Today AFL Japan announced the Japan Samurai squad to contest the 2017 International Cup in Melbourne in August 2017. The squad announced 20/6/17 has an exciting blend of youth and experience look to it.

Once again the IC veteran Michito Sakaki (I believe this is his 6th IC) graces the squad with his experience and talent, which could well make him the only player in international footy to play in all the International Cups. Other IC veterans include Hisayoshi Oura, Toshiki Matsuhashi (4th IC), Yuosuke Kuno (suiting up for his 5th IC), Yuta Toyshima (played IC14), Jumpei Ito, Yuki Akita and Ryosuke Sato (each 2nd IC).

Amongst the IC debutantes there are some more players who can claim international experience, all having played for the Asia Lions against China in Shanghai in the curtain closer match following the Port Adelaide v Gold Coast match namely Shota Horijuchi, Kyo Nakagawa, Yuji Yamamoto and Yudai Yamaji along with Miticho Sakaki and Yusoke Kuno. New comers Riku Tokutake, Junpei Fujita and Shoki Mukodaka (Box Hill scholarship 2015) also toured Melbourne with the University Warriors in August 2016 along with Ito, Nakagawa and Yamaji.

The full Squad is listed below,

Hisayoshi Oura           Tokyo Bay Suns

Toshiki Matsuhashi     Tokyo Bay Suns

Kohei Kageyama        Tokyo Bay Suns

Hiroo Kuroda              Tokyo Bay Suns

Michito Sakaki            R246 Lions

Yuta Toyshima            R246 Lions

Tatsuya Nasu              R246 Lions

Jumpei Ito                   Eastern Hawks

Kento Takahashi         Senshu Powers

Shoki Mukodaka         Senshu Powers

Satoru Udagawa         Senshu Powers

Sohei Tada                  Senshu Powers

Shota Horijuchi           Senshu Powers

Riku Tokutake              Senshu Powers

Kyo Nakagawa           Senshu Powers

Hiroto Murayama        Senshu Powers

Yuji Yamamoto          Tokyo Goannas

Yusoke Kuno              Shonan Poseidons

Ryosuke Sato              Shonan Poseidons

Satsuki Shimizu          Komozawa Magpies

Yuki Tosu                   Komozawa Magpies

Junpei Fujita                Komozawa Magpies

Taisei Matsumura        Komozawa Magpies

Yudai Yamaji              Komozawa Magpies

Yuki Akita                  North Gambier, South Australia

Congratulations to all squad members, and apologies for any spelling errors.

...

The www.afl.com.au website reports that a match for premiership points could be played in India as early as next season. The following article gives details of the planned move which follows in the wake of a premiership match in China earlier this year.

GREATER Western Sydney and Richmond appear to have stolen the march in staging an AFL match in India, with the clubs confirming plans for a premiership-season encounter on the sub-continent.

The Giants-Tigers clash is likely to take place in Mumbai during the mid-season bye round, with GWS playing host.

"Both clubs have the ambition to play for premiership points in Mumbai as early as next year," Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale confirmed to News Corp.

"India is a massive market and the commercial implications in the mid-to-long term could be very significant, so as a business we need to genuinely explore the opportunity.

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and former Test star Rahul Dravid are well known supporters of the Tigers.

A Giants spokesman said: "We are aware there is a significant amount of work to do before the ambition of playing an AFL game for points in India can be realised, but we look forward to continuing talks with the AFL and the Tigers.

"Indian-born migrants are the third largest population group in Sydney, with many settling in Western Sydney."

News of the Tigers and Giants' plans comes in the wake of Essendon revealing it hoped to play a pre-season game against Adelaide in India.

The original story can be found at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-24/tigers-giants-eye-india-clash-in-2018

  ...

AFL Media Release - Bachar Houli programs set to grow, including female Academy3

The Federal Government, together with the AFL, today announced a $625,000 investment to the Bachar Houli programs, growing the existing programs to include a female component of the Bachar Houli Academy and the Bachar Houli Schools Cup.

The Bachar Houli Academy is a high-performance football talent program while the Bachar Houli Cup engages over 5,000 Islamic school students, providing a starting point for players from a Muslim background to transition into football pathways.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said the Bachar Houli Programs have been an integral part of engaging Muslim youth into the AFL, allowing young men and women the best opportunities to excel on and off the football field through training and guidance.

“We thank the Federal Government for their continued support of the Bachar Houli Programs which have been strengthened each year, engaging more people and most importantly having a deep impact on young Muslim Australians,” Mr. McLachlan said.

 “There is no more important time for leaders across sport, Government and the community to stand together and celebrate Australia’s successful multicultural heritage, and the values that tie us together.

“It is that spirit of standing together that we are here today to highlight the success of our Bachar Houli programs, and to thank the Federal Government for their ongoing support.

“It does take partnerships and communities and strength in numbers to drive change and promote social inclusion – and the support of the Federal Government in delivering these programs is absolutely critical,” Mr. McLachlan said.

Bachar Houli said he is proud of what the programs have been able to achieve over the past six years.

“I would like to thank the Federal Government for their continued support of the programs, providing real opportunities for the next generation of boys and girls playing and administering our great game,” Houli said.

“Being a part of the program is a great opportunity for young Australian Muslim boys and girls, providing them with a safe environment to grow culturally and to develop their leadership capacity using football as the vehicle.

“I want talented youth across the country to be given the best possible avenue, support and pathway into the elite system and while the Academy aims to recruit talented athletes, it's not all about football - we want them to grow as people and receive life education, building confidence, awareness and knowledge to succeed.”

In 2017, the program engaged over 11,000 Muslim people across Australia spreading the message of inclusion and fostering pathways into AFL football. Over 30 schools nationally participated in the Bachar Houli Cup and for the first time the program introduced the Bachar Houli Employment program, providing full time traineeships to ten people across Australia.

Over the past year, the Bachar Houli Programs have delivered:

 ·         11,000 participants across 30 schools nationally 

 ·         25 participants selected in the Bachar Houli Acadmey with over 1,000 boys participating in state trials 

 ·         A total of 150 participants have been part of the Academy since its inaugural year in 2012

 ·         7 participants selected on a leadership camp to the Qatar Aspire Academy

 ·         1,000 attendees across five state-based Ramadan dinners

 ·         10 young men and women representing 13 cultural groups employed on 12-month traineeships across a diverse set of roles in the industry ...

Round 15 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off tomorrow night at the MCG with Melbourne hosting Sydney.  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.

We interviewed the founders of Australian Football Sri Lanka this week, just over a month out from their International Cup debut.   See the full interview below.

Their squad will be a mix of Sri Lankan and Australian based players. They will be coached by Sri Lankan born, former St Kilda big man Enrico Misso.

...

Inaugural All-Thai AFL Auskick Match

 Thailand Tigers Australian Football Club announced at AFL website the following news concerning an all-Thai local Auskick Footy match played out in Bangkok. 

Saturday 10th June saw the first ever match between all local Thai Auskickers as part of an AFL Tournament in Bangkok. The day comprised of under 9 and under 12 Auskick matches between the Bangkok Tigers and Pattaya Pirates, the 1st ever All Thai Auskick match between the Thai Blues and the Thai Reds and the AFL Asia match between the Thailand Tigers and Cambodian Eagles

The Thailand Tigers AFL Club and Bangkok Auskick and Junior AFL have been working with disadvantaged Thai boys from the Klong Toey Slums in Bangkok with the assistance of the Duang Prateep Foundation and UNOH (Urban Neighbours of Hope Foundation - UNOH Thailand) by running clinics / Auskick sessions as well as providing Auskick backpacks, footballs, runners and boots.

Phil Stevens, President of Bangkok Auskick and Junior AFL, has been pleased to see the enjoyment the local Thai players were getting from their involvement in AFL.  

"The Thai boys have been introduced to our great game and have even been introduced to that great Aussie tradition of a Sausage Sizzle after matches, which they enjoyed immensely. Two of the older boys have shown some impressive skills recently and played in the Thailand Tigers Domestic Grand Final," Phil said. 

The players, aged between 8 to 14 years of age, had been training for 7 weeks prior to their first match where it was the Thai Reds 7.10 - 66 defeating the Thai Blues 1.1 - 7. 

Read the whole story at www.aflcommunityclub.com.au

  ...

The airwaves for Australian Football will grow even larger, and better, with the addition of a dedicated Multicultural Football Show for the remainder of the 2017 season. The following media release from the AFL details the initiative.           

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

AFL partners with NEMBC and 3ZZZ Radio to launch Multicultural Football Show

The AFL, together with the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council (NEMBC), is proud to announce 3ZZZ Community Radio Station will produce a series of Multicultural Football Shows and match broadcasts during the remainder of the 2017 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

 The Multicultural Football Show will be recorded in English and select match broadcasts will be available in the Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin and Spanish languages. The programs, set to engage eight multicultural commentators, will provide each commentator with training and the opportunity to commentate Australian Football live at the MCG and Etihad Stadium. 

The weekly Multicultural Football Show will feature eight episodes and will be hosted by Harbir Singh Kang who is of Punjabi background, Salam Hasanein who is Palestinian and Gabriel D’Angelo who is of Spanish heritage. Reviewing and previewing each round of the AFL, the show will focus on news and programs relevant to multicultural communities, featuring interviews with Australia Post AFL Multicultural Player Ambassadors.

AFL General Manager Game Development Andrew Dillon said the AFL is proud to partner with the NEMBC and 3ZZZ to deliver the Multicultural Football Show. 

“The AFL’s multicultural strategy has been developed through partnerships with ethnic communities and organisations such as the NEMBC who have become advocates of our game; ensuring it is the most inclusive sport in Australia,” Mr. Dillon said.

“We are proud to have established a formal partnership with NEMBC to host a Multicultural Football Show that will be shared across all the partners of NEMBC in 2017.

“This show will give us the opportunity to celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our great game; highlighting the contribution multicultural communities have made to the sport’s history and welcoming new communities to embrace Australia’s game in the future,” he said.

NEMBC Operations Officer Fiv Antoniou said: 

“We are proud to partner with the AFL to deliver the first Multicultural Football Show of its kind, engaging passionate multicultural supporters of AFL football and providing them with the opportunity to broadcast the game in different languages,” Mr. Antoniou said.  

“The AFL has for several years been investing in multicultural communities around the country and we are excited to play a role in growing the game. The multicultural community is a huge national sector and what better place to commence a regular multicultural AFL program than through the NEMBC, a national radio station network. 

“In every state capital there is a large multilingual community radio station and there are hundreds of general community radio stations in cities and towns broadcasting multilingual and multicultural programs. Community radio forms a large part of the media landscape, with 57% of Australians tuning in to community radio at one time or other each month,” he said. 

The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council (NEMBC) was established in 1985 and is the only national peak body that advocates for multiculturalism and supports multilingual community broadcasting around Australia. The NEMBC contributes to media diversity in Australia by maintaining and connecting people to their language, culture, identity and reminding mainstream media in the importance of Ethnic community broadcasting in Australia 

.3ZZZ is Australia’s largest ethnic community radio station. There are more than 5,000 members from nearly 63 ethnic groups affiliated with the station. All major ethnic communities living in Australia are represented.

Please see below a list of the in-language commentators:

ARABIC: Ahmed Osman, Salam Hasanein

HINDI: Harbir Singh Kang, Renu Tiwary

MANDARIN: Barney Xua, Agnes Lu

SPANISH: Maximo Perez-Torres, Vanessa Gatica

Please see below the schedule of broadcasts that the AFL has granted the Multicultural Footy Show the right to broadcast:

Round  Date      Match   Language

Round 15            Sunday 2

July 2017            Hawthorn vs. Collingwood          Arabic

Round 16            Saturday 8 July 2017       St. Kilda vs. Richmond    Hindi

Round 17            Sunday 16 July 2017       Carlton vs. Western Bulldogs              Mandarin

Round 18            Sunday 23 July 2017       Richmond vs. GWS Giants              Spanish

Round 19            Sunday 30 July 2017       Collingwood vs. Adelaide Crows              Mandarin

  ...

Journalist Wouter Pienaar has reported recently in the Potchefstroom Herald about the exploits of South African footballer, Godfrey Molohlanyi, and his journey towards the 2017 International Cup in Melbourne.

Finding an Aussie Rules Football player in Potchefstroom is almost like finding a needle in a haystack. And, if that player is also representing South Africa in the Australian Football International Cup then you know you have discovered something unique. 

Godfrey Molohlanyi is a South African Aussie Rules Football player from Ventersdorp. He is currently employed at Pick n Pay Vanderhoff Park in Potch where he works as a merchandiser by day.  

Godfrey Molohlanyi packs merchandise at Pick n Pay Vanderhoff Park by day and, after hours, he plays Aussie Rules Football for South Africa.

 By night, he practises his beloved sport for the Wild Cats Aussie Rules Football team at the Mohadin Cricket Grounds. 

From 5-19 August, Godfrey will represent South Africa in Melbourne, Australia in this international competition for the second time, having been part of a previous World Tournament in 2008. 

‘I started playing in 2004 when I met Sipho Mabongo. He introduced me to Aussie Football in Ventersdorp as part of an awareness initiative. He explained the rules and I started practising from there. I really enjoyed it,’ he remembers. 

In Aussie Rules Football there are 18 players per team with four goalposts. It is played on an oval ground with the main aim of scoring goals by kicking the ball between the posts. Think of it as a strange marriage between rugby, football and basketball with a distinct Aussie flair. 

Godfrey has played eight games for South Africa in the past and he will look to make his mark as a centre-half forward in this tournament. This is one of the most physically demanding positions as Godfrey has to be able to catch from long distances (mark) and kick the ball accurately out of hand. 

‘The sport has taught me a range of skills, such as catching, bouncing, running and kicking.

‘It is also a high contact sport so you have to be fit and strong to play. I practise once or twice a day, often jogging early in the morning and working on skills at practice after work,’ he says. 

‘It is the ultimate high to be able to represent your country. 

There is nothing like it. South Africa has been doing well at Aussie Football and we are going to push for a win after coming fifth in 2014,’ says Godfrey in his rainbow coloured national jersey. 

Pick n Pay Vanderhoff Park has sponsored and assisted Godfrey with his visa requirements and wishes him all the best for the coming world championships.

The original article can be viewed at: http://potchefstroomherald.co.za/34657/pick-n-pays-godfrey-making-waves-aussie-rules-footballer/

   ...

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

Ireland is significant as one of the first European nations to have adopted the sport of Aussie rules. However, footy has never enjoyed significantly broad popularity in the country due to the dominance of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which overseas the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, handball, and Gaelic football.

Gaelic football — by far the largest Irish spectator sport — has several similarities to Aussie rules, which have been well-documented over the years. The primary differences are the number of players, the size and shape of the ball and pitch, and the fact that Gaelic football is not full-contact.

Irish interest in footy was most likely initially sparked in 1967 during the Australian Football World Tour, which played a couple of test matches in Dublin. The hybrid sport of international rules football (a combination of Aussie rules and Gaelic football) has its roots in the World Tour. In addition, many Gaelic footballers have given Aussie rules a shot since the 1980s, primarily due to the lure of a quality salary; the Gaelic games are only played at an amateur level in Ireland.

  ...

Interchanger is the game management App currently used by more than 400 teams around Australia.  Interchanger are providing software for 11 of the 18 AFL clubs in 2017. 

The creator and owner of Interchanger Murray Bird has offered the App free (including the stats feature) to all of the International Cup teams to manage their team and stats during the tournament. 

Additionally Murray has offered to meet team coaches prior to the event to run them through functionality of the App.

MANAGE YOUR TEAM LIKE THE PROS!  (The offer above is for all competing International Cup Teams - the pricing referred to below is the regular pricing).  

You can contact Murray to get Interchanger for every team at your school/club for as little as AU$250   Call (in Australia)  0433 001 588  or email murray@interchanger.com.au

For more details you can go to  www.interchanger.com.au
...

The AFL is pleased to announce a collaboration with Thomas & Friends in an international first for the two brands.

 The collaboration will see four short episodes produced, centred around the AFL and following Thomas and his friends on their Australian adventures with the first episode to be released today, Wednesday July 12.

Two AFL superstars will voice characters in the four short episodes, with former Richmond Tiger Matthew Richardson starring as Shane the Train, an Australian character introduced in the last Thomas & Friends movie ‘The Great Race’ and Brisbane Lions AFLW player Sabrina Frederick-Traub as Tracy the Melbourne Tram.

Shane the Train - Image Courtesy Mattel

In the first episode, Thomas arrives at the historical Flinders Street Station where he is met by his friend Shane the Train, who needs Thomas to help him transport some stranded Western Bulldog players from Footscray Station to the iconic MCG for a match.

Thomas quickly learns the local lingo and gets immersed into the AFL way of life.

AFL General Manager of Digital, Growth and Audience Darren Birch said this collaboration was the first of its kind for the AFL as it embarked on content creation with a high-profile international pre-school brand.

“Thomas is as popular today as it was twenty years ago, and it’s so pleasing that Thomas and his friends will embark on adventures with Australian Football over four specially produced episodes,” Mr Birch said.

“The creative development of the episodes with Mattel has truly been collaborative and we were so excited to have the opportunity to add two of our own voices, in Matthew Richardson and Sabrina Frederick-Traub, to characters,” he said.

Mattel/Thomas & Friends Director of Marketing in Australia, Chedney Rodgers said the collaboration was an exciting one for the brand.

“We are incredibly excited about the multiyear partnership we are embarking on with AFL,” Ms Rodgers said.

Image Courtesy AFL Media

“It is undoubtedly a fun opportunity to bring Thomas to Australia while partnering with an iconic brand sharing the same values of friendship, teamwork and participation,” she said.

Richmond great Matthew Richardson said he was surprised but delighted to be asked to voice the Shane the Train character.

“It wasn’t your every day request, but Thomas and Friends is iconic and I couldn’t be more thrilled to add some Aussie charm into these episodes,” Mr Richardson said.

“With a baby on the way, this has been great preparation for what I’ll be watching for the next few years,” he said.

Brisbane Lions AFL Women’s star Sabrina Frederick-Traub was born in England and raised on Thomas and Friends.

“Obviously having being born and living in England until I was seven, I watched a lot of Thomas growing up,” Ms Frederick-Traub said.

“When the AFL asked if I would be interested in voicing a new friend of Thomas, in something so cool as Tracy the Melbourne tram, I jumped at the chance to be involved in something I loved so much as a kid,” she said.

The first episode in the series will be released today, Wednesday July 12, on YouTube and across AFL and Thomas & Friends channels.

The other three episodes will be released one at a time in August and September 2017.

Families have the opportunity to have a Day out with Thomas at Queenscliff Station with the Bellarine Railway on October 7 and 8. Unlimited rides with Thomas and the Troublesome Trucks, meeting Sir Topham Hatt and heaps of other fun activities are available. Bellarine Railway’s Thomas is seen in the launch photos. For more information, visit bellarinerailway.com.au

About Thomas & Friends™

Thomas the Tank Engine™ was created over 70 years ago by a British clergyman, the Rev W Awdry, as a storybook for his son. That story quickly grew to become the award-winning global brand franchise it is today, enjoyed by families in more than 150 territories and in over 40 languages across multiple touch-points and formats, including: 400+ original TV shows; 11 feature-length films; 14 websites in nine languages; apps; toys (ranked number one property in the pre-school toys category in the UK and Australia and number two in the US); consumer products; publishing; live attractions and much more. Thomas & Friends has scooped prestigious accolades including a Parent’s Choice Award, a Webby and a Licensing Award for Best Classic Licensed Property. The famous and cheeky No.1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train. Together, the children and engines embark on timeless adventures while experiencing valuable yet fun life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation. Thomas & Friends™ is viewable on more than 30 world-class broadcasters including PBS KIDS® in the US, Super RTL in Germany, and on Five’s Milkshake! and Nick Jr. in the UK. Downloadable episodes are available through iTunes and on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/thomasandfriends.

For more information about the wonderful world of Thomas & Friends, please visit: www.thomasandfriends.com, facebook.com/thomasandfriends and Twitter @ThomasFriend

  ...

So many times the dream and our reality are vastly different. It is certainly true in Tyler Ames’ case, but his current reality is somewhat of a dream, and it certainly doesn’t resemble what he saw for himself.

Tyler went to college in the US as many of us do. He figured he’d become a businessman and have the American dream - a wife he loved, two kids, two cars, and such. He settled on accounting and finance at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and landed a job.

One day he became good friends with Michio McGrath, an Australian expat who persuaded him to try his hand at footy. Ironically, it was Tyler who helped recruit Michio to his accounting firm. McGrath in turn spent an entire Colorado winter selling Tyler on the game as well as on his favorite club the West Coast Eagles.

McGrath wore him down and eventually Tyler began to play for the Denver Bulldogs, a strong American club in Colorado.
 
“The moment I really bought fully in and truly started loving the game was during the 2015 USAFL National Championships in which I played on the Bulldogs’ Division 4 team. I had never played in the ruck before that tournament but because of injuries I had to step up and play the entire time. I didn’t feel like I played well but I was somehow given the Most Consistent on ground for the tournament in Division 4. From that point on I was motivated and driven to get good at footy,” Ames said.

Ames also thinks the camaraderie is something special. “(In the states) we can’t play every weekend like here in Australia so instead large tournaments are held roughly once a month during the summer with smaller 3 or so team tournaments intermixed as well. These were where I fell in love with not just the game of footy but with the Australian culture, team camaraderie, and spirit.

We would all stay in a hotel as a group, throw 4 guys to a room, play a full day of footy, and then go out on the town totally beat up where the tournament was being held with the other teams. The stories and fun from these and the relationships I developed with my teammates was what gave me the passion and excitement to make Australia and footy a bigger part of my life.”

Once he gained a foothold in the game another seed grew. “The first person to even float the thought of Australia was my now Montrose teammate Sam Nix. He was playing for the (USAFL) Austin Crows and we were in Austin for a tournament and said I should look into it. I then talked to a few of my Denver Bulldogs teammates and word must have traveled through the grapevine because at the USAFL National tournament last October, I met with Tony Fairhead from Perth and Rod Buncle of Melbourne both of whom work with the USAFL.

Tony had said they’d been looking for someone from the US to be the first chosen to represent the USAFL in an exchange through Darwin. I believe they wanted someone who’d embrace the full Darwin experience and everything it had to offer,” Ames said.

The Darwin Buffaloes celebrated their 100th anniversary in season 2017, and Tyler was very complimentary about his time with the Double Blues. “The greatest things about living in Darwin were the relationships I made with my Coach Mark Motlop who will forever be an inspiration and father-like figure to me, my teammates, and becoming a real part of the Buffaloes family.”

He’s been mentored by Motlop, spoken to former Adelaide Crow champion Andrew McLeod, and met the Longs, Riolis and so many others. Tyler even had the chance to meet Darwin legend Ali Muir (Nicholls Medallist 1968-69) before Muir’s recent passing.

His adventures have now taken him to Montrose in the Eastern Football League, where he is taking advantage of his chance to improve as a player and student of the game. “I still also feel like I have a lot of untapped potential and I’m continuing to improve leaps and bounds each and every week,” Ames said. “I hope after a full season here and an entire offseason of hard work and dedication, I’d really like to contest for a regular ones spot with the Demons and hopefully play a role in getting a flag.”

Tyler said he’s played all over the ground. He worked almost exclusively as a ruckman with Darwin, which involved some transition since he played the forward line as a Denver Bulldog. He’s been all over the field with Montrose, but says he’s most comfortable at centre half forward and rotating into the ruck position at times.

“(Playing in Australia) has been nothing short of incredible in every sense of the word. For someone who is just experiencing footy for the first time really to embark on a journey like this has been mind-blowing. The thing that I think strikes me most is the culture of football and the community aspect that surrounds it. What I learned very quickly, especially in Darwin, footy is family and family is footy and I’ve never seen anything like it in the world,” he said.

So if the USAFL wanted someone to truly immerse himself in footy and in Australia, they found their man. It’s something Tyler has trouble believing. “In all honesty I still wake up and can’t believe I’m actually living this life. I’m so unbelievably fortunate and there’s still so much that I want to experience and get out of my footy and my Australian adventure,” he said.

“I do still have high aspirations of being one of the best American players and I’d like to represent our team in the 2020 as well as the 2023 footy World Cups.”
  ...

Round 17 of the 2017 AFL Season kicks off tomorrow night at the Etihad Stadium with St Kilda hosting co-tenant Essendon.  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.