Riley Brettell from AFL Europe reports that the Swedish city of Norrtälje will host the 2019 Euro Cup. The city is home to 2016 SAFF premiers, the Norrtälje Dockers. The decision will be an enormous boost for the game in Sweden, but also neighbouring Scandinavian, Baltic and northern European nations. 

AFL Europe can today confirm the date and location for one of the feature events on the 2019 European football calendar, with the 9-a-side Euro Cup to be held in the picturesque city of Norrtalje in Sweden, hosted by AFL Sweden in conjunction with AFL Europe on Saturday, June 29th. 

The harbour city lies one hour north of Stockholm and is known for its small-town feeling, cobblestoned streets and buildings which date back to the 1700’s and will set an idyllic scene for the annual tournament, that will see men’s and women’s national teams from around the continent competing for the crown of European Champions in the heart of the Swedish summer.

President of AFL Sweden, Ryan Tucker, said Sweden was “ecstatic” to have the opportunity to host Euro Cup 2019 and showcase all that Swedish hospitality entails, along with continuing the growth and development of Australian Football in the country.

“Our vision of this tournament is of a meeting place for all participants of AFL Europe. There will be some fantastic footy played as well as the opportunity to make some lifelong friendships and explore what Sweden, Stockholm and Norrtälje have to offer,” Tucker said 

“We want the players and officials that travel to the 2019 Euro Cup to be able to experience a lot more than a yearly footy tournament. A lot of time and effort will be placed into what happens in the days surrounding the tournament and the areas of the venue not taken up by footy pitches.” 

Tucker says that players, support staff and supporters will be treated to a unique venue that is situated just 500m from the city centre, with games played across five grass pitches and plenty of room for recreation. 

“A buzz has already been created among locals who look very much forward to being able to have an international sports tournament held in their very own city!” he said. 

While this Euro Cup 2019 announcement comes earlier than usual with preparations for October’s Euro Cup 2018 to be held in Cork still underway, AFL Europe General Manager, Ryan Davey, said it was important to give the host nation ample time to prepare. 

“We wanted to make sure the hosts received a minimum of 12 months’ notice of when the events would be held to ensure they can plan to capitalize on hosting this event and establish ways to keep costs as low as possible for the participants,” he said.

“As a result, waiting until this year’s GAM in Cork to determine the location of Euro Cup 2019 was not an option.”

“I would like to thank AFL Sweden for their commitment to the growth of the game in Europe and also to the development of the Euro Cup event itself. We are very excited to work alongside them to make it a great success.”

To view the original AFL Europe article, go to: http://www.afleurope.org/euro-cup-2019-annoucement/

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From the desk of the AFL England writers, their column “Good Week/Bad Week” looks at the updates from the weekend footy from AFL London, AFLCNE and Southern England AFL. The original story can be viewed on the AFL England website at: http://www.aflengland.org/good-week-bad-week-4th-june-2018/

After a brief hiatus, ‘Good Week/Bad Week’ is back and ready to take a look at the latest round of fixtures across England. The leagues are really starting to hot up, so let’s see who’s in contention as we approach the halfway stage of the season.

GOOD WEEK

The Manchester Mosquitoes once again look like the team to beat in the Central & Northern England league. After racking up 130+ points against the Huddersfield Rams and the Nottingham Scorpions, the Mozzies were restricted to just over half that against the Wolverhampton Wolverines this weekend. However, they still extended their record to 3-0 as they won 11.18.84 to 6.10.46 in tricky conditions.

With the Ealing Emus having a bye this round, the Reading Kangaroos knew that a win would take them top of the Men’s Social league owing to their vastly superior percentage. After opening up their campaign this season with two crushing wins over the Giants and Hawks, the Roos defeated the Putney Magpies 8.6.54 to 4.6.30. The 2016 Grand Final runners-up don’t face the Emus until the 14th July in Reading’s designated ‘Family and Friends’ Fixture. 

The Great Britain Swans held a training camp this weekend in Cardiff, with players all over the country convening in the Welsh capital. A group of players from teams including the Nottingham Scorpions, Cardiff Panthers and the University of Birmingham took part. Swans Head Coach Ian Mitchell took to Twitter to praise the “superb development from everyone in the squad.”

BAD WEEK

The West London Wildcats swept the London Swans in Round 4, dishing out defeats for all three Swans sides. They included a 174-point mauling in the Men’s Premiership and the Raiders winning by 160 points in the Men’s Conference. 

One small crumb of comfort is that the Swans’ Women’s Conference side remain top of the table, despite losing 8.9.57 to 1.4.10 

Sometimes it happens, and for whatever reason you’re unable to field a team. That was the case for the Nottingham Scorpions who were due to take the field against the Merseyside Saints. However, for the Saints were awarded a walkover when it was clear the Scorpions weren’t going to be making the trip to Merseyside. 

The result means the Scorpions sit four points behind the Manchester Mosquitoes, with the Mozzies having a game in hand. The Scorpions’ next gameω Against the Mosquitoes. 

After an opening round against sides from the Welsh Australian Rules Football League, the South of England AFL got their first chance to take on one another in Portsmouth this weekend.

When the dust had settled, the Sussex Swans found themselves bottom of the ladder after 42 and 23-point losses to the Portsmouth Pirates and the Southampton Titans respectively. Their record moves to 1-4 and will have to refocus for the next round robin weekend in a fortnight.  ...

Riley Brettell from AFL Europe reports on their website www.afleurope.org of the announcement that London will be the host of the 2019 European Championships. 

AFL Europe is thrilled to now be able to confirm the details for 2019’s premier international 18-a-side tournament, to be held in London from the 9th-12th October. 

The three-day event will bring together international sides from around Europe for the continents feature triennial football showpiece, to be hosted by Great Britain in conjunction with the Wimbledon Hawks Football Club and AFL Europe. 

Great Britain Head Coach, Dean Thomas, says that the 2019 Championships shape to be the most keenly contested and anticipated footy event in Europe to date. 

“London is the hub of footy in Europe and a fantastic city to be entertained in, and the European Championships are a must do event for any nation that harbours ambitions of playing in and doing well at the International Cup in 2020,” Thomas said.

 “It is the benchmark competition for European nations outside of the International Cup, and with this advanced notice, we would hope and look forward to engaging with all eligible nations so that the best attendance is achieved,” 

Games will be hosted across two venues at Wimbledon Park, including the affectionately named home of the Hawks, ‘The Nest,’ with Thomas saying that all parties will be seeking to “provide a venue, setting and atmosphere that befits a competition such as the European Championships.”

“The playing surface at Wimbledon is the best footy surface in the UK, with the size of the grounds creating open spaces that allows fast moving, end to end footy that is enjoyable to watch,” he said. 

“I think all attending can expect a raucous atmosphere off field with plenty of on-field entertainment to match.” 

This announcement comes after last week’s confirmation that 2019’s showcase International 9-a-side event, the annual Euro Cup tournament, will be held in Norrtalje in Sweden. 

AFL Europe General Manager, Ryan Davey, said that it was “a great thrill to be able to confirm these dates and locations so early to give all of the national teams the best possible chance of attending both events in the one calendar year.” 

“As most know, hosting these events takes considerable time and effort and I applaud those who put their hand up to take on this responsibility. AFL Europe is confident both organising committees will do an exceptional job hosting these events,” Davey said.

“I would like to thank AFL Sweden and Team GB for their commitment to the growth of the game in Europe and indeed the events that they will now host. We are very excited to work alongside them to make these events a great success.” 

To view the original story, go to: http://www.afleurope.org/european-championships-2019-announcement/

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The Osaka Dingoes have proudly announced that they are hosting the IMPACT Invitational Cup on Saturday, 7 July 2018. The Cup is the first event that Osaka have invited overseas clubs to compete.

It will be held at the Canadian Academy in the Rokko Island, Kobe from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.

The Indonesian Volcanoes and the Singapore Wombats are coming to Japan for the big footy tournament.

After the international competition, they will be hosting a Sportsman's Night at proud sponsor, The Blarney Stone Shinsaibashi in Osaka between 7 pm and 10 pm. The post match event will be a big opportunity to see former AFL footballers including Rick Olarenshaw (former Essendon Premiership Player) and Chad Fletcher (former West Coast Eagles Premiership Player).

Cooper Pale Ale and VB will be available at the pub as well as great food including Aussie burgers.

Big thanks goes towards major sponsor, IMPACT Steel Fabrication & Maintenance, proud sponsor, The Blarney Stone Shinsaibashi and proud partner, the Canadian Academy.

Spectators are advised to purchase food and drinks in advance as there is no shop situated around the venue. Also no alcoholic beverages should be brought to the venue as it is a school premises.

For further details, please contact the Osaka Dingoes at osakadingoes@hotmail.com.

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Round 12 of the 2018 AFL Season kicks off tonight in Adelaide with Port Adelaide hosting Richmond. 

The full broadcast schedule for the round can be seen below.

In addition to the TV networks you can also subscribe to the Watch AFL service that will give you live access to all the matches and more (outside Australia only).

You can access that service by clicking on the link here or the Watch AFL promo shot on the left to register and by then paying the subscription fee.

Right now Watch AFL is offering a Mid-Season Pass a big discount on the regular season pass. This pass includes all AFL Premiership season matches, the Finals Series plus access to FOX FOOTY content.

 All times subject to change - please check with your local guides ...

Australian Football has again captured the attention of Canadian media in this excellent and enlightening story from Grace Kennedy at the North Delta Reporter in Vancouver. The work of Mike McFarlane and his dedicated team at North Delta has long been known within Australian footy circles, but more and more  their work is capturing the imagination of an ever-increasing public.

“The local league is perhaps the largest in North America, and holding strong.”

From a distance, the group of kids kicking a ball back and forth on the Gray Elementary field look like they are practicing soccer.

Walk a little closer, and you notice the ball is definitely not a soccer ball. It could be a rugby ball, with its oval shape and bright colour. Look across the field, and another group of athletes are in a star formation, practicing drills. They could be practicing football, passing the ball back and forth in a criss-cross formation.

But it isn’t. When they pass, they punch it like an underhand serve in volleyball, and when they run down the centre, they dribble it like a basketball on a grassy court. 

These hundred kids aren’t playing a made-up game on the school field. They are part of the largest league of junior Australian Football in North America, which runs from March to June each year: the North Delta Junior Australian Football League. 

Australian Football, also known as Aussie Rules or Footy, is a contact sport that combines aspects of soccer, rugby and football, along with skills found in basketball and volleyball. It’s fast-paced, which caught league founder Mike McFarlane’s interest when he was first introduced to it back in 1982. 

“It’s just so different,” McFarlane said about the sport. “There’s always some motion going on in it … It brought everything that I liked about sports in the same field all at once.”

McFarlane played Footy for much of his adult life, and eventually introduced it to his son’s Grade 5 class. That, it seems, was an auspicious moment for the future junior Footy league.

“I didn’t have much choice,” McFarlane said about the start of the league. “In September, a whole bunch of kids came to my door … and said, ‘We want you to start a league.’ And I said, ‘I don’t know how to do anything like that.’

“They looked at me, and honest to God the words out of their mouths were: ‘You’re an adult. Figure it out.’ And that was the beginning.” 

The league held its first season in 2003, just McFarlane’s son and some friends. But soon the unconventional sport grew, reaching 160 players at one point, although McFarlane said that was too much. 

“We found that with our limited coaches, we didn’t give the kids what we wanted to give them,” he explained. “We don’t want kids to come here and get lost in the shuffle.” 

Now, the league averages between 100 and 120 players, a manageable number for the coaches who have all grown up through the league. 

McFarlane’s daughter, Hanna, is one of them. She’s been playing since 2004, and has been a coach for the last six or seven years. 

“We really work on focusing on the skills and the playing, as opposed to the aggressive side or the contact side of Footy,” Hanna, 23, explained. That’s important because of the makeup of the Footy league. 

North Delta’s junior league is co-ed, bringing boys and girls together in three different age groups. During the weekly practice, the four U12 teams, the two U14 teams and the two U18 teams all play together. On the weekend games, they play against each other, making for a friendlier atmosphere, Hanna said. 

“In most sports, you never see the people you’re playing against until you’re on the field,” she said. “Here, everybody practices together.” 

“It makes it less of a competition and more of playing for fun and playing to learn the sport,” she continued. 

Of course, not all the players feel that way. 

“We’re all super competitive and have become friends with pretty much everyone here,” Jessica Sandberg, 16, said. She is a coach for the U12 teams, as well as a player on the U18 and women’s teams. 

“So when we play against each other, it kind of makes it more competitive I guess, because we know each other and are friends with each other.” 

The original story can be found at: https://www.northdeltareporter.com/sports/north-delta-australian-football-league-takes-unique-approach-to-sport/

Story and photo credits: grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.com

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Katie Nicholson from the www.afl.com.au website reports on the development of the game of Aussie Rules football in Ontario, Canada. It is another example of how positive the growth of the game is across Canada, following on from our recent article looking at junior growth across the country in Vancouver (See North Delta Australian Football League Takes Unique Approach To Sport). 

ALTHOUGH it may never compete with national sports ice hockey and lacrosse, Australian Football is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada. And a dedicated Australian is helping drive the growth. 

With multiple leagues across the country's provinces, thousands of experienced and new players alike – including women – are becoming involved in the game.  

The AFL Ontario League has clubs based in and around Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa. Founded in 1989, the league started with 10 men's clubs, and in 2010 introduced a women's competition. This year, division one of the men's competition has nine clubs, while the women's competition has expanded to five clubs with the addition of the Ottawa Swans.

 Most players in the AFL Ontario and other leagues across the country are eligible to represent Canada in competitions such as the AFL International Cup, which is held every three years. The Canadian women's team finished runner-up to Ireland in the 2017 tournament in Melbourne.

Last season, the Etobicoke Lady Roos – who had three players in the Canadian team that travelled to Australia – won their third consecutive Ontario women's premiership by overwhelming the Central Blues in a one-sided Grand Final, 19.20 (134) to nil. Massive wins are now the norm for the powerful Lady Roos, but it wasn't always the way.   

When they joined the competition in 2011, they struggled. But according to Madison Aramal, who has been with the team since day one, the players' hard work and commitment was now being rewarded. 

"People are putting in the work. You do it, not just for yourself to get better, but for your teammates," said Aramal, who played nine matches for the team last season. 

"If you don't come to practice, how do you know what your teammates are going to be likeω" 

Members of the Lady Roos rave about their Australian-born coach Greg Everett, who has turned the team around since taking the job three years ago.

With more than 40 years' experience playing and coaching footy, Everett knows what he is talking about. 

He started his playing career with Emerald Football Club in Melbourne's outer east in 1976, before moving to the south coast of New South Wales and playing for the Narooma Lions from 1983-89. 

Everett moved to England in 1991 and joined the West London Wildcats, helping run the club while also playing. 

In 1995, Everett made his way to Canada. He settled in Toronto – the largest city in the country by population – and played with the Toronto Broadview Hawks. In 1996, he transferred to the Toronto Rebels, and in 2003, helped establish the Etobicoke Kangaroos. 

When coaching players new to the game, Everett said he focused on fundamentals. 

"My philosophy for coaching women and men as far as the style of play doesn't change that dramatically. It's just that they need to be taught everything from scratch," he said. 

"They have no knowledge of the style of play, the way to play and how to read the play. They need to be taught the skills." 

Everett and his team recently completed pre-season training – held in the harsh Canadian winter – and started the 13-round competition with a thumping win over the Blues in a Grand Final re-match. 

The season started in late May and runs through to mid-September, with the Lady Roos hoping to make it four premierships on the trot.    

One of the goals Everett set at the start of pre-season was maintaining a strong list of players, an ongoing challenge for all AFL clubs in Canada.

Everett said he was keen to "continue to improve the players' skills, game knowledge, fitness".

"We want to play an exciting and attacking brand of football and win enough games to finish first or second and play finals," he said.

Despite the steady growth in local competitions, Everett said there were still plenty of misconceptions about Australian Football in Canada.

"A lot of people think it's Aussies playing over here. They don't realise the majority of the competition is made up of locals."

To view the original story from Katie Nicholson, go to: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-08/aussie-coach-driving-growth-in-canada

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