As you read this footballers, coaches, umpires, supporters and support staff from all over the United States and Canada are headed to Mason, Ohio to take part in the 2012 US National Championships. As in past years teams will play three pool matches before the top teams in each pool play off in the final on Sunday afternoon.

This year 38 teams will be play in the four mens divisions (some clubs will field a second team in the fourth division) and one women's division. Not all clubs make the US Nationals due to a variety of reasons but needless to say it is a very large financial committment for teams to travel large distances for this tournament.

Last year's champions the Denver Bulldogs will again go in favourite for the tournament despite only five games with a 3-2 win/loss record playing during the 2012 season on which to assess their form. This is not unusual as Denver is one of the most isolated teams in the country and lack of intercity footy has not hurt them in the past as they have won 8 of the National Championships over the years.

This Saturday's AFL Grand Final will feature a team that has "flown under the radar" for almost all of the season with a player that also befits that description despite having a remarkable story to tell, the story of Mike Pyke and the Sydney Swans.

28 years ago Michael Pyke was born in Victoria, B.C. Canada.  He played basketball, soccer and ice hockey before moving onto rugby where he played for the Canadian national side and a top French side.  Pyke achieved international fame in 2007 for running the length of the field and scoring an intercept try against the New Zealand All Blacks in a RUWC game.

However, injuries prompted Pyke to look for a career change. "In Canada, everyone knows what Aussie rules is but they don't know much about it," Pyke later would say. Together with a friend, Matt Woodland, Pyke put together a DVD showcasing his rugby highlights which Woodland then sent onto AFL player agent Michael Quinlan.  Quinlan, convinced of the possibilities, began dialogue with the Sydney Swan's Stewart Maxfield, as the Swans were known for their success with international premiership player Tadhg Kennelly and their use of “sabermetrics” (Moneyball).
 

Aussie Rules in Canada has enjoyed a purple patch of late. Mike Pyke’s rise to fame and imminent AFL Grand Final appearance with the Sydney Swans has coincided with solid growth on his home soil. Most of the Canadian leagues - spread across four of the thirteen provinces and territories - have expanded their number of teams in recent years, some even adding women’s divisions and second tier competitions.

That purple patch is set to continue with the exciting new formation of the Halifax Dockers; a team looking to break new ground and promote Aussie Rules on a completely new frontier: the province of Nova Scotia.

Stateside Footy - Episode 12-07: Quebec Saints vs Boston River Rats Stateside Footy presents a "Metro-style" modified Australian Rules Football match played in June 2012. This match is between the visiting Quebec Saints and the Boston River Rats, a representative group from the Boston Demons Australian Rules Football club.

This episode was recorded on location at Briggs Field on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. Stateside Footy is a cable access TV show produced with the assistance of WCTV - Wilmington Community Television in Wilmington, MA. It features Aussie Rules Football as it is played in the U.S.A.

Since its launch in 2010, Stateside Footy has been aired on 69 Local Access cable TV channels in 19 states of America and viewed online almost 14,000 times in a true grass roots effort to raise awareness of the game.

Today we have two episodes below from the 2012 Boston's Metro Footy season.

The Atlanta Sounds program recently featured Jim Batten from the Atlanta Kookaburras accompanied by the sounds of a game and photos of match action.  The video can be seen below.

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Further to the media statement this morning the Port Adelaide Football Club confirmed the death of player John McCarthy in Las Vegas in the following statement. Our condolences to John's family and friends and the PAFC.

The following statement has just been released by the Port Adelaide Football Club. 

The Port Adelaide Football Club has been informed that an Australian man who has died in Las Vegas is believed to be one of its players.

At this point, the club is unable to confirm the identity of the player involved in this tragedy as family members are still being informed.

A group from the Port Adelaide playing group left Adelaide on Saturday for a holiday.

The club is in contact with members of the travelling group and is working with U.S. authorities while investigations continue.

Port Adelaide general manager (football) Peter Rohde is on his way to the United States to be with the players.

The club has also made contact with its other players still in Australia.

The Port Adelaide Football Club is attempting to ascertain more information and is unable to make any further comment.