Ed. - We welcome Scott Matheson to World Footy News as our newest writer. Scott is an Australian who spent many years in the USA, played in the USAFL at the Columbus Australian Rules Football Club and has held various positions on both the CARFC committee as well as the USAFL board. Scott has now returned to Australia and studies in Melbourne.

2015 is shaping up as the biggest year for American imports playing and competing in Aussie Rules in footy’s home state of Victoria.  Numerous Americans have made, or will make, the sixteen hour trek across the Pacific Ocean in order to chase some unorthodox sporting dreams.  This article profiles the players expanding the Yankee footprint in Victorian footy circles. 

The following article in the Herald Sun features the decision by the St Kilda AFL club to select their USA recruit, Jason Holmes, in their NAB Challenge teams this pre-season. Holmes, who has served an apprentice ship with the Sandringham VFL club, hopes to be the first player born and bred in the USA to play a senior AFL game.

 

FORMER college basketballer Jason Holmes has taken another step closer to becoming the first American convert to play AFL football with his inclusion in St Kilda’s NAB Challenge squad.

 

Holmes, drafted by the Saints as an international rookie 14 months ago, is one of two ruckmen in the squad to play Brisbane on Saturday.

 

 

Sandringham coach Paul Hudson, who has worked extensively with Holmes in his role as the Saints’ development coach, said his selection “typifies how far he’s come over the past year’’.

The weather was kind. Well it was not hot. Maybe just a little damp even, and about 20 degrees Celsius. The second session for the first graduates of American Footy Star ran out onto North Port Oval joining the Port Melbourne pre-season training.

The timing, curious. By now Port Melbourne pretty much have their lists finalised. But better late than never.

Both former college athletes Charles Winston III and Torrey Harkness could have made it to the big time of American sports. But that was not to be. These two were found by Miro Gladovic in his campaign to convert and American to a footy star. Has he done it? Not yet*.

USAFL Club the Portland Steelheads are currently in an online battle for the title of Portland’s Best Sports Logo in Portland (Oregon). 

The competition has come down to the final four and the Steelheads Logo is going strong even knocking off the Timbers MLS soccer team.

They are now up against Pacific University Boxers rugby team and trailing by 200 votes.  So support an Aussie rules team (with a great logo) and help to raise their profile in the city that once hosted a post season match between Melbourne and West Coast (attendance 14,787).

Here is a link to the vote: http://www.portlandsports.com/portland/final-four-portlands-best-sports-logo/

The slow, glacial trickle of USA athletes to Australia continues with two more players headed to the VFL willing to try their luck with Port Melbourne for the 2015 season. “The Borough” will play host to Carl Winston and Torrey Harkness, both of whom have been described as “NFL/Olympic sprinter-calibre athletes” by their Los Angeles-based agent, Miro Gladovic, from AFS (American Footy Star).

 

[Carl Winston (L) and Torrey Harkness (R) playing for the Los Angeles Dragons – Herald Sun]

 

This news comes quickly on the heels of a recent story about New York magpie, Alex Aurrichio, who will play this season with Carlton’s VFL affiliate, the Northern Blues, and the recent transitions of Eric Wallace, Mason Cox and Jason Holmes. These three players, who have played VFL with North Ballarat, Collingwood and Sandringham respectively, have made the leap from diverse elite sporting backgrounds back in the USA to reach the penultimate tiers of the Australian national game.

 

 

Both Carl and Torrey are imposing athletes. The biggest difference with these lads is that most players to have come and tried our game have been from basketball backgrounds, but these two are both ex-college football players with bodies more readily adaptable to Australian Rules football – in theory.

The following article is written by Gil Griffin, a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He has had a long relationship with the game of Australian Rules football through his writing for the Frematle Dockers website and The AFL Record as well as his podcasts for Big Footy Dockers.

This article explores the journey of American players in Australia and the decisions they made, and journeys taken, to turn their backs on an Anerican basketball dream and give Australian Rules football a go.

Following is an extract from his article, and whilst it is lengthy, it is also highly rewarding with the deeper insights into how and why American athletes are prepared to make the quantum leap in sport and lifestyle to play Australian Rules football.

 

In keeping with the off-season theme of players from international backgrounds looking for opportunities in the AFL, this article from the website of the New York Magpies further illustrates the drawing power our game is gathering.

 

The article looks at his recent journey within Australian Rules football from the days he left soccer and baseball behind to focus his efforts on our beloved game. We acknowledge the New York Magpies and the use of their story. For more information on the New York Magpies club, go to their website at: http://nyfooty.com/site/

 

 

New York Magpie Alex Aurrichio began his journey to Australia flying high from a National Championship win by the Pies this October.

Phil Manassa & Elaine Gilmore named Quebec’s best & fairest for 2014.

AFL Quebec’s night of nights saw Phil Manassa awarded the league’s top honor after a tightly contested points race which went down to the final round of voting. Going into the final regular season round Manassa held a one vote lead over Daniel Robinson, who had led the voting through the majority of the season, and Morgan Whyte, who had climbed the leader board late.

Despite Manassa’s West Island Wooders winning the final game of the season he polled only 3 votes leaving the door ajar for Whyte. However, Whyte’s Montreal Demons fell to the Laval Bombers courtesy of a 9 goal exhibition from Todd Rogers leaving Whyte in the runner-up position ahead of Robinson who missed the Wooders game through injury. Last years winner Bogdan Rotaru finished fourth while Rogers’ dominant final round display saw him pick up 5 votes to round out the top five despite missing the opening 3 rounds.

After launching the American Footy Star reality TV and footy conversion program for Americans in 2010 to much fanfare only to see the project shelved, it looks like the creator Miro Gladovic is dusting it off for another run.

The 2010 version came complete with a Hollywood launch party and signup details for camps across America in a reality TV format that would have an American chosen and brought to Australia attend the AFL Draft Camp and to be hopefully signed with an AFL club.  That version came complete with a video of Andrew Demetriou giving his blessing to Gladovic. 

Back in 2010, Geelong's Jimmy Bartel, Australian Institute of Sport coach Jason McCartney and Hawthorn legend Robert Dipierdomenico were tied to the project.  But the American Footy Star camps never eventuated most likely due to the show not attracting interest from buyers willing to run the concept on TV in the US.