The VFL's Northern Blues today confirmed that American Alex Aurrichio has departed the club and joined Sydney University in the NEAFL.

The statement from the Blues said "Aurrichio arrived at the club at the end of the 2014 season from the New York Magpies, making great strides in his two years culminating in a leadership group position last year."

“Alex was such a popular player for two years, everyone really respected him and admired him for his efforts — he was a consummate team man. He goes with our blessing to Sydney University in the NEAFL… our loss is their gain,” Northern Blues GM Garry O’Sullivan said.

Aurrichio's ruck opportunities in the Northern Blues senior team dried up last year which may have been due in part to the arrival of fellow American Matt Korchek.  Korchek being an international rookie on AFL club Carlton's list, was seen to be likely to get priority over Aurrichio in that hierarchy.  Aurrichio though no doubt played a large hand in the development of Korchek.

Aurrichio also returned last October to play with the New York Magpies at the USAFL National Championships in Florida.

Aurrichio may be a Sydney resident for the 2016 season but will likely return to Melbourne in August again after he was named in the US Revolution's extended squad ahead of the 2017 AFL International Cup.  His inclusion would be a huge asset to the Revolution team. That is just speculation though at this time as the final squad will not be named until April. 

Sydney University's fixture has them playing on two of the International Cup's draft schedule match days (and the day before IC17 Round 1) so if he does play in IC17 there may be a clash there that will need to be negotiated. ...

A tropical low to the north-east of Darwin has seen the postponement of the remaining NTFL games scheduled for this weekend. Prior to the rain and cyclone warning, the Nightcliff Tigers 3 13 31 had defeated the Southern District Crocs 2 7 19 in very wet conditions. But the second semi-final between St Mary’s and Wanderers, as well as other divisions across the weekend will be rescheduled, throwing the NTFL finals series into disarray.

The AFLNT released the following statement in response to the warning of the potential cyclone.

TIO NTFL Games Postponed

AFL Northern Territory wishes to advise the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone warning and therefore the following games have been postponed:

TIO NTFL Men’s Premier League

St Mary’s v Wanderers (scheduled for 7pm Sat 4 March, TIO Stadium)

TIO NTFL Men’s Division Two

Banks v Waratah (scheduled for 6pm Sat 4 March, TIO Oval 2)

As this stage, TIO NTFL games scheduled for Sunday 12 March have also been marked as postponed while the cyclone warning remains in place.

AFLNT Executive will meet in due course to determine when the impacted games will be played. While the cyclone warning remains in place the games will be on-hold.

Whilst the low pressure system is yet to be classified as a cyclone, its direction is expected to bring strong winds and rain to Darwin and surrounding mainland and island communities across the next 24 hours. This will result in the matches remaining on hold until potential threats have passed.

With their victory today, Nightcliff remain in the flag race along with St Marys and Wanderers. St Mary’s are the reigning premiers whilst Wanderers won in 2014/15. These two teams have contested the last three grand finals. Nightcliff’s last sanctioned premiership was the 1964/5 season. They won again in 1974/75 but the result was not sanctioned by the NTFL due to Cyclone Tracy

  ...

The Icelandic capital city of Reykjavic will host the fledgling Arctic Cup later this month in a huge boost for footy in Iceland and a great opportunity for teams headed to the nation for the event. An Iceland team will compete against the visiting Baltimore-Washington Eagles from the USA, the Halifax Dockers from Nova Scotia in Canada, Port Malmo Maulers from Sweden and the South East London Giants from England.

Featuring men’s and women’s matches, the tournament will take place at the suburb of Fossvogur on Saturday 24th March. Competing teams will arrive in Reykjavic Friday and Sunday will be spent sightseeing and taking in as many charms as possible from around nearby sights. The carnival is a pre-season match for visiting teams, but also a kick-start for interest in the game in Iceland.

 The South East London Facebook page details the event:

We are pleased to confirm Iceland as the country for our 2017 Pre-Season trip.

We will be playing in a massive 9-a-side international tournament against Iceland as well as clubs from the USA (Baltimore Eagles) and Canada (Halifax Aussie Rules FC). The tournament will be for men's and women's teams.

Everyone from our club is invited to this trip, along with your partners who may want to play or just come along for the parties.

Also, new players who plan to join the Giants in 2017 are also strongly encouraged to attend.

The Baltimore-Washington Eagles see the tournament as a great experience for their club on many levels. According to board member and organiser, Ryan Cartwright, “the Arctic Cup is slated for the weekend of March 25th. Ten men and ten women from the USA will embark to Iceland to take on some their local clubs from Canada, Iceland, London, and Malmo Sweden. The women's will be a combined Baltimore-Washington, NY, and Boston team vs Southeast London.

The idea started with a friendly international match between the Baltimore Washington Eagles and Iceland which soon snowballed into a mini nine v nine tournament with five men's teams and two women's teams.

We expect cold and wind, but a fast tempo since the games will be much quicker with nine a side and a smaller field. We also expect to create some lifelong memories and friendships. Everyone is looking forward to experiencing the beautiful island of Iceland with a chance to see the northern lights and experience the blue lagoon.

The international exposure will be huge for our club as well as set a precedent for a USAFL club to venture outside of North America. Hopefully this is the start of an annual tournament and might open up ideas for future international tournaments between local club.”

It is sure to be a wonderful event, both from a football promotion and team building point of view. It is also a great chance for Icelandic footy to be promoted locally and hope that the game can build bigger again, especially if this event becomes a regular occurrence as is hoped.

Picture of Iceland flag: Pinterest ...

The Irish Banshees women’s team has had its initial list of selected players announced. More players will be added to the list in coming months, but for now the squad as it stands has been announced. Following is a release from the ARFLI Facebook page detailing selections to date.

The management and coaching staff of the Banshees are delighted to announce the updated list of Irish and U.K. based players who have earned their seats on the plane to Melbourne for IC17. 

 Congratulations to the following:-

Carolann Cassidy (Ulster Kookaburras)

Linda Connolly (Wandsworth Demons)

Molly Cullen (Dublin Angels)

Laura Flannery (Dublin Angels)

Aisling Gillespie (Ulster Kookaburras)

Aine Higgins (Dublin Angels)

Emma Kelly (Ulster Kookaburras)

Olivia McCann (Ulster Kookaburras)

Roisin McFadden (Ulster Kookaburras)

Rachael McGee (Ulster Kookaburras)

Onóra Mulcahy (Wandsworth Demons)

Sarah O'Donovan (U.C.C. Crusaders)

Fiona Roarty (Ulster Kookaburras)

Leona Russell (Ulster Kookaburras)

Ladies - well deserved on being selected but the hard work continues from now until August.

The next batch of players will be named following the upcoming Leprechaun Cup and the London Footy Festival.

Details of future selections will be updated as they are announced by ARFLI. In the meantime, updates can be found for the Irish teams competing at the IC17 tournament in Melbourne in August at their website – www.arfli.com or on their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/irishfooty   

  ...

The following story originally appeared on Frederick's Blog and the original article can be found here.

The smallest island nation in the world, Nauru has a notable and sizable presence in the international Aussie rules community. With 680 registered junior and senior players out of a population of roughly 10,000, Nauru has the highest participation rate of any country in the world (30-35%).

That’s pretty impressive for a nation that is less than a century old and covers less than 10 square miles.

Nauru is a tiny phosphate rock island in the central Pacific, located just south of the Equator in the vicinity of several archipelago-nations, including the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati.

The indigenous Nauruan culture features both Micronesian and Polynesian influences. After being liberated from Japanese control by Australian naval forces in 1945, a joint trustee partnership among the UK, Australia, and New Zealand helped administer Nauru in the post-war years. Nauru permanently became independent in January 1968. Its isolated location and lack of natural resources notwithstanding, the country has long been considered a major magnet for phosphate strip mining.

Despite its young and humble history, the country of Nauru is passionate about footy, which was first played on the island in the 1930s and is currently administrated by the Nauru Australian Football Association (NAFA) under the auspices of AFL Nauru. The country’s only major stadium, Linkbelt Oval, hosts footy matches annually, and the NAFA Grand Final is a major annual event on the island, regularly drawing crowds of 3,000. In addition to weightlifting, Aussie rules is considered the national sport of Nauru.

Nauruans have played footy dating back to the pre-WWII era, when a large number of Nauruan children attended schools in the football-crazy Australian cities of Geelong and Melbourne. Even Hammer DeRoburt, the first president of Nauru (1968-1976), had a footy background from his days as a student and teacher at the Gordon Institute of Technology in Geelong.

The Nauruan national footy team is known as the Chiefs, and they have participated in numerous international tournaments, including the Australia-based Arafura Games in 1995 and 2001. The Chiefs have also competed in the triennial Australian Football International Cup, placing four different times, including a fifth-place finish in 2005.

Nauru also competed in the Web Sports Cup in both 2000 and 2001. The Chiefs won two notable matches both times, including one against a Queensland team from the Gold Coast, and another against the team from Samoa. In 2003, Nauru’s junior team got a chance to play in the Barassi International Youth Football Tournament; they fought hard, but suffered defeats to teams from both the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. Other young footy players have had chances to represent Nauru at tournaments like the Oceania Cup and the NAB Under-16 Championships.

Today, Nauruan footy, as represented by the NAFA, has a dozen teams in two separate divisions, representing nearly every local district in the country. While the NAFA is formally recognized as an international partner by the AFL, the league also receives sponsorship and funding from Nauru Airlines, local banks, phone companies, and hotels.

• Yoshi Harris (played 2012-present) – Harris was a Nauru native who was selected in 2011 on an international scholarship for Greater Western Sydney. A 6’0″ halfback/wing player, he played a few games in 2012 for GWS’s reserves squad, as well as in the AFL Sydney competition. In 2014, he represented Nauru at the International Cup.

• Senior League
  • Aces
  • Blues
  • Boe Lions
  • Menaida Tigers
  • Panzer Saints
  • Supercats
  • Ubenited Power
• Junior League
  • Esso
  • Frigates
  • Meneng Eagles
  • Ubenited Power
  • Yaren Magpies
...

Thanks to AFL Nauru for Round 1 details.

The 2017 Senior competition kicked off with 3 games. The Hon. Minister for Sports attended the opening and tossed the coin to launch the first game. The Opening round was sponsored by Capelle & Partners and Australian Aid.

Bulldogs vs Kangaroos
The first was the Grand Final replay between the Bulldogs and the Kangaroos. After a tight first quarter, the Bulldogs stepped up a gear in the 2nd and 3rd quarters with their star players in Niga Haulangi, Patrick Agadio, Deiri Cook and Nanitten Temaki leading the charge. Donatello Moses was lively up forward but it was Jose Uepa who normally play defence who was unstoppable in the forward line bagging a personal best of 6 goals. For the Roos, Mikey Hiram won plenty of the ball and he was supported by Jarmen Pole and Charles Dagiaro.

The dangerous Bronco Deidenang was their only shining light up forward kicking 7 goals. Recruit Skaga Dowabobo also performed well and held his own against Bulldogs ruckman Lennox Agege. In the end, the Dogs had more options and more winners across the ground running out comfortable winners by 38 points.

Magpies vs Cats
The 2nd game between the Magpies and the Cats was a keenly contested game, with the Magpies eager to erase the horror season last year. The super competitive Cats looked gone at stages of the game but they kept coming back and only trailed by 4 points heading into the last quarter. However in the last the Magpies steadied and with their twin towers in Yoshi Harris and Richmond Spanner playing up forward in the last quarter they outgunned the Cats to win by 20 points.

No 1 draft pick Richmond Spanner proved his worth playing a pivotal role in the ruck and up forward kicking 5 goals in an outstanding game. Yoshi Harris was equally dangerous bagging also 5 goals for the Pies. For the Cats young recruit Sheik Daoe was sensational in his first game. He took several contested marks and could have kicked a bag of goals if he had been more accurate. Shawn Kemp Maaki and Pilo Dagiaro also played well along with veteran Cat Trent Depaune. For the Pies, Odrae Stephen and Teolime Kamtaura played well in defence, with senior players Mal Batsiua, Bagewa Detudamo and Dave Mwaredaga picking up many possessions around the ground.

Bombers vs Hawks
The final game between the Bombers and Hawks was tipped to be a close game and it didn’t disappoint. In a high scoring affair, the Bombers looked home and hosed leading by 45 points heading into the last quarter. But the high flying hawks soared in the last quarter as they kicked 8 goals to hit the front in the last minute. In the dying seconds the Bombers Daniel Daniel won a crucial down the field free kick. The final siren went and Daniel had to kick truly to win the game. He did and the Bombers won by 5 points, with a kick after the siren.

For the Bombers Kingston Ika, Kaison Tatum, German Grundler and Johnny Dagiaro were amongst their best, while star recruit Khyde Menke was a dangerous target for them up forward kicking 4 goals. For the gallant Hawks the strong marking forwards in Jamie Tagamoun and Cazaly Jeremiah were a handful for the Bombers defence kicking 9 goals between them. Promising young talent Zillman Gioura showed glimpses of his potential kicking 2 great goals for his team. The last quarter charge by the Hawks was led by their hard runners in Jeremiah Kam, Darnel Diema, Ishmael Fritz and Maverick Batsiua. Recruit Abwit Aliklik was also prominent in winning crucial contests when the game was in the balance. They charged hard and came close to snatching a very unlikely win, but the lucky Bombers just got there in a memorable contest.

BULLDOGS  3.5 9.9 14.9 17.14 (116)
KANGAROOS 2.3 4.4 7.7  11.12.(78)

GOALS
Bulldogs: Jose Uepa 6, Donatello Moses 3, Deiri Cook 2, Jarlik Agir, Nanitten Temaki, Aykers Daniel, Patrick Agadio, Baia Aubia, Niga Haulangi
Kangaroos: Bronco Deidenang 7, Charles Dagiaro, Bronson Kepae, Charmoro Ribauw, Albert Adam
BEST
Kangaroos: Mikey Hiram, Bronco Deidenang, Skaga Dowabobo, Jarmen Pole, Vincent Deireragea, Charmoro Ribauw
Bulldogs: Jose Uepa, Niga Haulangi, Devine Agir, Nanitten Temaki, Donatello Moses, Lennox Agege
INJURIES – Nil REPORTS – Nil
Umpires: Nicholas & Jezza

MAGPIES 3.1 7.1 10.4 15. 6 (96)
CATS    3.3 6.4 9.6  11.10.(76)

GOALS
Magpies: Yoshi Harris 5, Richmond Spanner 5, Aaron Canon, Jayco Ageidu, Bagewa Detudamo, Mallinson Batsiua, Daiga Deireragea
Cats: Shawn Kemp Maaki 3, George Dowiyogo 3, Sheik Daoe 2, Jerome Deidenang, Hess Tekai Fiolape Kapeson Dowiyogo
BEST
Magpies: Yoshi Harris, Mallinson Batsiua, Richmond Spanner, Dave Mwaredaga, Teolime Kamtaura, Bagewa Detudamo
Cats: Trent Depaune, Shawn Kemp Maaki, Sheik Daoe, Greigor Uera, Robin Temitsi, Pilo Dagiaro
INJURIES – Greigor Uera (ankle) REPORTS – Nil
Umpires: Vaiuli & Rudeen

BOMBERS 6.1 12.3 16.4 18.5 (113)
HAWKS   5.0 7.1   9.1 17.6 (108)

GOALS
Bombers: Khyde Menke 4, Villi Kesa Jeremiah 3, Chris Akibwib 3, Bremoki Maaki, Dijay Grundler, Donia Deidenang, Robroy Grundler, Tipung Kamtaura, Kaison Tatum, Kingston Ika, Daniel Daniel
Hawks: Jamie Tagamoun 5, Cazaly Jeremiah 4, Zillman Gioura 2, Darnel Diema 2, Renack Mau, Zackeanu Deidenang, Kudaman Namaduk, Zenos Hiram
BEST
Bombers: Kingston Ika, German Grundler, Kaison Tatum, Khyde Menke, Johnny Dagiaro, Mick Vorbach
Hawks: Jeremiah Kam, Darnel Diema, Jencke Jeremiah, Ishmael Fritz, Abwit Aliklik, Mav Batsiua
INJURIES – Nil REPORTS – Nil
Umpires: Jezza & Nicholas

LEADING GOALKICKERS                          (Round 1)                    Total
Bronco Deidenang (Kangaroos)                    7                                7
Jose Uepa (Bulldogs)                            6                                6
Yoshi Harris (Magpies)                          5                                5
Richmond Spanner (Magpies)                      5                                5
Jamie Tagamoun (Hawks)                          5                                5
Cazaly Jeremiah (Hawks)                         4                                4

Khyde Menke (Bombers)                           4                                4
Donatello Moses (Bulldogs)                      3                                3
George Dowiyogo (Cats)                          3                                3
Shawn Kemp Maaki (Cats)                         3                                3
Vili Kesa Jeremiah (Bombers)                    3                                3
Chris Akibwib (Bombers)                         3                                3

LADDER AFTER ROUND 1

NEXTWEEK

SPONSORS OF AFL NAURU 2017 SEASON

  ...

The following story originally appeared on Frederick's Blog and the original article can be found here.

When you think of sports in New Zealand, your mind generally goes to rugby union. The All-Blacks, the country’s national team, are the winningest team in any sport anywhere in the world. But Australia’s Oceanic neighbor is home to a small-but-growing community of Aussie rules footballers.

Footy was introduced to New Zealand in 1868, but the majority of the original clubs were eventually pressured or convinced into switching to soccer or rugby rules. Aussie rules was not seen as a sport that had staying power among Kiwis, and the game didn’t catch on for many decades.

In the 1910s, a sizable wave of Aussie immigrants began arriving in New Zealand, particularly in Christchurch (the largest city in the South Island). In 1903, several Melbourne natives formed the New Zealand Association of Australian Football, with four clubs competing. In the larger cities of Wellington and Auckland, some other small regional leagues were formed, and the country was able to send two representatives to the Australasian Football Council in 1905. However, when World War I broke out, the Kiwi leagues dissolved and footy was largely a dead sport for the next 50 years.

In 1974, the leagues in the aforementioned New Zealand cities began forming an organized competition again, and the sport began experiencing small-but-steady growth throughout the 70s and 80s. In 1995, the New Zealand Falcons were born as the national footy team.

In 1995, 1997, and 1999, footy-playing Kiwis were able to play at the international level for the first time, competing in the Arafura Games, a biennial multi-sport event held in the Australian city of Darwin. All three years, the Kiwis finished as runners-up to Papua New Guinea.

A couple of years later, the AFL officially incorporated their New Zealand competition and have since hosted several AFL preseason exhibition matches. In 2013, New Zealand became the first country outside of Australia to host a regular-season AFL game. The St Kilda Saints took on the Sydney Swans at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, in front of over 23,000 fans.

The Saints have arranged an agreement that allows them to play a game every ANZAC Day (April 25th) at Westpac Stadium until 2017.

The New Zealand AFL currently has only 600 registered players, but there has been tremendous growth in the participation rate among schoolkids, and there are over 35,000 players nationwide as of 2016.

KIWIS IN THE AFL

•Ben Rutten (played 2003-2014) – A noted key defender, Rutten is an Adelaide native whose mother was a Kiwi. He played in 229 career games, all with his hometown Adelaide Crows, earning All-Australian honors in 2005.
 

•Paul Bower (played 2006-2012) – Defender who was drafted #20 overall by Carlton and played there for his entire AFL career. Currently plays with the Heidelberg Football Club in the Northern Football League. He is of Maori descent and sports numerous tribal tattoos reflecting his heritage.
 

•Shane Savage (played 2009-present) – Born in New Zealand and moved to the Melbourne region as a kid. Was an AFL Rising Star nominee during the 2011 season and currently plays for St Kilda.
 

•Jarrad Jansen (played 2014-present) – A 6’3″ midfielder who was born in New Zealand, but grew up in metropolitan Perth. Jansen was drafted by Geelong but never played for them in two seasons, getting traded to the Brisbane Lions last year, when he played in seven games.
 

•Danny Dickfos (played 1996-1999) – Kiwi native who spent most of his formative years in Queensland. Played three seasons with the Brisbane Lions and one with their predecessors, the Brisbane Bears. Retired from the AFL in 2000 and returned to his old team in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL).
 

•Adam Campbell (played 2006-2009) – Born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand and played rugby union as a junior before moving to Victoria, Australia at age 16. Played forward with the Fremantle Dockers, but his career was marked by injuries.
 

•Trent Croad (played 1998-2010) – Born in New Zealand and emigrated to metropolitan Melbourne as a boy. Six-time All-Australian who played for Fremantle and had two separate stints at Hawthorn (1998-2001 and 2004-2010).
 

•Donald Dickie (played 1997-2000) – Native Kiwi who moved to Adelaide as a kid; played wing for Port Adelaide and was a fan favorite, playing 55 career games. Currently coaches in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
 

•Aaron Edwards (played 2003-2014) – Born in Samoa to a Kiwi father and a Samoan mother. Moved to Australia at the age of two, playing soccer and rugby union before picking up footy at age 13. Played with North Melbourne, West Coast, and Richmond.
 

•Karmichael Hunt (played 2011-2014) – Auckland native who played 44 career games with the Gold Coast Suns. Father is Samoan and mother is Kiwi. Also competed in the National Rugby League with the Brisbane Broncos (2004-2009) and is currently on the Queensland Reds rugby union team.
 

•Daniel McAlister (played 1997, 2001-2002) – Ethnic Maori from Taranaki Region, New Zealand. He moved to Tasmania at age 12 and played in six career games over three seasons with the Essendon Bombers.
 

•Kurt Heatherley (played 2014-present) – Originally from Tauranga in the North Island of New Zealand, Heatherley relocated to Melbourne as a teenager to attend Caulfield Grammar School. Heatherley got involved with high-level footy competitions while finishing school and began drawing attention from the AFL. A key defender, he was selected by the Hawthorn Hawks in the 2014 rookie draft.
 

•Brent Renouf (played 2008-2014) – Kiwi native who moved to Gold Coast as a kid and took up footy with the Southport Sharks in the Queensland Australian Football League. Played four seasons with Hawthorn and three with Port Adelaide.
 

•Dustin Martin (played 2010-present) – A popular utility player for the Richmond Tigers, Martin’s father is Maori and his mother is Australian. He grew up in the rural Victorian town of Castlemaine and was the #3 overall pick by Richmond in 2009.
 

•Aaron Edwards (played 2003-2014) – Edwards grew up in Melbourne as the son of a Samoan mother and a Kiwi father. He played rugby union until the age of 13. After originally being drafted by West Coast, Edwards emerged as a high-scoring forward during six seasons with the North Melbourne Kangaroos. He finished his career with Richmond.
 

•Greg Broughton (played 2009-2015) – Broughton, who is of partial Maori descent, grew up in Western Australia. He played four seasons with the Fremantle Dockers before moving to the Gold Coast Suns in 2013. A midfielder, Broughton played 110 career games before retiring in 2015.
 

•Wayne Schwass (played 1988-2002) – Two-time best and fairest winner with North Melbourne who also spent five years with the Sydney Swans. He is of Maori descent and emigrated with his family to Victoria at age 10. Currently works as an AFL commentator.
 

•Nathan Van Berlo (played 2005-2016) – Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia to Kiwi parents. Played his entire career with the Adelaide Crows.
 

•Max Gawn (played 2010-present) – Gawn was raised primarily in Melbourne, born to parents who hailed from the South Island of New Zealand. Considered one of the best ruckmen in the game, Gawn has played his entire career for the Melbourne Demons. In addition to his footy prowess, Gawn also played basketball and rugby union as a teenager.

LEAGUES

•Auckland Australian Football League •Manurewa Raiders
•North Shore Tigers
•University of Auckland Blues
•Mt Roskill Saints
•Takapuna Eagles
•Waitakere Magpies

•Canterbury Australian Football League •Christchurch Bulldogs
•Eastern Blues
•University Cougars
•Mid-Canterbury Eagles

•Waikato Australian Football League •Tuis
•Mavericks
•Redbacks

•Wellington Australian Football League •North City Demons
•Hutt Valley Eagles
•Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
•Wellington City Saints ...

The AFL has tapped Chris Hemsworth to star in the new “I’d like To See That” television commercial, which premiered at the 2017 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Launch event in Melbourne last night. 

In the commercial, Hemsworth talks about the romance of the underdog, the physicality of the game, the characters – including Marcus “the Bont” Bontempelli – and the passion that is Australian Football.

The campaign has been revived to appeal to both new and traditional fans of AFL.

AFL Head of Marketing Julian Dunne said that the broader AFL marketing campaign highlights what makes the game unique and spectacular, the live experience, the incredible skills of the players and the passion of the fans.

“The Western Bulldogs premiership win is one of the great sporting stories, and with Chris being such a huge Bulldogs fan, he was a natural fit. 

“He was really passionate about the campaign and involved through the whole process, including the idea and the script. He was brilliant to work with and we were thrilled that he wanted to be involved,” he said.

The TV commercial was created in collaboration with creative agency Cummins and Partners,and will be shown across the AFL’s social media platforms, Channel 7 and Foxtel.

The “I’d Like To See That Campaign” will extend beyond the TV commercial and throughout the season via a series of content pieces. Developed in conjunction with each AFL Club and to be shown across their Facebook pages, the content pieces will feature some of Australia’s highest profile comedians such as Wil Anderson, Lehmo, Cal Wilson and Joel Creasey.

“Extending the campaign throughout the season allows for fans to take ownership and tell us what they’d like to see this year, it will be no doubt fast become part of the AFL footy vernacular,” Mr Dunne said.

Fans will see players showcased across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne in the coming weeks in large format outdoor billboards featuring Bontempelli, Josh Kennedy (Swans), Josh Kennedy (West Coast) and Jeremy Cameron. ...

For the first time in the history of the International Cup, the AFLG are this year sending the German men's national team Down Under to compete for glory.

Footy has had a toehold in Germany since the Frankfurt Redbacks and Munich Kangaroos formed in the 1990s, and the domestic scene has grown over the past 20 years to also involve clubs in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Freiberg and Dresden, with some clubs also running local metro leagues.

However, until now the Germans only competed at European-based tournaments.

This is set to change in August, with the Eagles naming their initial 23-man squad, with another 5-7 players to be added in the coming weeks.

The initial squad is as follows:

Frankfurt Redbacks: Constantin Pixa, Martin Krichler

Berlin Crocodiles: Felix Grob

Munich Kangaroos: Sebastian Esche, Johannes Binninger, Jan Hüsken, Robert Macher, Ruben Streicher

Hamburg Dockers: Fabian Cordts, Lucca Gilliard, Florian Naumann, Johannes Sartory

Rheinland Lions: Philip Evermann, Jascha Jung, Jan Korfmacher, Tobias Menzel, Roland Odenthal, Johannes Orlowski, Henrik van de Stay, Julian Wichmann

Stuttgart Emus: Jakob Jung, Gerrit Jung, Martin Schüt ...

The following story originally appeared on Frederick's Blog and the original article can be found here.

The growth of Aussie rules football in the US has been a slow, steady, but satisfying journey. The United States Australian Football League (USAFL) was originally established in 1996 and is currently based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Americans and Australian ex-patriates alike have been able to get the word out about the historic game, and the excitement of footy is finally coming to American shores on a large scale.

In the 1960s, the Victorian Football League (VFL) tried to expand its international audience by promoting what they called the Australian Football World Tour in 1967 and 1968. It was initially conceived as a way to develop international rules football – a hybrid sport featuring representatives from both Aussie rules football and Gaelic football – but also became a way for international audiences to see various elements of footy up close and personal. Games were played in Dublin, London, and New York City, but the tour was discontinued after 1968.

The VFL (now the AFL) also tried to play various preseason exhibition matches overseas in American cities  – such as Portland and San Francisco – as well as two consecutive games held in Miami in 1988 and 1989. Most recently, the Sydney Swans battled the North Melbourne Kangaroos in a 2006 preseason game held at the UCLA intramural fields.

As far as a US-based league goes, the USAFL was founded in 1996 and incorporated as a formal competition the following year. Many of the American players had developed a passion for footy during the 80s, when VFL/AFL matches were televised on the then-fledgling ESPN network. Some of the original footy clubs in the first two seasons were the Cincinnati Dockers, the Louisville Kings, the Nashville Kangaroos, the Boston Demons, the North Carolina Tigers, the San Diego Lions, and the St. Louis Blues.

The USAFL has gained some passionate champions in Australia. Some of the current USAFL ambassadors include such big names as former Brisbane Lions superstar Michael Voss, AFL Hall of Famer Leigh Matthews (former Brisbane and Collingwood coach), and Hawthorn icon Robert DiPierdomenico. These men, in particular, have helped the USAFL gain international credibility as a top-level footy league and as an avenue to help establish and develop the sport in the States.

Currently, the USAFL is divided into three separate regional leagues, which all have their own tournament during the summer season. In all, the USAFL has 37 men’s teams and 13 women’s teams. The USAFL Nationals tournament is held annually in October, with the location changing each year (the 2017 edition will be in San Diego).

The best American footy players get a chance to participate in the triennial Australian Football International Cup and (in alternate years) the 49th Parallel Cup, which pits the American team against the Canadian team.

The Revolution (men) and the Freedom (women) are the names of the International Cup teams. The Revolution have competed in every International Cup since 2002, with their best finish coming in 2011, when they received fourth-place honors. The Freedom joined the party in 2011 and 2014, finishing in third place both years.

As of today, there are 2,000 registered footy players in the US, with many more on the way. The AFL has conducted more tours of the States in recent years, including combines in many major cities, and are working to place more development officers throughout North America.

AMERICANS IN THE AFL

• Sanford Wheeler (played 1989-1994) – Born in California to an African-American mother and an Australian father, Wheeler moved to Parramatta (a western suburb of Sydney) at age six. He first picked up footy as a teenager before getting drafted by the Sydney Swans as a defender. Unfortunately, Wheeler played for Sydney during some of their worst seasons as a club and was de-listed by coach Ron Barassi in 1994.
• Jason Holmes (played 2015-present) – Originally from Chicago, Holmes played college basketball at Morehead State University and was signed as an international rookie by the St Kilda Football Club in October 2013. After spending time with the VFL’s Sandringham Dragons, Holmes made his AFL debut in 2015 as the first born-and-raised American to ever play in the league.
• Dwayne Armstrong (played 1996) – Armstrong, a former American football player for Iowa State University, attempted to transition to Aussie rules with the Essendon Bombers. While he never made a start in any AFL games, Armstrong gave a solid effort at lower levels of competition, both with Essendon’s VFL squad and also with Wanderers Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League.
• Mason Cox (played 2016-present) – A former walk-on basketball player for Oklahoma State University, Cox is the tallest player in AFL history, standing at an imposing 6’11”. After being spotted by AFL scouts in the States, the ruckman showed plenty of raw talent when he landed in Australia, starring for the Collingwood Magpies’ VFL reserve team in 2015. Cox made his AFL debut in 2016 during the annual ANZAC Day clash (Collingwood vs. Essendon) and kicked the game’s opening goal.
• Seamus McNamara (played 2010-2012) – McNamara played basketball for Marist College before switching to Aussie rules in 2010, signing an international scholarship with Collingwood. McNamara played a handful of preseason games for the Magpies before being delisted in 2012. He stayed in Australia and ended up going back to a basketball career.

UNITED STATES AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

• Central Region
  • Austin Crows
  • Baton Rouge Tigers
  • Chicago Swans
  • Cincinnati Dockers
  • Cleveland Cannons
  • Columbus Jackaroos
  • Dallas Magpies
  • Des Moines Roosters
  • Houston Lonestars
  • Indianapolis Giants
  • Kansas City Power
  • Louisville Kings
  • Little Rock Coyotes
  • Milwaukee Bombers
  • Minnesota Freeze
  • Nashville Kangaroos
  • North Star Blue Ox
  • Oklahoma City Flyers
  • St. Louis Blues
  • Tulsa Buffaloes
• Western Region
  • Arizona Hawks
  • Denver Bulldogs
  • Golden Gate Roos
  • Las Vegas Gamblers
  • Los Angeles Dragons
  • Orange County Bombers
  • Portland Steelheads
  • Sacramento Suns
  • San Diego Lions
  • Seattle Grizzlies
• Eastern Region
  • Atlanta Kookaburras
  • Baltimore-Washington Eagles
  • Boston Demons
  • Fort Lauderdale Fighing Squids
  • New York Magpies
  • North Carolina Tigers
  • Philadelphia Hawks
  • Tampa Bay Starfish

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