The National Diversity Championships kicks off this weekend in Sydney, comprising both the Kickstart Championship for indigenous U15 players and the All Nations Championship for multicultural heritage players. World Footy News will be at the event all week, reporting on many facets of this event with progress updates, interviews and informative articles.

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The AFL wishes to advise the annual Under 15 AFL National Male Diversity Championships will begin this Saturday April 8 at Blacktown International Sports Park in Blacktown, the traditional land of the Darug people.

Currently in its fourth year, the AFL National Male Diversity Championships has been developed to provide a supported talented player pathway that compliments the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships and exposes Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural players, coaches, umpires, doctors, and trainers to an elite AFL Program environment.

 Supported by Australia Post and Rio Tinto, the Championships will feature over 300 young Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural AFL players across 13 teams representing all States and Territories. 

Games will be officiated by twelve umpires who represent the National Diversity Umpiring Academy, selected from state academies based on high performance while coaches leading the squads are members of the Diversity Coaching Academy 

AFL General Manager Game Development, Andrew Dillon, said the Championships is an exciting event, combining the Kickstart and All Nations carnivals and providing the AFL with another opportunity not only to highlight Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural footballers but also to showcase the diverse talent from across the country. 

“The National Diversity Championships are a key component of the AFL’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural strategy and we are proud to see the Championships continue to grow each year,” Mr Dillon said. 

“AFL club recruiters will again attend the Championships, offering our players the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the best talent scouts in the game. 

“The week isn’t only about the players, we also provide an upskilling opportunity for our umpires and coaches through a series of education sessions. 

“The Diversity Academies are one of a number initiatives to provide pathway opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to embrace umpiring and coaching and hopefully either reach the elite level one day or umpire or coach at State or community football levels. 

“We look forward to visiting Blacktown for what promises to be another exciting Championships and we thank the Blacktown City Council for their support of our programs,” Mr Dillon said. 

The Championships will form the basis for selection to compete in the Boomerangs and World Teams at the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships. 

The selection panel features the following AFL and AFL club personnel; Shaun Hart (Port Adelaide), Barry Prendergast (North Melbourne), Ashley Drake (Brisbane Lions), Jarrod Meers (Adelaide Crows), Mathew Stokes (AFL).

All media are invited to attend the opening ceremony at Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill on Saturday April 8, commencing at 6.30pm local time. AFL Head of Multicultural & Indigenous Partnerships & Programs, Ali Fahour, will be available for interview at the Opening Ceremony. 

Rio Tinto is the principal partner to all of the AFL’s Indigenous Programs while Australia Post is the principal partner to all of the AFL’s Multicultural Programs. 

The Blacktown City Council is proud to support the 2017 AFL National Male Diversity Championships. ...

Round 3 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Sydney tonight where the Sydney Swans host Collingwood at the SCG.

The full international broadcast schedule 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 banner below and paying the subscription fee.

The AFL today announced the venues for the Grand Final's for both the men's and women's divisions at the 2017 AFL International Cup to be held in Melbourne from August 5th.

The previous men's final was played at the MCG in 2014 with PNG defeating Ireland. The women's final was played earlier that day with Canada defeating Ireland at Punt Road oval. Details of competing nations and schedules are still being finalised and should be known in the coming weeks.

The full announcement follows.

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

2017 AFL International Cup Grand Finals venues confirmed

The AFL confirmed today that the 2017 AFL International Cup men’s and women’s grand finals will be played as curtain-raisers to Round 22 AFL matches.

The men’s grand final will be played prior to the Collingwood-Geelong Cats match at the MCG while the women’s grand final will be prior to the Carlton-Hawthorn match at Etihad Stadium.

AFL Head of Community & International Development Grant Williams said playing both grand finals at AFL venues would give greater exposure to the competition.

“We are so pleased to have secured both the MCG and Etihad Stadium to conclude this year’s International Cup,” he said.

“Planning is in full-swing at AFL House and amongst the international football community.

“We anticipate the fixtures will be released in early July.”

The AFL also revealed the IC17 artwork today on the competition website (aflic17.com.au), Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Also see below.

The sixth International Cup will be held in Melbourne from Saturday August 5 to Saturday August 19, 2017. The carnival will include both men’s and women’s competitions.

The AFL International Cup is played every three years. No expatriate Australians are eligible to play. Teams comprise solely of amateurs who must be nationals of the country they represent.

In 2014 there were 25 teams (18 men’s and seven women’s teams) that represented 18 different nations. Papua New Guinea won the men’s final while Canada won the women’s final.

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 A huge round of footy in Nauru on the weekend saw the top of the table clash decided by a goal and the other two matches by five points.  The Magpies cemented top spot with their 6 point win over the Bombers with Kenneth Oppenheimer kicking three goals for the winners.  Both sides will play off again next week, this time in the Qualifying final for a spot in the Grand Final.

FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2017
CATS SCRATCH DOGS IN A THRILLER
It was a tight and tough contest from the outset as players went in hard. The contest was tough as both teams tried hard to gain control but nothing could separate them going into the last quarter. Going with a slight breeze in the last quarter, it was the Cats that won most of the ball and kept the game in their half for most of the quarter.

But despite winning more possessions in the last, the Cats squandered their opportunities frequently missing easy shots at goal. The Bulldogs were more accurate and with young player Blame Maaki kicking 2 goals in the last quarter, they remained dangerously close.

In the dying minutes Cats dangerman Shawn Kemp Maaki slotted a goal from a tight angle to take the lead and they held on to win by 5 points in a thriller.

CATS     2.2 3.5 5.5 8.11.59
BULLDOGS 1.1 3.3 5.5 8. 6.54

KANGAROOS 1.1 4.2 9.5 13. 6.84
HAWKS     2.4 3.6 7.8 11.13.79
 

MAGPIES 5.4 9.4 12.5 14.9.93
BOMBERS 1.1 4.2  8.7 13.9.87
 

LADDER
1 MAGPIES  16
2 BOMBERS  12
3 CATS     12
4 BULLDOGS 10
5 KANGAROOS 8
6 HAWKS     2

 

  ...

Micky O, as he if commonly referred to, has had an incredible journey in AFL football and is in a unique position to share his vast experience with the next generations of footballers. At the 2017 National AFL Male Kickstart and All Nations Championships Michael did exactly that when asked to motivate the boys with a talk about his background.

The following story is taken from a transcript of his presentation to the players during the championships. Not a pin drop could be heard as Michael entranced his audience.

I’m originally from Adelaide and moved to Sydney as a 17-year old to play footy with the Swans. I’m from a little place called Salisbury in Adelaide where I spent a lot of time at the Central Districts footy club. I guess the journey to get to Sydney has been a pretty tough one.

 I can remember an incident playing when I was 16, just turned 17, when I was playing for Centrals and it was half time [in] a final and the coach pulled me aside in front of everyone and said “Michael O’Loughlin, you’ve been the worst player on the ground. You’ve been shithouse.” – and there may be some coaches here who have maybe used that language – and he said “you will never play league football here in South Australia.” That was his words.

And you can imagine me, just turned 17, how do I feel about thatω [It was] half time of a final and I went out in the second half and played absolutely terribly again. Luckily for us we had a double chance.

I went to training on Tuesday at Centrals and I walked into the room with my bag and footy boots and what not and a couple of my friends and my cousins actually said “what are you doing hereω” I said “What do you meanω We’ve got another game on Saturday [and] we’re going to win this game and get to the grand final.” They said “the coach absolutely just shamed you out, called you everything under the sun. Why are you hereω” I said “well, I’m a part of the team and I think we can win thi game – I’ll train hard and if I get picked, great, and if I don’t, so be it. I’m not going to let a coach tell me that I’m no good because I reckon I’ve got something to offer.”

So, anyway, I played Saturday and I played a pretty good game – we lost [and] we were out of the finals.

Fat forward about a month later, I got a couple of phone calls from AFL clubs to say “Hey, we’re interested in you – we’ve been watching you since you were 15, we’d love to com and have a chat with you.”

So, one of the last clubs to come was the Sydney Swans – I’m thinking Carlton was the other club, Melbourne and the Brisbane Bears as it was then. My name ended up getting read out at the draft by Sydney.

I got picked up at the airport and I got talking to the recruiting manager who picked me up and I sort of scratched my head, and all I had in my backpack – all the other boys had luggage and I had this backpack, poor little black fella from Salisbury – and all I had was a pair of socks, jocks and footy boots, a pair of jeans and a jumper. That’s all I had. The Swans had to take me shopping to buy me stuff.

But I sat there and spoke to the recruiting manager and I said “can I ask you a questionω” and he said “Yeah.” [I said] “Why did you draft meω” He said “Oh, Michael, we think you’ve got some talent. You’ve got to work harder and do a lot of other things to be a better player.” And then the one thing that really, really clicked was – little did I know that that recruiter was in the huddle when the coach went off at me about a month before that and he heard the coach call me this, this and this and he said you’ll never play league footy in South Australia, “and what surprised us is that you actually went to training, you played and you played really well.” He said “that told us a lot about you.”

“We knewa you had got some real talent, but you showed you has some resilience and showed some toughness and showed some shit.”

And that’s a really big lesson and I hope it resonates with a lot of you guys. No I think back to those days  when the coach got stuck into me.

Not only that game but a few games and I thought that coach had it in for me and I was probably a frustrating player to coach. But if I had given up and not turned up at training, you know whatω The Swans wouldn’t have picked me and other clubs wouldn’t have come and knocked on the door either. So I think about going through tough times – your out of form or struggling with injury – [and] I always think about that day when the coach tore me to shreds and I say “OK, I think I’ve got something here. I reckon I’m an OK player. I’ve continued to rain and get picked and obviously play.

And I think about that coach and he was actually right. I never did play league footy in South Australia – I only played 300 AFL games instead.

So the whole point is you are going to have so many doors shut on you and so many people tell you you’re no good – only one person can change that, and that’s you guys.

And I guess the other point is you’ve got to keep improving – doing the same things over and over again. Guys, it’s not rocket science. You will dictate where you are going to finish, whether you play AFL football, play ocal football, raise a family, go out and get a job, all those kind of things. You dictate that.

Now, you can point the blame on a lot of other people but ultimately only you guys have a say in where your life ends up.

Michael O’Loughlin’s speech was an inspiration to all of the players present at the championships. But his messages go far beyond that group of young men. His observations are a valuable lesson for anyone trying to chase their dreams and have an eye open on the pitfalls of the journey and how to face and defeat them.

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Round 4 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks of in Perth tonight where the West Coast Eagles host the Sydney Swans at Domain Stadium.  Tomorrow night the first Good Friday match will take place between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

The full international broadcast schedule 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 banner below and paying the subscription fee.

Media Release From The Australian Football League

The AFL is pleased to announce the 2017 Boomerangs and World Team squads to compete at the 2017 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships on the Gold Coast in July.

Selected by AFL Club recruiters following the 2017 AFL National Male Diversity Championships held in Blacktown, the respective squads of 25 young men has been chosen based on school attendance, leadership skills, and football ability. 

The AFL Flying Boomerangs program is a personal development and leadership program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men aged 14-16 years old, supported by Rio Tinto. Meanwhile the World Team is made up of the best upcoming AFL multicultural players from across the nation.

 AFL General Manager Game Development, Andrew Dillon, said the Rio Tinto AFL Flying Boomerangs and World Team programs are a great opportunity for the best rising Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural talent in the nation to develop on and off the field.

“The Boomerangs and World Team squads have been selected by AFL Club recruiters following their impressive performances at the 2017 AFL National Diversity Championships in Blacktown this week. 

“These are more than just programs, we are now preparing the next generation of young leaders and footballers with the skills, qualities, and experiences to become positive role models amongst their own families and within their broader communities.

“Over the past few years we have seen the Diversity Championships grow into a genuine elite talent pathway and we look forward to witnessing the next stage of development for these players, coaches, and umpires,” Mr Dillon said. 

Rio Tinto Managing Director, Joanne Farrell, said: “The AFL National Diversity Championships are a brilliant showcase for the diverse culture of Indigenous and multicultural communities from across the country. We are thrilled to support this amazing program.” 

“Flying Boomerangs is more than a football program, it’s a chance for our future Indigenous players to embrace their heritage on Australia’s biggest sporting stage.” 

2017 Rio Tinto Flying Boomerangs squad:

Kevin Canendo (QLD), Kynan Kenny (SA), Aiden Holland (SA), Callum Saunders (SA), Sage Tapner (VIC), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (VIC), Wil Dwyer (VIC), Deekyn Smith (VIC), Kobi George (VIC), Joel Jeffery (NT), Brodie Lake (NT), Tyrrell Lui (NT), Anthony Rose (NT), Clarence Baird (NT), Roy George (WA), Tyreese Bynder (WA), Jordon Kickett (WA), Zek Bolton (WA), Michael Mallard (WA), Isiah Winder (WA), Reece Gerrand (WA), Ira Jetta (WA), Tyler Brockman (WA), Wesley Clarke (NSW/ACT), David Wyman (NSW/ACT).

2017 World Team squad:

Alex Davies (QLD), Josh Blair (QLD), Marcell Hawash (QLD), Clay Daley (QLD), William Hayley (TAS), Jayden Applebee (TAS), Oliver Burrows-Cheng (TAS), Ajay Hem (SA), Diing Akur (SA), George Heintze (SA), Lam Simon (SA), Ruben Carreno (SA), Nixzon Santillo (SA), Siddarth Rajesh (VIC), Regan Uwandu (VIC), Compton Fiafua (VIC), Joey Keam (VIC), Chris Walker (WA), Brendan Walker (WA), Manfred Pati (WA), Joel Western (WA), Keanu Haddow (WA), Timothy Organ (NSW/ACT), Jamie Murphy (NSW/ACT), James Rene (NSW/ACT).

Rio Tinto is the principal partner to all of the AFL’s Indigenous Programs. Rio Tinto is one of Australia’s largest employers of Indigenous people, employing some 1600 Aboriginal men and women across the nation.

Australia Post is the principal partner to all of the AFL’s Multicultural Programs.

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The recent 2017 AFL National Male Kickstart & All Nations Championships were not just a place for players to show their wares. It was also an environment where young umpires were able to continue their development journeys. During the course of the championships, David Rodan – former Richmond, Port Adelaide and Melbourne footballer and current AFL goal umpire – spent time speaking to the boys to tell them of umpiring pathways. Also, Mathew Nichols, a current AFL umpire with almost 300 AFL games experience, spent the event teaching and mentoring the new breed.

Both were willing to speak to World Footy News and talk about the opportunities for umpires, and how important this tournament was to the development of umpires. 

David Rodan:David, you played in an elite environment as a player and you have also witnessed first-hand elite level umpiring. How does that prepare you to help grow our new batch of young umpiresω

 I think it’s [the Diversity Championships] a fantastic program that hasn’t been sold enough in multicultural communities as well as it could be. So I guess by me doing this and having a crack at AFL [umpiring] and trying to umpire at AFL level then hopefully I can see indigenous kids and they can see me and se umpiring is an option as well.

I think at the moment they see playing as the only option, but there are so many options in footy as well – there is working at clubs, coaching and assisting at clubs and umpiring. Of those I think that umpiring is best suited to multicultural communities, purely because of the capacity to earn some money. 

I have a nephew as well that did it [umpiring] last year when he was 15. Once he got his umpiring accreditation he was able to do two or three games a weekend and could earn up $200 to $250 a week and help support his family. So, I’ve got an uncle and an aunty that love me at the moment, but I told them that in the end it is the opportunities that the AFL offer. That gives you a bit of a case study. 

So after that I said OK I’ve got to round this up, so by me umpiring [and being seen by young people] as well as having many academies that I’m starting up in Victoria, there’s plenty of kids that can really get into it [umpiring]. They can get fit, there is no better way to learn the game and understand the rules and officiate and also when they support their families it is special for them and the AFL brand becomes important to them because it’s a brand that is [helping] support their families.  

How important are carnival like this to give young umpires a goω 

I think the fantastic thing is, and why I love this program in particular – the diversity championships – is that you can grow in all areas. You’ve got the player development, the coaches who want to get to A grade level and then you’ve got the umpires. I mean, the umpires are doing the same thing out there as the players – they’re trying to do their best and they’ve got a fantastic mentor in Matty Nichols and that’s priceless for these guys. 

Some of the stories I get by phone or email from players and parents are appreciating what this program has done – not just the talent side of things but also the cultural side of things. I think that sometimes in the community, in talent programs and any programs anybody runs, [that] they can forget that [community] element – [so at these championships] they get that connection and it brings them closer to the game.  [The game] is just a vehicle really for inclusion and integration to help in our community now and later on. 

This [the championships] is a beautiful sight – I don’t think many programs have seen so many cultures in one place.

Mathew Nichols:How important is it for these young umpires to get to carnivals like this to develop their skillsω

It’s very important. They get the opportunity to umpire multiple games each day and in terms of what umpires are doing, actually doing it. It is one of the [best] ways for them to learn. It is a concentrated week with lots of footy and we see a marked improvement in the guys throughout the course of the week.  

To their credit, when we ask them to do something they do it. They want to learn and they’re keen to try field, boundary or goal umpiring so I think that’s terrific. 

The other part [of the carnival’s benefit] is that they are coming away and living away from home for a week and meeting new people. They are also having to be self-sufficient in terms of making sure their laundry is done and being in a certain place at a certain time and looking after themselves from a dietary and recovering after each of these games, so I think it’s a huge week and a great opportunity and these kids are really doing well. 

I spoke last year to the head of umpiring development, Adan Davis, and he was looking at the growth in umpiring and with future plans looked towards an increase in umpires. Has this growth occurredω 

It’s actually growing and that’s terrific. Generally, the issues historically haven’t been getting [recruiting] people, but in retaining them. But pleasingly in the past two to three years the numbers have really increased and we are seeing a lot more females getting involved in umpiring. We are seeing more people from diverse and multicultural backgrounds also being involved in umpiring and this carnival is a reminder of some of those people joining the umpiring ranks. We continue to encourage anyone who wants to give [umpiring] a go and be a part of the game as an opportunity. 

Whatever level they get up to is up to them in a lot of respects, but there are definitely opportunities with carnivals like this one, the AFL Women’s league and the different things that are going on in footy – there is more footy being played so we need more umpires to meet that demand, so anybody wanting to give it a go would be encouraged to try.

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"In association with Principal Ltd, OPRO and STA Travel the GB Bulldogs are proud to announce our final 30 man squad for AFL International Cup 2017 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia this August:"

Ross Ashman – Manly Warringah Giants
Luke Booth – Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club – Vice Captain
Chris Britton – Manchester Mosquitoes
Marc Cashman – Wimbledon Hawks
Andrew Cochran – Manchester Mosquitoes
Jack Coughlan – North London Lions
Adam Coxsell – Caulfield Bears
Ross Denton – North London Lions
George Dibble – Wolverhampton Wolverines Australian Rules Football Club
Ryan Floyd – Fitzroy Football Club
David Hastie – Wimbledon Hawks
Jason Edward Hill – Wimbledon Hawks
Douglas Houston – UTS Bats And Shamrocks Football Club
Myles Hudson – Wimbledon Hawks
Mark Ireland – Sheffield Thunder
Mini Alex Markham – Caulfield Bears
Luke Matias – Caulfield Grammarians Football Club
Dominic Mitchell – Powerhouse FC
Luke Murchie – Caulfield Bears
Alex Overton – Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club
Owain Ryland – South Cardiff Panthers
Ryan Spivey – Sussex Swans Australian Rules Football Club
Michael Sharp – North London Lions
James Talbot – North London Lions
Andy Walkden – Manchester Mosquitoes
Sean Walton – Caulfield Bears – Vice Captain
Matt Warwick – West London Wildcats
Alex Watson – The Wandsworth Demons
Sam Willatt – Sandringham Zebras
Will Worthington – The Onkaparinga Valley Football Club – Captain

#BackTheBulldogs #SupportTheSwans #RoadToIC17 ...