Croatian Josip Habljak has received a boost in his journey to play Australian Rules football at a semi-professional level with Sturt Football Club (Double Blues) in the SANFL in South Australia by being presented with Guernsey No 50.

Saturday 12th March, the SANFL 2016 Season Guide published by The Advertiser, (Adelaide and South Australia's major newspaper) has Josip listed with # 50 Guernsey for Sturt.

Possibly, unfortunately for Josip, Sturt has some more "tall timber" with AFL and SANFL experience listed. Namely Jack Osborn (205 cm 32 games) from the Crows and Kory Beard (195cm 102 games) whom Josip will have to battle against as first choice players. Josip does have one thing going for him in that there are 28 other players on the Sturt list with 0 matches 0 goals stats.

 I would expect Josip to play his first games in the "seconds" at Sturt. Sturt play Woodville/West Torrens Eagles first up on Monday 28th March and then after a bye round play Central District Bulldogs on Sunday 10th April. Although I'll be "barracking" for the Bulldogs I am still looking forward to seeing Josip front up for Sturt and wish him well. ...

Canada are the reigning women's footy International Champions, and they show it proudly in this new promo video released this week as they look to take the game further in their homeland. Make sure you watch it.

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From the AFL Europe website: www.afleurope.org

The 2nd Annual AFL Europe Champions League is taking place this Saturday in Amsterdam. Sportpark de Eendracht will be graced by 13 Men’s teams and 5 Women’s teams as they battle it out for the title of Champion of Europe.

The teams participating in this year’s tournament are:

MEN'S

WOMEN'S

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"Power Invests in China" Port Adelaide Power has this week signed its first Chinese born recruit, Team China captain Chen Shaoliang, 23, on an International Scholarship for the club's academy at Alberton, South Australia.

Chen Shaoliang arrived on Tuesday 15th March, to join the Port Adelaide Magpies (Port Adelaide Powers' reserves side that plays in the SANFL) and is expected to be selected to play in the next couple of months.

He joins Croatian International, Josip Habljak (at Sturt) in attempting to break in to footy at SANFL level in season 2016. Ultimately he hopes to become an AFL listed rookie. He expects to become a trailblazer in the untapped Chinese market while playing football in the SANFL and studying English at UniSA in Adelaide.

He is quoted as saying "Now that I'm here, China's Australian Rules footballers will look out for me on TV and search on the internet." "I'm not sure what I can achieve just yet. First, I need to get stronger, work on my skills and earn the trust of my team-mates. But I am very excited that I can follow my dream here at Port Adelaide."

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas said the club was looking beyond sponsorship deals and a long planned preseason game to more emphasis on game development and player recruitment.

"Until now, I've not seen our China strategy as a talent identification play" Thomas said, "But every time I go to China and see Chinese kids playing Australian Rules football with real enthusiasm and love of the game, I ask, 'why not'?"

From Chaozhou in South China, a forward with an impressive scoring record with Guangzhou Scorpions in the South China League (played at 12-a-side) and Guangdong AFL (played at 9-a-side), Chen Shaoliang said "From the first time I played footy I loved it .... it is more passionate, it has more team work and demands more skills than other sports." "I really do love it. And I do hope to one day play AFL. That would be unbelievable."

Just to become a regular player for the Port Magpies would be a huge boost for China's fledgling but growing Australian Rules football  leagues and competitions, to make it into the AFL it would be truly unbelievable and the value to international footy, immeasurable.

"GO! YOU CHINA DRAGON!"

More of this story and images at "The Advertiser" 
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Story and Photos: Darren Whitfield and AFL Asia. ...

After winning the inaugural AFL Europe Champions League title in Amsterdam in 2015, the West London Wildcats have returned to the city of that success to successfully defend their title and remain the only winners of the Champions League. The AFL London powerhouse showed again why they have been revered for many years as arguably the best Australian Rules football club in Europe.

Whilst one event is hardly conclusive proof, their record of success in winning eight flags back home in London since 2000, eight Brit Cups between 2002 and 2010 and now consecutive AFL Europe Champions League trophies makes it difficult to argue their place at the top of European clubs.

The Wildcats downed a brave Manchester Mozzies outfit from the AFLCNE in the final by thirty points. In the battle for third place, the Hamburg Dockers from the AFLG defeated the South Dublin Swans by 15 points.

In the women’s final, the GB Swans held on to defeat a valiant Swedish Ravens team by 13 points

Results (in game order) are below. Women’s matches are shown in italics.

Game 1 – South Dublin Swans 67 d Lazy Koalas (AFL Russia) 7

Game 2 – Sodermalm Blues (Sweden) 44 d Zagreb Dockers (Croatia) 24

Game 3 – GB Swans 26 d Swedish Ravens 21

Game 4 – GB Swans 23 d Wandsworth Demons 13

Game 5 – Sodermalm Blues 72 d Lazy Koalas 15

Game 6 – Odense Lionesses (Denmark) 27 d France 7

Game 7 – South Dublin Swans 29 d Zagreb 14

Game 8 – Zagreb Dockers 58 d Lazy Koalas 10

Game 9 – Zagreb Hawks 36 d Edinburgh Bloods 28

Game 10 – Manchester Mozzies 30 d Amsterdam Devils 26

Game 11 – West London Wildcats 63 d Odense Lions (Denmark) 28

Game 12 – Hamburg Dockers 41 d Zagreb Hawks 7

Game 13 – Manchester Mozzies 28 d North London Lions 19

Game 14 – South Dublin Swans 28 d Sodermalm Blues 26

Game 15 – Swedish Ravens 13 d Wandsworth Demons 6

Game 16 – West London Wildcats 39 d Paris Cockerels 22

Game 17 – France 10 d GB Swans 3

Game 18 – Amsterdam Devils 82 d North London Lions 7

Game 19 – Hamburg Dockers 47 d Edinburgh Bloods 12

Game 20 – Paris Cockerels 34 d Odense Lions 27

Game 21 – GB Swans 40 d Odense Lionesses 10

Game 22 – Wandsworth Demons 13 Drew France 13

Game 23 – Odense Lionesses 31 d Wandsworth Demons 0

Game 24 – Swedish Ravens 39 d France 13

Game 25 – Swedish Ravens 19 d Wandsworth Demons 2

Bottom 4 Playoffs (Men’s)

North London Lions 39 d Edinburgh Bloods 28

Zagreb Dockers 40 d Odense Lions 22

Middle 4 Playoffs (Men’s)

Amsterdam Devils 58 d Zagreb Hawks 13

Paris Cockerels 56 d Sodermalm Blues 33

Semi Finals (Men’s)

West London Wildcats 76 d South Dublin Swans 6

Manchster Mozzies 24 d Hamburg Dockers 20

3rd Place Playoff (Men’s)

Hamburg Dockers 38 d South Dublin Swans 23

Women’s Final

GB Swans 26 d Swedish Ravens 13

Men’s Final

West London Wildcats 43 d Manchester Mozzies 13

Standings (Men’s)

West London Wildcats

Manchester Mozzies

Hamburg Dockers

South Dublin Swans

Amsterdam Devils

Paris Cockerels

Sodermalm Blues

Zagreb Hawks

Zagreb Dockers

North London Lions

Edinburgh Bloods

Odense Lions

Lazy Koalas

Standing’s (Women’s)

GB Swans

Swedish Ravens

Odense Lionesses

France (Les Gauloises)

Wandsworth Demons

 Results and standings believed correct at time of publication, but corrections welcomed. ...

Article courtesy of South Dublin Swans and ARFLI

South Dublin Swans were the Irish representatives in the second running of the AFL Europe European Champions League held last Saturday March 19th. This very efficiently run tournament organised by AFL Europe and the Amsterdam Devils was held at the impressive Dutch national rugby centre in suburban Amsterdam.  The tournament has grown since last year with 13 men’s teams and 5 women’s teams participating. The calibre of the competition was high with teams being their league’s champions and each team also allowed four Australians on the pitch at any one time in this 9-a-side format. 

The Swans had the earliest start of the day at 10am in their four team group. First up was the Russian representatives, the Lazy Koalas on the show pitch in the facility. This was a good opener for the Swans to find their rhythm and they won comfortably by a margin of 62 to 7 in the 24 minute game. The next game was more difficult against the Zagreb Dockers who featured one of the strongest players playing in Europe, Tomislav Cvetko. Although Cvertko did some damage the Swans won again 24 to 14. The final group game turned into the pool decider for a place in the competition semi-finals. This was against the dominant team in Sweden, Sodermalm. This was a very close encounter with nothing between the teams and goals being traded back and forward. The Swans showed great determination to win this one by the slim margin of 28 to 26.

Having topped the group the Swans had the difficult task to playing reigning Champions League holders, the West London Wildcats in the semi-final. At this stage they had lost full back Peter Ross to injury and others were licking their wounds. Although the Swans opened well, scoring the first goal they could not match the impressive Wildcats who soon took control on the scoreboard and ran out comfortable winners 76 to 6. The Swans didn’t have long to think about that disappointing result as they then played the other beaten semi-finalists, the Hamburg Dockers in the third place playoff. This was a better performance from a tiring Swans team, but they just feel short of another win going down 38 to 23.

The West London Wildcats won the tournament for the second year in a row beating the Manchester Mosquitoes in the Grand Final 43 to 13. In the women’s tournament the GB Swans won the Grand Final beating the Swedish Ravens. Overall it was a great experience for the Swans and it was impressive to see the calibre of club teams from all over Europe. Swans small forward Kevin Brennan was the Swans best and fairest over the competition and got onto the team of the tournament.

Kevin Brennan with his Team of the Tournament jumper

 

Swans team

Original article can be found at http://www.arfli.com/2016/03/21/swans-fourth-at-european-champions-league/?platform=hootsuite ...

The 2016 AFL season kicks off tonight in Melbourne with Carlton and Richmond doing battle at the MCG. If you want to know when you can see the footy on TV in your part of the world, check out the schedule below.

As always schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the local broadcaster so please check local guides for updates.

In this terrific story from The Guardian, written by Jonathan Drennan in Behind The Lines, the remarkable journey of Englishman Sam Willatt from experimenting with Australian Rules football in England to lining up in a VFL team in Australia is chronicled. Sam’s journey hasn’t has the fanfare of many AFL Irish, Sudanese or American recruits, yet is no less remarkable.

The Brit Who Went From Aussie Rules Novice To The Verge Of An AFL Career 

Sam Willatt arrived in Melbourne in November after graduating from university. The 21-year-old from Peterborough slept on a friend’s sofa, managed to find part-time work as a lifeguard and also started training with an Australian Rules team after playing in England. That fairly well trodden path deviated radically after he was recruited into the Footscray Bulldogs VFL side, partnered to the AFL’s top flight Western Bulldogs side. In layman’s terms, this is the equivalent of an Australian playing Sunday League football in Melbourne, flying to London and getting picked up by West Ham’s reserves.

Four years ago Willatt arrived at Birmingham University in search of a new sport at freshers week. He had played football and rugby at school without distinguishing himself in either and wanted a change. A poster for the Australian Rules team caught his eye and he found himself on a rutted rugby field trying to get to grips with the game. “I fell in love with the sport instantly. It was this amazing range of so many things, a different range of skills and speed, but I really was terrible initially. I was just trying to survive in all honesty.”

The sport held his attention completely between lectures. He spoke to his friends about AFL being played half the world away and watched recorded games to build his knowledge. Willatt was captivated by the game and studied its intricacies in his university bedroom. He trained alone to build muscle and fitness, and progressed to the Great Britain squad that played an international competition in Melbourne in 2014. After a run of games against a variety of countries, he was noticed as one of the top amateur players outside Australia and realised that he could take the sport further.

An invite to a select European team to play the Australian Institute of Sport gave him a further indication of his progress. “You are playing these guys who have been kicking an Australian football since very early childhood and sometimes you are just marvelling at their skills, but equally, at times in the game, I realised that I could absolutely hold my own, and it gave me confidence that I could do well in this game if I really pushed myself.”

After achieving everything he could playing for Birmingham University, Willatt went in search of the best level of Australian Football within England and found it at Regent’s Park in London, where there has been a longstanding Aussie Rules league filled with skilled Australian expats and British enthusiasts. “I wanted to play the best Aussie Rules I could, so I went to the North London Lions, and commuted from my home in Peterborough. I worked as a lifeguard during the week and travelled to London for games. They gave me extra coaching and really looked after me. The standard was so much higher than what I was used to. You’re playing with some Australians who are exceptional and I was on a constant learning curve.”

After winning the AFL London Premiership with the North London Lions, Willatt boarded a plane to Melbourne. He had no team interested, simply a vague dream to play at the highest possible level and the promise of a friend’s sofa for as long as he needed it. Jet lagged and tired, Willatt opened his laptop in Melbourne and emailed every coach in the Victoria Football League. He told his story, writing about his insatiable desire to play in the AFL, and hoped that someone would reply. His email inbox stayed empty for days until he received a reply from Footscray Bulldogs coach Ashley Hansen.

To read the rest of this story, follow the link: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/behind-the-lines/2016/mar/25/aussie-rules-novice-university-western-bulldogs

Photo Credit: Peter Saxon/Yellow Dog Photography ...

The following article by Ben Lisson at the ABC News website explores the TAC Cup team the Western Jets and their desire to recognise the cultural diversity of the players coming through their ranks. The role of the AFL Multicultural Program is to promote the game of Australian Rules football within diverse communities across the nation, and to promote the opportunities for diverse cultural and ethnic groups to embrace the game. This story clearly shows one of the success stories, of many.

The cultural make-up of Australia's youth is changing, and the AFL wants to make the most of it.

Weeks out from the start of the AFL season, the league carved up the country for an academy zone system.

Its aim was simple: to provide an elite pathway for the best Indigenous and multi-cultural talent.

The Western Jets, in Altona North in Melbourne's west, already boasts a multi-cultural squad and are not surprised the AFL is zeroing in on the growing talent pool.

"We've been running a multicultural program now for probably the last eight years," Jets talent manager Shane Sexton said.

"We had Majak Daw, he was the first person to come through that program.

"I think everybody is going to get a surprise and I'm surprised how rapidly it's moving at the moment."

North Melbourne's Daw was the pioneer for the Sudanese community in the sport, but he has since been joined at the elite level by others from the African region.

"The ability that they've got, the athleticism that they have, they sort of take to our game really well, even though it's not a round ball," Sexton said.

Known as a distinctly Australian game, the growing participation rates among African and Asian youngsters has given clubs cause for optimism

"We're just touching the tip of the iceberg really with the diversity program, and with multicultural kids," Sexton said.

"What these academies mean ... is that we've got the AFL brand over this."

Young player credits football for change in attitude

Buku Khamis, 15, moved to Australia 10 years ago with his family from South Sudan.

He believes AFL paved the way for his successful integration into Australian society.

"Ever since [I started playing] I've enjoyed footy, making new friends and getting different experiences," he said.

"I was a bit of a smart kid and was causing trouble. But ever since I found football I stopped doing that and just became a better kid, a better person."

While the AFL's academy program is in its infancy, the Kangaroos will have some access to the Western Jets region in the years to come.

Stories like that of Khamis have been encouraging for North Melbourne chief executive, Carl Dilena.

"I think if we can harness some of that with football talent programs, it's a great opportunity for these young kids to get engaged in Australian society," Dilena said.

"Beyond pure football, just the social inclusion element is really important for these young men that come into Australian society to be able to blend in and to feel a part of society. Football is a perfect platform for that."

The code looks set for a distinctly different cultural make-up in years to come.

Original story at: http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-22/afl-embraces-diversity-with-new-academy-system/7267194

Photo: Western Jets footballer Buku Khamis from South Sudan. Credit: ABC News  ...

Croatian international Josip Habljak played his first game for Sturt in the SANFL on Easter Monday and following are his raw stats from that game. He played in the reserves team which lost to the West Torrens-Woodville Eagles 16-11 (107) to 7-7 (49).

Champion Data records he had 3 kicks, 5 effective handballs, for a total of 8 disposals and 1 contested mark. 3 contested possessions and 6 uncontested possessions, and he also had a hand in the ruck duties for his team with 7 hit-outs. Josip had only one free kick paid against him (one Sturt player had 6 frees against), but more importantly for Josip he also scored one goal and recorded one score assist.

In a losing side a player's raw stats can only tell us a very little about the player's contribution to the team. Comparing a player's stats with the team mates can tell us a little more. Josip's stats do not figure amongst what could be considered the best players but alternatively there were players in his side with less disposals and less possessions.

As the reserves games are not broadcast on TV or radio it is not possible for me (over 300kms from the game) to make any judgement on how he really went in the game, but to say looking at the stats he certainly has not anything to be "ashamed" of, and should be pretty satisfied with his first game at this level of footy when considering where he has come from. (all the other players have been playing footy since knee high to a grasshopper)

I think he has probably kept his place in the side for next match on Sunday 10th April against Central District Bulldogs, again at home (Peter Motley Oval). Sturt reserves have bye next weekend.

Full match stats can be found at
http://www.sanfl.com.au/league/reserves_stats/all game stats ...

The AFL’s US Combine is back in 2016 and back in LA. After the 2015 Combine was held at the IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida, the venue for previous Combines in Los Angeles will again host athletes from around the US. The Combine will be held in just under a month from April 24-27.

This year's video promoting the Combine to US athletes can be seen below and has been updated with clips of Combine graduates Jason Holmes (2015 AFL debut) at St Kilda and Mason Cox (2016 NAB Cup footage) at Collingwood.

The AFL will be hoping to unearth some more crossover talent and a number of clubs will be present to identify suitable recruits. We know the Gold Coast Suns are on the lookout for a big American so would expect them to be keen participants.

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