all of the games".

Read on for the full Under 16s draw.

Following Queensland, the other three Division 1 teams- South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia- have all named their teams for the 2011 Women’s National Championships which will take place in Adelaide from June 7th to 11th. The Grand Finals will take place at Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg, on the 11th.

Finally an AFL game for Nintendo Wii! Created by Wicked Witch and published by TruBlu, AFL Wii has been released ahead of schedule. And in a first for AFL games, AFL Wii will also feature an International Cup with teams from IC08.

AFL Wii boasts more teams and greater player progression than any other AFL game. Including the 2011 AFL teams and Greater Western Sydney, there are over 70 different teams to choose between and 5 different leagues. There are also bonus teams, such as the 2010 All Australian Team. You can also play in the NAB U18 National Championship.

There are currently three AYAD positions available for Australian football development roles, in Indonesia, Vanuatu and Tonga. The youth ambassador positions are paid jobs open to Australians to assist in overseas development.

All are for 12 months and applications close May 27th.  More details at www.ayad.com.au/assignments and search for "Australian football".

The following is an extract from the Vanuatu description: