Much noise has been made about the AFL's plans to launch new clubs on the Gold Coast and Western Sydney, with it looking increasingly likely that the two new teams will be playing within just three or four years.

The new clubs will see significant concessions regarding creating their player lists, particularly regarding local NSW and Queensland talent, but a new concept has surfaced recently - connected to building a club around the increasing number of young Irishmen coming down under.

Melbourne's The Age newspaper reported today that the AFL is considering launching an Irish-dominated West Sydney side, based on a proposal first put to Andrew Demetriou in 2006 by Gaelic Players Association executive Donal O'Neill.

Demetriou yesterday confirmed the meeting with O'Neill, who reportedly put forward a detailed business plan involving millions of dollars in funding emanating from the US and Britain as well as Ireland, and increased television coverage in Britain and Ireland. The "Sydney Celtics" could also potentially tie into the international brand power of the NBA's Boston Celtics and the Scottish soccer club Glasgow Celtics.

The AFL chief was however somewhat reserved in his public response, saying "To call this embryonic is an understatement. We are looking at several proposals and we have been forwarded all sorts of ideas."

The full article can be read here.

The AFL Northern Territory and AFL Queensland have reached agreement on the Territorians entering a representative side in the top Queensland league in 2009. The Territorians had targeted the WAFL and SANFL, with the latter preferred. South Australia seemed the perfect choice as arguably the best state league and the lure of a tenth side removing their bye (created when two clubs needed to merge during the early 1990s), along with the fact that the SANFL is telecast into the Top End each week and many of the indigenous AFL stars have made the big time via moving from the Territory to the SANFL first.

The strong connection is in part due to the state's historical links. The then SA colony explored, settled and administered the Territory before handing it over to the Federal government upon Australia's federation in 1901 (you'll often hear of the tragic failed Burke and Wills trek, but less on the multiple and ultimately successful Stuart expeditions). Despite all the synergies, the SANFL rejected the proposal for at least another 12 months, but that assumes the Territorians will wait.

Todd Goldstein is set to become the ninth known Jewish player to play senior VFL/AFL football. The North Melbourne ruckman, taken with pick 37 in the 2006 draft has spent the last 18 months with the Kangaroos' VFL feeder teams Tasmania and Werribee. He has been selected to line up for the club in their away game against Port Adelaide on Saturday night. Goldstein is yet another example of tall kids with basketball backgrounds who have made the late transition to Australian football. He is described as an “athletic tap ruckman.”

The Jewish connection to football has been strong in Victoria particularly with AJAX Amateur Football Club in the VAFA (since 1957) and former AFL club Presidents Richard Pratt and Joe Gutnick. Perhaps Goldstein may be an inspiration to some of the Israeli contingent of the Peres Peace Team that will compete at this year’s International Cup. Ian Synman (St Kilda), Keith Baskin (South Melbourne), Henry Ritterman (Melbourne), Michael Zemski (Hawthorn), Mordy Bromberg (St Kilda), Trevor Korn (Melbourne), Julian Kirzner (Essendon/North Melbourne) and Ezra Poyas (Richmond) are others of the Jewish faith known to have preceded Goldstein at this level.

Australians are being urged to "pick up a football and Kick Around Australia" on Thursday August 7, to mark the day 150 years ago, when the first recorded Australian football match took place. Many Primary and Secondary schools will hold "footy-themed" days, whilst organisations are being encouraged to allow staff to wear their team's colours to work.

It is one of many events that mark the 150th anniversary of Australian football, although disappointingly the official event has been downgraded from "Kick Around The World" to "Kick Around Australia". WFN is still encouraging footy fans around the world to celebrate - Grab a footy and take a photo (preferably in front of a recognisable landmark) and send it through to us. We will display them in a later article.

To avoid spam, our "About Us - Contact Us" section only allows you to send text emails to WFN staff. Either include a link to the photo in the email or notify us that you have a photo to share, and we will reply to your email address requesting the photo.

Peter Bell, one of only a few players in the history of the professional Australian Football League with a direct Asian background, has retired at age 32 having played 286 AFL games.

Born in South Korea to a Korean mother, Bell moved to Western Australia at a young age. Bell was educated in Perth, where he achieved a Bachelor of Law. Bell was recruited from the South Fremantle Football Club in the WAFL. He was often regarded as short for an elite footballer at 175cm, although he played as a rover developing a reputation as a nuggety and creative ball-winner with accurate disposal skills and good goal sense, Bell played much of his career in Melbourne with the North Melbourne Kangaroos where he played in two premierships. He returned to Perth to captain the Fremantle AFL club. During his career he was named All-Australian twice, represented Australia in International Rules and best and fairest at both North Melbourne and Fremantle. His coaches at Fremantle managed to squeeze more out of Bell's AFL career, as he has considered retirement on more than one occasion.

While Bell was the oldest of the AFL's current crop of "internationals", Papua New Guinean born Mal Michael is another veteran, whose career at 31 years of age appears to be drawing to a close, having recently spent much of his time outside of the Essendon senior list.

Aussie Rules fictional films are fairly rarely, with only occasional movies such as the 1978 classic The Club, loosely based around Collingwood. A recent telemovie heavily related to football is Valentines' Day, which screened last night on Australia's ABC. Set in the Victorian country town of Rushworth, it follows the arrival of a former big-time player and his misguided efforts to save the local side from merger.

Although perhaps not the most riveting of shows (and fair to say the skills on display are less than exemplary), it's a nice little yarn about what footy means to local communities and for those keen to soak up anything footy related it's pleasing to note that the 90 minute movie can be downloaded from the ABC (around 330 MB), and there's also a preview available.

Sadly we've been informed that the video cannot be downloaded outside of Australia, presumably based on an IP address check, so unless you have a friend in Oz who will do it for you...

Preview Valentine's Day
Download full movie Valentine's Day

It appears that Tasmania is going full steam ahead with its bid to have a team in the Australian Football League. We've previously reported (Tasmania bid adds AFL expansion twist) that the island state has upped the ante to have their own team in the sport's elite competition, a dream the Apple Islanders have harboured since the VFL morphed into the AFL.

The AFL has some video highlights from the Under 18s Australian Football carnival (Sneek Peek at Future Stars).

Of particular interest is the diversity of names among the talent. Among the standouts are video highlights of multicultural players previously mentioned on WFN including Fijian-Australian Nicholas Naitanui (WA), Ranga Ediriwickrama (NSW/ACT), but also other interesting multicultural names like Zaharakis (Vic Metro), Martiniello (Vic Country) and De Boer (WA).

Unfortunately for international footy fans, true PNG international, John James (QLD) is not included as his state was knocked out early in the carnival. Nevertheless, the AFL has published an article on him called "A buzz in the air", discussing his conversion from rugby league, his enthusiasm for Australian rules football, his upcoming International Cup campaign and his AFL prospects.

The AFL Commission has approved a proposal for the 17th team in the AFL, the Gold Coast, to have access to up to 20 young Queenslanders. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou on Friday announced the acceptance of the recommendation from the Gold Coast List Management Working Committee, covering the initial player concessions that would be made available. By pre-signing up to 20 Queensland players of draft eligible age in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the new club would be in a position to build a healthy player base with a local identity. All other 16 AFL clubs will be entitled to list an additional two rookies per season for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, to compensate for the compromises in these draft years.

With plenty of PNG talent in the Queensland system, South Africans being fast-tracked, junior development gaining pace around the world (see for example The international players of the future), the international scholarship lists, expanded rookie lists and two new AFL clubs, the time for the first internationally developed draftee must now be very close.

Melbourne Football Club's connections to Ireland have never been stronger. New Melbourne Football Club chairman Irish born Brownlow medallist Jim Stynes has enlisted the help of one of Ireland's rugby greats Brian O'Driscoll, current captain of Ireland's rugby union team to increase the club's membership.

The Melbourne Demons website has more including a photo of O'Driscoll in the Demons jumper in the article Jim signs up Ireland.