China returns for their third consecutive International Cup and will be keen to show off their new look squad to an unsuspecting audience. Following on from their fifth placing in Division 2 in 2011 (which was already an improvement on their 15th placing in the 2008 debut), this year’s squad has been working solidly across a range of areas and expect to ruffle more than a few feathers.

The Country and Australian Football

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is the most populous state in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. The PRC exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly administered municipalities (Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and the capital city- Beijing), as well as two special administrative regions (SARs) – Hong Kong and Macau

Indonesia may debuting at the International Cup but the country has a footy history that has been passed along to squad given the honour of representing their massive nation.  This is a massive step for footy in Indonesia and also the future of footy development for Asian nationals.

The Country and Australian Football.

Indonesia is a sovereign state in South East Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising some 17,000 islands with a population of over 238 million people, making it the world's fourth most populous country.

Indonesia lies between latitudes 11°S and 6°N, and longitudes 95°E and 141°E. It consists of 17,508 islands, about 6,000 of which are inhabited. These are scattered over both sides of the equator. The largest are Java, Sumatra, Borneo (shared with Brunei and Malaysia), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea), and Sulawesi. Indonesia shares land borders with Malaysia on Borneo, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea, and East Timor on the island of Timor. Indonesia shares maritime borders across narrow straits with Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Palau to the north, and with Australia to the south. The capital, Jakarta, is on Java and is the nation's largest city.

James Lang's article about the South African Lion's IC14 warmup appeared earlier this week on The Footy Almanac website.

With the AFL’s International Cup set to commence in Melbourne later this month, the South African side “the Lions” are landing in Jamestown this week for a training camp. Current Jamestown Peterborough Magpies Coach and former North Adelaide and South Australian State of Origin Star Mick Redden will also provide the players with some tutelage.

Last winter saw South African National Team representatives Thembinkosi “Dhino” Zwane and Thabiso Phakedi based in Jamestown, as part of a unique opportunity in an AFL South Africa exchange program titled “Up There Down Under”. As part of the program, they played for the Jamestown-Peterborough Magpies, whilst gaining valuable work experience, particularly on local farms. It was the brain child of former AFL South Africa Football Operations Chief and current consultant to the organisation, Tony Kelly  who grew up in Jamestown and still has much family residing in the area.

Canada's Northwind are ranked 9th for IC14 and could potentially finish higher depending how they fair against the stronger teams in their pool. With the largest organised league outside of Australia, many would see the Northwind as an underachiever when it comes to the international scene.

Whilst being competitive during group stages they have failed to progress further, with their previous Cup finishes being 9th (2002), 7th (2005), 6th (2008) and 9th (2011). With the last 2 years being used to develop a team that can match it with the powerhouses, they are expecting to be competitive in all their matches.

 

Japan is an island nation in East Asia comprising a stratovolcanic archipelago extending along the Pacific coast of Asia. It lies between 24° to 46° north latitude and from 123° to 146° east longitude.

There are four major islands, sometimes called the "Home Islands”, (from north to south) Hokkaidō, Honshū (the "mainland"), Shikoku and Kyūshū. There are also 2,456 islands, including Okinawa, some inhabited and others uninhabited. In total, as of 2006, Japan's territory is 377,923.1 km2, of which 374,834 km2 is land and 3,091 km2 water. This makes Japan's total area slightly larger than Norway.

 

We're closing in on the 2014 fifth instalment of the AFL International Cup and the world's footy nations are gathering for an assault on the Cup. Our previews continue with the 2005 champions and 2008 runner up.

After finishing third to Ireland in 2002 and 2011, winning in 2005 and being the runner up in 2008 to PNG in a wonderful game of footy, NZ continue their trend of sending a younger team to try and regain the title. This squad is very reflective of the work AFL New Zealand have been doing over recent years with their junior age groups.

The squad has benefited from regular international football either in Australia in age group teams or in NZ against touring sides such as the VAFA U18’s and the AIS. It has been very noticeable that although a gap still remains against the Australian sides there is no doubt it is narrowing. With the consistent high level preparation afforded by competition of this level it provides a pathway for junior talent to be recognised quickly as an international sportsman and provide exciting opportunities for their continued involvement.

New Zealand stalwart Andrew Howison will captain the team, and will be supported by a core of senior players who have been part of previous International Cup campaigns. Three players are set to compete in their third International Cup in 2014. David Rattenbury, Matthew Van Wijk and Aaron Harris were all part of the 2008 and 2011 teams. Chris Mundell, Andy Christensen, Michael Gregson, Andrew Howison, Justin Clark, Brendan Clark and Jared Court are returning from the 2011 team, and have been key members of New Zealand Hawks teams in the intervening three years.

After a successful 2013-2014 season the French Coqs are returning to Australia to take part in their second IC. The team is eager to build on their great results in last year's Axios Euro Cup, where they finished in second place.

In 2011, the Coqs impressed the crowds with their performances on and off the field, finishing second of Division 2 and by introducing the world to a very unique celebration. They will no doubt try to improve their luck this year.

The country and footy

Although some games have been played by ANZAC soldier during WW1, Australian football in France only took off in the late 2000's. After a brief stint in the 90's in Paris and Normandy, the first established team started to appear around 2005 with the creation of the Strasbourg Kangouroux. This was followed by teams in the southern half of France a few laters and the first official competition was held in 2008. Since then footy in France has steadily grown and now boasts 7 well established teams peppered throughout the country. In the last couple of years women teams have also made their apparition but they won't be travelling to Australia just yet.

The South African Lions finished 11th in 2002, 8th in 2005 and roared up to 3rd in 2008. Their goal in 2011 was to make the Grand Final but they dropped to 5th.  2014 sees them return to Australia with only a few experienced campaigners and some very young talent.  Their goal - make the top four and from there have a crack at winning the tournament.

Traditionally the South Africans have played a fast, attacking, but at times chaotic style.  A lack of regular club matches has probably deprived them of the chance to consistently experience pressure football every week for a long season, and to practice structured play under real match pressure.  But their academy program and the first steps towards a national league are addressing these issues so it will be interesting to see whether the Lions can return to the top four and challenge the best the rest of the world has to offer.

When asked about the likely style the Lions will bring, AFL South Africa National Operations and Local Partnership Manager July Machethe explained "To play entertaining and competitive footy in all of our games".

The Finland Icebreakers are readying for their second International Cup campaign this year, after attending back in 2008. With a relatively small local league and a limited pool of players to choose from, the Finns have been battling to finalise their squad for the tournament, with numerous withdrawals due to finances, injuries, work and family commitments.

However, they have also been able to select Finns playing at clubs in Ireland, the USA and Asia, as well as a handful of Finns currently living and playing in Australia, so the Icebreakers are still optimistic about their chances of making a good impression Down Under in 2014.

Mika Kupila spoke to WFN about the team's preparations and goals.

LEFT: Some of the Icebreakers members at the IC08