Non-Australian expats growing the AFL game

Looks like another thread about about Australian Football has been hijacked with a lot of irrelevance. The majority of people are ignorant of the true situation maily due to the lack of publicity and the rapid growth of the game coming off of a small base. Growth of the game is now divided into two areas - the traditional amatuer word-of-mouth expansion and the development underwritten by organisations. The traditional approach has spread Australian Football to numerous countries. Some of these countries have developed significant leagues. More organised approaches in the Southern hemisphere have produced numerically significant participants using an increeasingly common formulae. Yes, these high numbers are generally restricted to youth football but when a percentage of these young players move through to community football playing Australian Football then there will be media worthy stories. We have already seen that Pacific and World sides perform well at Australian Football championships. .

Hi all, I'm Tim Smith, founder of the University of Birmingham Sharks and have just discovered this article (by surprise when searching the team name to see what came up in google!) I'm flattered to have received praise as a UK native starting up a team here, but in truth I am by no means the first. While expat-dominated AFL has been occurring in London for many years, bar 1 or 2 cities only 3-4 years ago did the game really start expanding through the country. In this time, off the top of my head 7 or 8 clubs have been started by non-expats, including (off the top of my head) Southern league champs Chippenham Redbacks, Central league champs Huddersfield as well as my club Birmingham Bears. Responding to one comment in particular: Yes, this rapid growth rate is not sustainable and we don't expect the sport in the UK to continue in this way, but the game here is now at a sustainable level. Too few clubs and the traveling distances are far too far to even consider, but now we have reached the critical level so that there are clusters of clubs in certain areas which can form competitive leagues with not too much traveling required. I hope this article isn't too old that people won't see this comment! Cheers, Tim Smith

Michael C - I recall a few years back that the now chair of the AFL Commission, Mike Fitzpatrick, called on state based administrators such as Football Victoria to change their names to AFL (insert state here). I also note that the former Football Victoria have done this, becoming AFL Victoria. This despite the fact that AFL Victoria is not a subsidiary of the AFL. His point was that the term 'AFL' be used as a branding tool to better promote the sport of Australian Rules Football. I don’t see why this web site shouldn’t call the sport AFL if that is what various administrative bodies not connected with the AFL call this form of football themselves.

Very true. Same could be said for rugby union in Perth and Melbourne, it will be keep alive by expats.

The poor mans Bruce Doull who was known as the "flying door .... mat".

Michael, that's not how you spell Magic Door.

Well first of all that is your opinion and I disagree. Secondly, MC is a big boy and you do not have to defend him. I am sure he can do so himself. And thirdly, 'everyone' consists of about three people, maybe four and to be frank I do not care what they think.

Very big difference , your just trolling, MC seeks to have a debate, you dont, everyone can see it.

I am discussing the topic. You just do not like what I am saying. As such I suggestyou do not read it.

Micky Conlan - now there was a big footy player. Not many left like him around. Suburban Football does retain more elements of toughness (in most codes really). The AFL level really is too soft for me to watch anymore. Demetriou and his merry men have succeeded in killing the physical aspects of the game to make the mummies happy.

Dunno why i am bothering but anyway, league is tough, no doubt, probably the toughest code of all , NFL devotees might argue but anyway. Australian football has changed from a stop start more physical game to more running endurance sport but still definetly remains fairly tough, but their are less physical contests as their is more focus on running to break up play, consequentially the players are more built like middle distance runners than Micky conlan types who look like they have just bench pressed the universe. Horses for courses, i dunno if lower grade country of suburban footy is soft, see plenty of big boys running around looking for contact, but at the elite level its a different game.

Interesting that the AFL has appointed a consultant in Europe last April and now it appears that a European governing body is set to be launched, apparently the AFL will pay for a full time employee hired by the board. http://www.worldfootynews.com/ Wish all this sudden flurry of international activity and focus was started 10 years ago, although in real terms tiny compared to other sports is huge by Australian football standards.

yes - I did a survey of 500 tough AFL players - and all of them wanted to play League.

You've surveyed them?

Mike is it possible for you to respond without writing war and peace? The game is soft and over umpired.Meanwhile League has maintained a level of toughness AFL players crave for - at least the tough ones do.

Lay off the vodka Civy it feeds paranoia.

There is a genuine desire for an Oceania based a league team out of New Caledonia. It won’t amount to anything though because it’s too hard politically as it involves two separate confederations like the Phoenix. One would think the only professional football team in Oceania would be considered important but it seems “the good of the game” only extends within your own borders or to areas of commercial interest. Good luck to the AFL it’s a worthy endeavor I hope they get some good press out of it, and some of the kids get a career.

I actually put a message up at the bottom and it ended up in the middle - there are definitely gremlins at work today.