Farum are sitting pretty, undefeated, atop the Danish Australian Football League ladder, four rounds in to the fourteen round Danish premier division season.
With tidy wins over Copenhagen, North Copenhagen, a convincing win over Port Malmö and last weekend a solid win over Helsingborg – the lads from the Farum are building nicely.
Leading the way are key goal kickers in 163 game veteran Mikkel Norlander, with fifteen and Troels Ottesen, with fourteen. Ottesen has played over 140 games, having graduated via the Farum junior program and was last season’s leading goal kicker with 35.
The Danes recently were unable to host the Great Britian side in a home test due to the volcanic ash cloud over Europe. However, with the fourth International Cup little over a year away, no doubt further internationals will be arranged.
Unfortunately, the Danes have only provided one member of the World 18 for the upcoming nationals in Australia – with 17 year old Mathias Biron from Farum making the trip. Mathias has played over 50 games now.
His German father Bernfried has assisted with officiating in games.
It should be noted that last year (2009) saw the fourth trip to Australia by a Danish Junior Vikings side, which in the past was effectively a Farum Cats side. But 2009 saw three members of the Slagslunde Tigers junior side making the trip.
Hopefully, moving forward, the full range of opportunities will see both more juniors from outside of Farum in the Danish side, as well as more Danish juniors in the World Team.
For now, though, it’s Farum and the Danish Australian Football League premier division.
Crows_And
Guest
Hi Guys and thanks for your support! As the "Douglas Pate" of the article it was neither easy in Catalunya, nor in Andorra. The passion at player level exists, the support from above is harder to find, whether it is the Euro AFL or the local authorities, for example, to allow us to have a ground. We'll get there. There are always solutions to everything. Just have to find them. Cheers lads and have a cold one on me!
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Michael C Have you ever seen this clip about the Danish Mister Football? http://www.vimeo.com/11391219 check it out - inspirational stuff!
Michael C
Roar Guru
captain nemo - Haven't been abroad since age 6 when I went to Denmark to visit the relatives.....it was via the Danish links that I discovered the Amager Tigers about 10 years ago and have monitored it since. I've attended matches at every international cup since and followed closely the games progress - and have my Danish Vikings jumper. Back in the 90s most people thought of footy overseas as purely Aussie expats getting together to have a few beers, share around the vegemite and tim-tams and play a couple of 'social' games a couple of times a year. It's moved on since then. That the International Cup does NOT include expat Aussies or people via parentage (otherwise, I'd've stuck my hand up for Denmark) - - it is easy to gauge the progressive improvement in standard and presentation and attitudes and skills and game sense since the first IC in 2002. Noting that the day I attented IC 2005 I saw South AFrica vs Ireland, USA vs Spain and Japan vs NZ, in 2008 I was able to see all nations/sides across the day with 3 fields hosting games in the one precinct. Do I need to travel to PNG, or Samoa or Sweden..........perhaps,.....are you going to pay for it?? Via the internet, it's a tad easier to keep informed these days........but, with the up coming European championships to be held in Denmark and Sweden in August, if I could justify the expense and time away I'd be over there in a heartbeat. Alas, with a young family these sorts of personal extragances are being deferred for another couple of years at least....... :-(
captain nemo
Roar Guru
just out of curiousity Micheal C, have you ever been abroad and experienced first hand some of these foreign AFL leagues you continiously chat about on here. Your level of interest in International AFL seems to be extremely passionate by the amount of articles you have published on this site so surely getting a first hand view of the comps themselves would be high on your bucket list!!!!
Michael
Guest
We agree on one thing - no one will be watching
Michael C
Roar Guru
Michael - does that matter??? "You gotta dance like no one is watching". btw - I'm only aware of the AMerican Samoa bit because I stumbled on it via google...........and, believe it or not, people 'stumble' upon Australian football via tv, internet, friends, a game in the local park that looks like no other.......
Michael
Guest
The difference here is that yourself and the rest of the world are fully aware of the Australia 31 American Samoa 0 match. American Samoa are one of the 208 affiliated nations that compete in the world cup. Unfortuntaely for yourselves nobody else and that includes the bulk of Australia will know or care about the AFL European Championships.
Michael C
Roar Guru
thanks SSB for the update and input, and having seen that American Samoa could play official FIFA WC qualifiers with a ping pong player as their goalie (and concede 31 goals,....to Australia).......I don't demean the efforts and passion and pride of the American Samoa players representing their country - - I have no doubt then that all sports fans are capable of recognising the efforts of these fine national ambassadors too.
Baz35
Guest
both i would have thought
SideShowBob
Roar Rookie
Not sure why folks keep bringing up the "AFL world domination" strawman every time an informative piece like. I can't recall in all the years I've been associated with Australian Football in Australia or overseas, of anyone even thinking along these lines. Cultural cringe or tall poppy?
SideShowBob
Roar Rookie
As I commented down below, next to zero Australian ex-pats have been involved with this league. I have been down there a couple of times to offer some formal representation and game development support. The Catalonian and Andorran government have been very supportive of the local bodies, and the locals really love the game and work hard at getting it established in new areas nearby the current base. MC's point is spot on. It no longer takes a homesick ex-pat to sow the seed and grow the game as recent examples in Italy and Iceland show.
SideShowBob
Roar Rookie
Full Credit to the Catalunya league and the Andorrans! Not only have they attended 4 EU Cups since 2005, they have pretty much developed and grown their competitiones with almost zero assistance from ex-pat Australians... purely for the love of playing the sport. Can you imagine?
SideShowBob
Roar Rookie
MC, It isn't unlikely that Denmark will play GB at the upcoming 2010 European Champions in Denmark & Sweden in early August; a week long 16-a-side tournament playing under the International Cup qualification rule (ie non-Australians who have learnt the sport outside of Australia). 8 countries for different corners of the European region have already signed up: Ireland Great Britain Denmark Sweden Germany Finland Croatia Iceland www.ec2010.info - SSB
Michael C
Roar Guru
Michael – forgive the length - - There’s some quaint little 4 team leagues in Italy, France, Netherlands, Spain etc……and you’re right, they struggle, it’s pretty new – often 9 aside stuff on soccer pitches (if they’re lucky enough to gain access!!!). Denmark however is a tad different to some of these newer national ‘leagues’ such as France, Netherlands, Italy and Spain/Catalonia. Denmark has been running for 20 years now, Denmark has played in 2 International Cups, Denmark has played regular full tests vs Great Britain, Ireland, (being competitive at this level) as well as more locally against Germany and Sweden. Denmark does have a junior program – based predominantly at Farum Cats, and the integrity of this program is illustrated by having conducted 4 tours of Australia (2000, 2003, 2006, 2009) and having a reciprocal relationship in Geelong where the college team has also toured Denmark. The DAFL originally included the Swedes who have since gone ‘solo’ on the international ‘stage’, and have their own national body now. Is the next James Hird likely to emerge from Denmark?? Highly doubtful. However, the league structure of the DAFL through the higher standard Premier League which includes Swedish sides Port Malmo and Helsingborg is kinda nice. Hardly earth shattering – but, just a fraction better than guys just rolling out of a pub. Around the world, there are hot beds of focussed development (PNG, RSA), there are leagues that take it more seriously than others in Great Britain and US in particular with probably a higher level of expats passing through and getting a decent footy fix. One of the better leagues around is the 10 team OAFL in Ontario in Canada. They’re now running a 2nd division with either the reserves sides or new entry clubs in that division. This is a format that is finding favour elsewhere as well, such as in Germany. The point of all this - - if the AFL had to go out to a virgin footy world and use up a budget to build 75 clubs across North America over night and 75 clubs across Europe overnight……………the AFL couldn’t do it. And yet that foundation exists. The AFL has now come to the fore and is providing an opportunity for those foundations to grow to something more. That’s not a bad thing. Not everyone will be placed to do it. And Denmark – stand alone is only so-so, however, when that little Northern European/Scandinavian footy population is viewed collectively; then the little footy community of Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway might be able to do good things. They’re all a tad less ‘isolated’ as would’ve been back before the internet based social networking age. btw - the Seattle Grizzlies got on Seattle tele the other day.
Harvey the Scouser
Roar Guru
handball is quite popular in schools - here in the West, most schools have handball courts drawn out on the ashphalt
Michael
Guest
I've played more than 200 games for my club but i'm still s--t. The Catalan league is doing well i belive it expanded to 4 teams this year although most can't field a full team. Trying to demonstrate your international footprint by writing articles about essentially non existant leagues with a few blokes who occassionally roll out of a pub and kick a footy around is akin to others writing about how well Olympic Handball is travelling in Australia. In short it barely exists and no one cares.
Harvey the Scouser
Roar Guru
Goat's head rugby can do the same in Central Asia (although there are some doors that are not worth opening)
Michael C
Guest
ironically Spain and the Catalan region include some Aust Footy teams and mini leagues that have effectively zero expat Australian involvement.....the Spanish team at the 2005 International Cup was great to observe......passionate,....a bit 'socceresque' in their 'posture' so to speak.....and their quarter time huddle, not a word of English to be heard. the story of the Andorra Crows is actually an interesting one......and Irish/Scots (Douglas Pate) fellow got involved in footy in Denmark back in 1993......ended up getting involved with the national Catalunyan side and after moving to Andorra he got a club started there 2 years ago. They initially played in the CAtalan league, then the French and now play in both leagues as the Fench league is a winter league and the Catalan league is a spring/summer league. There's great little stories all over the world.......and, as illustrated, it doesn't necessarily take expat Aussies to do it.......and yet all roads still point back to Australia.
Michael C
Guest
It is the great benefit that a code known as 'Australian Football' or 'Australian Rules'.....whatever......is that all roads point to Australia.
Michael
Guest
I met a few spanish blokes in a bar and told them i once went to a bullfight in madrid, its been opening doors for me ever since