A common criticism of the AFL for many years now has been the constant changing of rules and interpretations. Some see the changes as part of a hidden agenda to change the nature of the game, whilst others see it as a necessary reaction to the rapid evolution of the sport as it entered the fully professional era. There's no doubt that coaches are always looking to exploit loopholes and where the game deteriorates as a result, the lawmakers do need to react.

But it's clear that fans and players and been increasingly frustrated by the pace of change so it will be some relief to read on the AFL website that there will be "No major changes in rules for 2008".

The article reports that "the AFL Commission on Friday approved a recommendation from the Laws of the Game Committee that 2008 would be a season of consolidation for the game's laws, with no major changes to be implemented".

This is of course relevant to international footy, as most changes ultimately filter out to leagues around the world, as well as down through the levels in Australia.

Perhaps the one criticism to come out of the decision is that the controversial hands in the back interpretation has been maintained. Unpopular almost universally, it is set to stay in 2008, with the AFL's analysis apparently showing it was generally applied appropriately and improved the spectacle of the sport.

Soccer superstar David Beckham's promotional visit to Australia for the LA Galaxy vs Sydney FC exhibition match featured a sampling of some of Australia's own football code.

During his first visit to Australia, Beckham met with young AFL and Collingwood Football Club star Dale Thomas in Sydney. Thomas gave the soccer star some tips on kicking a goal with the oval shaped Sherrin.

Suffice to say that while Beckham can certainly bend the round ball as shown in the match against Sydney FC, his effort with the oval variety was not as spectacular, though good on him for trying. You can see pictures of Beckham kicking a footy on the Herald Sun's photo gallery.

Just a quick reminder that there are now four 2005 Australian Football International Cup videos on our World Footy Channel, a link for which also appears in the top bar of the website. In addition to Opening Ceremony footage and the Japan victory over Spain in their first round match, we've now added South Africa's win over Japan, the New Zealand haka and Samoa's Siva Tau. See our 2005 Australian Football International Cup playlist.

Through the start of this century Australian Football supporters keen to see the game developed more beyond Australia's borders were quite accustomed to hearing the mantra that the Aussie states of Queensland and New South Wales were the Australian Football League's number one development priority. With an obviously greater commitment to international footy in recent years the mantra is less often repeated, but the AFL's determination to see the game achieve full penetration into two of Australia's biggest states has not lessened. The obvious next step in the sport's evolution is the move to place an AFL club on the Gold Coast, and one way or another, 2010 appears to be the target.

While Ben Cousins has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons lately (even to the point of being charged by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute and suggestions of recreational drug use), it wasn't just Ben's mysterious disappearance in the USA that had many in the Australian media surprised. Many newspapers were instead fascinated by the fact that the AFL star, got attention, if not in the mainstream, but among the more influential players in the blogosphere.

Celebrity gossip site Perez Hilton, arguably one of the most popular on the Internet asked "Where In The World Is Ben Cousins????", while Dave's Football Blog, apparently one of the Top 100 most influencial sports bloggers has maintained regular features on AFL football and the most recent adventures of Ben Cousins.

Ben Cousins may not be the best ambassador for our game, though it is a change from publicity generated in the US by stories such as amputated players fingers, Adam Selwood's taunts on Des Headland and Warwick Capper's debut as an "adult actor", news of which can be found on 100 percent injury rate and Matt Ufford's withleather.com.

Naturally, one of the biggest stories to reach US blogs in recent times was Saverio Rocca's successful conversion from Aussie Rules to NFL football, which was reported by popular blogs Deadspin, Larry Brown Sports, The 700 Level, highlighting more than anything just how massively popular the NFL is stateside.

While tabloid news is not necessarily promotion of the finer points of our game, it does demonstrate a growing awareness of the Australian Football League among Americans, who are just beginning to spread the word and discover that our game is indeed different to rugby.

2007 has been a year of anniversaries in international footy. The sport has unquestionably put down some solid roots in a number of countries, whereas a decade or two past, plenty of leagues were only the loss of one or two key people away from disappearing.

The USAFL has celebrated its 10th anniversary, including a celebration at the Nationals in Kentucky which saw the naming of their team of the first decade. Their Ten Year Commemorative Book is available here.

The Japan AFL has brought up their 20th year in the game.

In September AFL South Africa (formerly Footy South Africa) joined the milestone group, also bringing up 10 years since development began in the North West Province. According to AFL South Africa North West Provincial Manager July Machethe, "It was at this month back in 1997 that AFL was introduced to the North West community and since then the game has developed and produced immeasurable results. We’ve experienced AFL South Africa and AFL North West teams participating in the two editions of the International Cup in 2002 and 2005, The Jim Stynes Cup (now Ron Barassi Youth Tournament) in 1997 and 2006 with the under 16 kids participating. We also have experienced a great cultural exchange, skills and love of “Our Game” between Australians and South Africans since the introduction of the game back in 1997".

"A lot has happened and more big things to come… I should mention the great support and courage to take the game to the next level by the AFL body (in Australia) without them it will have been impossible for us to reach this stage. Them bringing in the Fremantle Football Club to the North West is a great boost and we are going to do well together with the Dockers! Words of Appreciation also goes to the North West Department of Sports Arts & Culture!!!".

Mustafa İlhan, known as John Ilhan, the founder of mobile phone retailer "Crazy John's", died this week in Melbourne. The flamboyant Ilhan was a very popular figure with migrants and footy fans alike and respected by many around Australia.

John was an Australian "rags to riches" story, a Muslim who migrated from Turkey to Australia. From working class Broadmeadows, he opened his first store in 1991 and in just 10 years he had built up one of Australia's biggest retail chains. In 2003, he topped the Australian Young Rich list, becoming Australia's richest man 40 years or younger. His personal fortune was estimated to be worth over AUD$300 million. His success came largely from his business innovation, his larger than life personality and his hands on approach to business. John became a role model for many Australian muslims and migrants.

Victoria is home to 5 million people and ten of the sixteen teams in Australia's elite football league, the AFL. A year ago I wrote a controversial article challenging the AFL to make some tough decisions and truly nationalise the league whilst ensuring football remains at the forefront of Victoria's sporting scene. I believed that reducing the number of Melbourne clubs would be the key to improved performances from the city's remaining clubs and would mean new clubs in unrepresented parts of Australia. This article looks at the relevance of my arguments a year on, following much improved results by Victorian clubs. It also looks in depth at the underperforming VFL (Victoria's prominent state league) and possible measures to lift the league to the status it could enjoy.

Perhaps the biggest issue for the international spread of Australian Football is making the step from a small club to larger numbers and getting juniors into the game. Of course it's completely reasonable for an expat-Australian club to function purely at that level, but in many cases a decision is made to try to develop the game locally and leave a lasting legacy.

In some cases a club may morph into a league, or in areas with higher numbers of Aussies, several clubs may form and become a relatively stable league relatively quickly. Over time the question sometimes emerges of how much pressure the league can or should put on clubs to ensure local development occurs to ensure the continued growth of the sport. Classic examples of reasonably large, stable leagues are those based around London (England), Ontario (Canada) and Auckland (New Zealand). Each of those boast a good standard of footy and a solid mix of Aussies and locals. But over the years all three have had issues in getting their clubs to invest heavily in junior development. Here we have a look at one small example of the tough decision another sport made.

English-born Fergus Watts' recent delisting by St Kilda and David Rodan's delisting scare last year show just how fragile an AFL career can be. However, many players do bounce back.

Glancing upon the AFL lists, as we head into 2008, there is plenty to get excited about. As these players mature, they become role models for players growing up in their countries. The younger they are, the more potential for long successful AFL careers.

So we decided to look at the ages of some of the current crop of AFL "internationals" and encouragingly the signs are still youthful.