While clubs across Australia are into their preseason training in temperatures that today in many places are above 40°C, much of Europe and North America are in the deep freeze. Embracing that cold this weekend were the Columbus Jackaroos. The chilling event was covered in the following report by Chet Ridenour.


Columbus, OH – After a week of the biggest and most consistent snow falls of the season, the Columbus Jackaroos were keen as mustard to lace up their boots (literally), and have a rumble in the white, wintry tundra. Emerging from their warmed cars, dressed in plenty of layers, leaving only their rosy red faces exposed – a stark contrast to the abundance of skin shown in traditional attire – they stumbled in for an 11 am Saturday morning match. With about six inches of untouched powder on the local Thomas Worthington High School football field, these blokes, dressed in red and blue would square off in perhaps one of the most fun traditions yet for this young club, the Second Annual SNOW BOWL.

Women's Australian football is on the rise in Canada. It started as a co-ed programme in 2003, and then a school girls clinic in 2004 culminating in the first ever all-female footy match played in Canada. Now momentum is building for an epic rematch against the USA Freedom team.

The Toronto Rebels AFC in Canada are looking for a new coach and players for their 21st season in 2010. The Rebels are one of the most accomplished teams in the Ontario Australian Football League (OAFL) and, in 2009, the club celebrated its 20th season of football.

The role of Coach would run from April through to October with approximately a 14 round season consisting of one game and two training sessions per week. The Coach will be ably assisted by an Assistant Coach and captain that will be selected by the executive comittee and coach.

See below for more information.

Toronto, Ontario: The Ontario Australian Rules Football League “The OAFL” held its Annual General Meeting on November 22nd where it elected a new President and Board of Directors. The election of this new Board comes at a time where the OAFL is experiencing rapid growth and has begun to initiate junior development programs across Southern Ontario.

On October 3rd the Toronto Eagles won their third premiership in four years, defeating the Etobicoke Kangaroos with a complete performance in the 2009 Ontario Australian Football League grand final. The Roos finished the regular season undefeated with 14 wins but the Eagles are one of the most domimant clubs in world footy and to be feared in any premiershio decider.

The day also saw the Quebec Saints travel to Ontario to contest the Division Two flag against the Broadview Hawks' second side.

The Calgary Kookaburras are one of the more progressive clubs abroad, especially for women playing the game. The club under the guidance of ex-Aussie Jake Anson have set a high bar when it comes to development and player participation.

Taking two teams to the US nationals gives more girls exposure to the game at a higher level, Jake also has plans to take on board a development coach from Australia in 2010 to help raise the skill level in this Canadian club even more.

The Collingwood Football Club is set to embark on another high altitude training camp in Arizona, USA. The majority of the playing group and coaching staff will fly out from Melbourne on Monday 23 November, and will utilise the world-class training facilities at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff for two weeks.

The group will depart Melbourne airport at Tullamarine on midday flight, and will return to Melbourne on Wednesday 9 December. http://Collingwoodfc.com.au will provide daily video updates from Flagstaff.

The club has previously held training camps in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2005, 2006 and 2008. New American recruit Seamus McNamara will not make the trip, remaining in training in Australia.

Newly signed Collingwood International rookie Seamus McNamara can be seen in action in this latest Youtube video. The video covers some of his trialling with Collingwood previous to the signing announced today - please be advised the Shae's stomach contents will appear during the film. The footage is just a small part of the upcoming Yellow Magic documentary.

[youtube:8hCx1D00xlg]

The Collingwood Football Club today announced it has signed American Seamus McNamara to a two-year international rookie contract. The 24-year-old, who hails from Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin, is a powerful athlete who stands 204 centimetres and weighs 104 kilograms.

McNamara trialled with the Magpies in Melbourne back in September, and returned on the weekend to commence pre-season training with the team, after accepting the club’s contract offer. Collingwood’s national recruiting manager Derek Hine told http://collingwoodfc.com.au that McNamara could develop into a ruck or key forward option.

The Ottawa Swans Australian Football Club is seeking applications for the position of Head Coach for the 2010 season. The Head Coach requires strong leadership qualities and is counted on to develop an excellent on-field product and to inspire team members to perform at a consistently high level .

The following are the minimum expectations of the Swans Head Coach in 2010:
- A strong commitment to develop Australian football in Canada's National Capital Region ;
- A focus on the development of first and second year players ;
- A full commitment to the position for the entire 2010 Ontario Australian Football League season, including pre-season planning, training, the regular season, and playoffs ;
- Knowledge and understanding of Australian football;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English (communication skills in French would be considered a strong asset ); and
- An ability to write detailed match reports.