International Rules back on the calendar in 2020

Not in Adelaide, the cricket is very well attended there

it has zero interest with so many people yet its open to injuries to AFL players - explain how that can be a good thing. dumb

#clipper What it is NOT is a 'world cup'. Because world cup tournaments - as we see with the Rugby codes tend to have relatively loose eligibility. The AFL IC is does NOT allow people to qualify on parentage/grand parentage - so although both my parents were Danish born - I was born and grew up in Australia. No qualify. Aussie expats overseas DO NOT qualify. The key criteria is where people spent most of their teenage years - the vast majority of the participants were first introduced to or first played the sport in their homelands, still reside there, and are having to raise funds and take time off work to come to Melbourne for the 2 week tournament. #Justin Kearney - yes, international. You may not realise it but there are permanent AFL goal posts in place at ovals across Canada, in Vanuatu, in Denmark, among other places....just recently the Croatians have been working on setting up their permanent footy home base. A couple of examples; check out in and around Toronto at Colonel Samual Smith park. And around the bay at Hamilton the Wildcats play here. For the 2020 tournament - team squads have a limit of 28 players. Of that a maximum of 8 can be based in Australia during the 2020 footy season. And no more than 3 can have been playing the 5 years prior consecutively in Australia (there are people who have become footy immigrants but still qualify for their original nation). The USAFL womens Freedom squad has some whittling to do - they announced a 54 player training squad.

Yes, it probably means the quality suffers, but a least there wouldn't be a situation where a team of ex AFL players played for another country and trounced a team were there were a few genuine local players - that would make it farcical.

@ Clipper My understanding is that the eligibility rules are quite tight, such that an Aussie with a UK (or Lebanese) passport doesn't qualify. Presumably this undermines the quality of the football, but it ensures that participants actually reside in the relevant countries, and they aren't just ex-pats.

25,000 to adelaide and 30,000 to Perth in 2017. International test cricket would be quite happy with those crowds.

MM - what sort of eligibility rules do they have. If you fancy a kebab, does that qualify you to play for Lebanon. If you've been brave enough to try a deep fried mars bar does that mean you can take the field for Scotland?

What sort of crowds do they get. If they struggle to get 10k to a match and the attendance is so poor that they have to hive off matches to regional areas, it would be pretty pathetic if they were trying to justify it being an international event.

A great reason for the AFL bosses & their families to get a free holiday. Maybe a stop over in New York for Gil & the gang to check out the training camp & get some extra shopping in as a bonus.

Pointless series might as well get me and my mates to play it who cares if we win or lose. They should introduce cricket balls and hockey sticks into the game as that makes as much sense as footy players kicking a round ball with a soccer net and no tackling.

It's a fun contest but has no real value.

Rather like 2 states of Australia, a former colony, some reject Kiwi rugby players, an obscure wine area of France and two coal-mining areas of England somehow constitute International competition. Also very laughable.

I agree Lukey, you are wrong. It's slanted towards the Irish, not the Aussies 1) Square Field - check 2) Gaelic team numbers - check 3) Round Ball - check 4) Highest scoring (in soccer-style net) - check Nothing much Aussies rules about it except you are allowed tackling.

I believe RL will be pincered by the National Behemoth, AFL, and the Internationally well-known Rugby code of Union.

Looks to me like a game of aussie rules might break out at any time but alas. Still I don't mind the novelty value and it's better than the other rectangular games.

Maybe one day soccer, league and union will evolve into aussie rules.

It is clearly slanted to favor the Aussies and it saves them from embarrassment. It must be frustrating for the Irish boys when the game stops when a 15 metre pass is caught - they have to play on in GAA. The stop-start nature of our game is a major downside. All the Irish really get is the round ball, but is amazing how quickly the Irish recruits to AFL adapt and become good at kicking our ball. They must be puzzled at the lack of behind the goal netting - only in Australia.

I agree; I find it very enjoyable.

If cluvs are secretly not wanting it, it'll die. ---- Club (VFL Clubs) coming first is what killed SOO in AF. Something that the NRL doesn't have to contend being historically associated with only two states. So it's probable that clubs don't like it.

No, AF came from Union.