This Sunday the Southern California Australian Football League (SCAFL) will play the third place and Grand Final games for their metro competition, capping a nine round season that started in March. Our thanks to SCAFL President Corey Irwin for this preview

In the third place game the Riverside Football Club will take on the Los Angeles Swans. Riverside has been the talk of the competition this year, with a massive influx of new players thanks to a stepped-up recruiting effort. Look for players like Matt Morgan, Bobby Burgess, Pat Garthwaite and Deron Lien to lead the attack for RFC.

In 2010 the AFL has embarked on a new venture inviting two international teams, the World XVIII and the South Pacific Nations, to compete against Australian Under 16’s teams from varying states.

Both of the international teams will consist of U18 players from all around the world, tallying up to a whopping 21 countries represented. The teams will head down to Australia in July to take part in the NAB U16’s tournament, beginning with a game between the two international sides on Sunday July 4th, followed by games against other Australian states that week.

As the story was reported only a few weeks back on oafl.ca, the OAFL Insider got the chance to sit down with the two boys from the Ontario Australian Football League (OAFL) club, the Etobicoke Roos, who were selected for the World XVIII squad.

As the Ontario Australian Football League (OAFL) regular football season goes on hold this weekend for Canada's long weekend, May 24, a group of OAFL bandits entitled the OAFL Awfuls are set to hit the road down to Boston, Massachusetts.

The team will be participating in 2 matches on Saturday May 22nd against the US sides of the Boston Demons and the Baltimore Eagles.

In 2008 Columbus, Ohio became home to the Jackaroos and now the sports mad city has given US women's footy a new team, the Jillaroos. On a beautiful sunny spring day, seven lucky women came out to be a part of the first ever women's Aussie Rules practice/social/meeting ever in Ohio.

Jamie, Tonya, Kristi, Sara, Megan(not pictured), Julie and Stefanie wrote themelves into future footy lore as the inaugural core that can say they will have literally been there from the beginning. Coaches Chet Ridenour and Alan Gardner and Jackaroos supporters Scoota & Santosh helped guide these women over the basics of handballing, and kicking.

After some drills they were involed in some action in an "ultimate footy-esque" game. They posed for team shots, and headed to BW3s afterwards for food & drink, while bonding over "2 Truths & A lie," sharing and creating nicknames, and dividing up homework to jump-start this team before they meet again.

Next Training: Tues, May 18th, 6pm, Tuttle Park - (Open invite required - meaning you have to invite at least 1 friend out with you!)

For those interested you can listen to Shae McNamara the "Yapping Yank" and Steele Sidebottom on the Collingwoood Football Club's Pie Cast podcast at the link here if you are in Australia or here for our international readers using iTunes.

The big American missed a game through injury but hopes to return to Collingwood's VFL side this weekend.

Follow the link here to listen to Melbourne radio station SEN's Daniel Harford interview Amercian Footy Star creator Miro Gladovic about the project which he suggests could spawn an American mini draft in years to come.

The first camp is loosely scheduled for August in Dallas with others to be determined by demand in other areas. The show will rely on a significant number of applicants to get it off the ground. If you are in the US and know of anyone interested please get them to register at www.americanfootystar.com.

On a cool and windy day in Louisville, KY, the Cincinnati Dockers Australian Rules Football Club began their 14th season at the preseason John Harrell Memorial Cup Tournament this past Saturday. Between the A and B squads, the Dockers finished the tournament with a 1-3 record, playing against squads from Nashville and Columbus.

Cincinnati’s A squad started their tournament against the Nashville A squad. Cincinnati had plenty of shots on goal, but only managed 2 goals out of 7 scoring shots, while Nashville earned more scoring shots and were more accurate. The final score had the Nashville Kangaroos winning with 6 goals and 6 behinds for 42 points beating Cincinnati with 2 goals and 5 behinds for 17 points.

Sydney's Canadian recruit, Mike Pyke, returned to the Swans' side for their Round 7 clash with reigning premiers Geelong at Skilled Stadium. It was his first AFL match of 2010, following his 8 games in his first season in 2009.

Pyke's team were competitive early in their biggest test for the year, but slowly the classy Cats got on top and ran away with the game. Perhaps it will remind those who are saying Collingwood are now clear flag favourites that the club that has played in the last three grand finals might not be done yet.

In positive signs for Pyke, the 200cm budding ruckman had 13 possessions and 18 hit outs, in support of the Swans' Shane Mumford who had 14 possessions and 25 hit outs. The Canadian may become vital to Sydney in the coming weeks, as team-mate Mumford has been reported and is looking at a 2 to 3 match penalty for rough conduct against former Geelong teammate Gary Ablett, although it's the kind of charge that could just as easily be defeated if challenged.

The launch party for American Footy Star took place on Saturday at the residence of the Australian Consul General in Brentwood, California. Interviews with various attendees can be viewed online. We have included interviews with the creator and producer Miro Gladovic, host Cameron Daddo and producer Amit Handa below.

The pilot and footy guide that has been produced so far comes from Gladovic's original idea for a movie with the working title of "Hometown Blues" about a young American who heads to Australia to become an American footy star. In the process of getting this movie made the idea to put together a reality TV show to detail the talent camps and find a young American came together. The TV series will be used to try to obtain the interest and financing to get his film made.

The 2010 Ontario Australian Football League (OAFL) season begins this weekend in Ontario, Canada and with what is to be expected to be its best season yet, the OAFL is working hard both on and off the field.