- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
For many people – and fairly so – the traditional view of Australian Football ‘clubs’ outside of Australia was of beer swilling ex-pat Aussies getting together for a social kick and a more social after match.
Gradually, we’ve seen more and more clubs and leagues overseas evolve to the point that ex-pat Aussies are often the minority, and in many cases, by some great proportion.
But does it still require ex-pat Aussies to start up clubs? Again, traditionally, this would be so. But this is no longer the case.
Example in point: the brand new University of Birmingham Sharks footy club.
Now ready to tackle the competition, the Sharks’ 22 man roster includes no Aussies and only founder, President and captain Tim Smith has any playing experience.
Smith discovered the game of Australian Football early in 2009, as a foundation player for the Birmingham Bears. The side finished runners up in the Central England region.
Smith, and team mate Ian Mitchell, have both gone on divergent ‘expansion’ paths — Mitchell with the formation of new senior team, the Wolverhampton Wolverines.
Meanwhile, Smith ran a stall at the University of Birmingham Sports Fair last September which has led to the establishment of the United Kingdom’s fourth active university-based club.
The Sharks report that they begin season 2010 by hosting 2008 Wales ARFL champions, the Cardiff Double Blues on 30th January, before embarking on a schedule that includes hosting Portsmouth, Huddersfield, Birmingham Bears and Wolverhampton, as well as visiting Cambridge, Chichester and Leeds Met Universities.
Footy in the UK is progressing quite nicely just for now. And, as per other examples, when Aussies need not apply to ensure expansion/formation and continuation, then the game itself is all the better for it.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.