AFL Europe’s Festival of Football invites the governing bodies of AFL in Europe to host matches with their local teams in a city of their choice, all to occur on the same day.
The inaugural event, held on September 26th, 2020 was introduced to give teams around Europe a chance to play competitive footy after many leagues faced cancelled or interrupted seasons.
The event was again held in 2021, this time on August 14th and saw even more countries and teams participate.
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The talent combine brings together some of the most exceptional footballing prospects from right around Europe for athletic testing, skill analysis & mental profiling, in the mould of the AFL Draft Camp.
All players’ height, weight, skinfolds, arm length and hand span are recorded at the combine to form their sporting profile that is viewed by prospective clubs, before a three-part fitness assessment involving a speed test, agility run and a running and vertical jump test. This block of testing is followed by a beep-test and skills session, with a personality profiling assessment also completed to provide an insight into the players mindset.
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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The premier full scale, 18-a-side Australian Football event held in Europe runs across three-days triennially and is a major part of national team preparations ahead of the AFL International Cup that occurs the following year.
Location: University of Zagreb Sportground, Zagreb, Croatia
Dates: October 5th-8th, 2022
Current Champions: Great Britain (Men) and Ireland (Women)
Hosted by AFL Europe in conjunction with the Office of the Agent General for South Australia & Adelaide Crows at Australia House in London, the lunch brings together over 200 guests each year to preview the AFL Grand Final a day before the big one takes place in Melbourne.
Guests are treated to a three-course meal, drinks, a stellar line-up of esteemed specials guests and entertainment in one of Australia’s finest venues away from home.
Recent special guests at the event have included comedian Adam Hills, tennis legend Pat Cash as well as AFL & AFLW stars Daniel Jackson, Cora Staunton, Lauren Spark and David Zaharakis.
Stay tuned for more information regarding our next Grand Final Lunch.
Location: Australia House, London, England
Date: TBC
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The biggest event for the sport internationally brings together national teams from around the world to compete in a full-scale Australian Football tournament, and is next to be hosted on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. European teams have a rich history of success and will be eager to add to that at the next International Cup, with Grand Finals played at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia
Dates: TBC
Current Champions: Papua New Guinea (Div. 1 Men), Croatia (Div. 2 Men), Ireland (Women)
Previous Winners:
Men
2002 – Ireland
2005 – New Zealand
2008 – Papua New Guinea
2011 – Ireland (Div. 1), Fiji (Div. 2)
2014 – Papua New Guinea
2017 – Papua New Guinea (Div. 1), Croatia (Div. 2)
2020 – Postponed
Women
2011 – Ireland
2014 – Canada
2017 – Ireland
2020 – Postponed
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The annual 9-a-side tournament see’s European national sides face off to contest for the title of champions of Europe, with England and Ireland the current champions in the men’s and women’s divisions respectively.
Location: Edinburgh Leisure, Edinburgh, Scotland
Date: June 18th, 2022
Current Champions: England (Men) & Ireland (Women)
Commemorating the anniversary of the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux that took place during WW1, the men’s and women’s Australian ‘Spirit’ sides go head-to-head with the French national teams to contest the ANZAC Cup. The match honours those Australian’s who fought to reclaim the town from German occupancy on the night of April 24th, 1918, in a victory that was described as the turning point in the war by Sir John Monash.
Villers-Bretonneux had been a key post for the Allies prior to the Germans successfully breaking through defensive lines and taking the town on the 24th as part of their Spring Offensive. This was a considerable victory given the towns vantage point over the city of Amiens which was of significant tactical importance to both sides.
As such, the Australian lead counter-attack was an imperative move to be made and was quickly ordered to commence on the night of the 24th, with the 13th, 14th & 15th brigades waiting for the cover of darkness before launching their response at 10pm local time. Their efforts were successful and the town was handed back to the villagers on April 25th – exactly three years after the landing at Gallipoli – but tragically not before 2,473 Australian lives were lost.
The match is now a focal point in the ‘Australia Week’ celebrations organised by local authorities that recognise this sacrifice made by the Australians who retook Villers-Bretonneux.
Played since 2009, the 32 Australian men and women selected to represent their country in the ANZAC Cup are done so based on their own personal or family connection to the armed forces rather than their specific footballing experience or ability, placing extra importance on the already momentous honour of pulling on the green and gold.
Players are hosted by adoring local families and spend time in the lead up to the game engaging with their opposition by running community footy clinics, sharing a dinner and guernsey presentation, taking part in a street parade and holding a combined training session, before attending the dawn service at the Australian National Memorial where the names of 10,733 Australian’s who lost their lives on the Western Front are listed.
Location: Villers-Bretonneux, France
Date: April 23-25, 2022
Current Holders: French Coqs (Men), Australian Spirit (Women)
Previous Winners:
Men
2009 – Australia by 119 points
2010 – France by 24 points
2011 – Australia by 133 points
2012 – France by 69 points
2013 – France by 41 points
2014 – Australia by 229 points
2015 – Australia by 49 points
2016 – Australia by 85 points
2017 – Australia by 39 points
2018 – Australia by 17 points
2019 – France by 42 points
2020 – Cancelled
2021 – Cancelled
2022 – TBD
Head to Head – Australia 7, France 4
Women
2016 – Australia by 102 points
2017 – Australia by 43 points
2018 – Australia by 53 points
2019 – Australia by 6 points
2020 – Cancelled
2021 – Cancelled
2022 – TBD
Head to Head – Australia 4, France 0
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The premiers of each Australian Football league from right around Europe compete for the crown of Europe’s leading club, on a day that sees close to 400 players play across 50+ matches throughout the day.
Held annually, the 9-a-side event is one of Australian Footballs premier international spectacles for men’s and women’s club sides.
Location: Sportpark De Eendracht complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date: April 9th, 2022
Current Champions: Amsterdam Devils (Men), West Clare Waves (Women)
Previous Winners:
Men
2015 – West London Wildcats
2016 – West London Wildcats
2017 – West London Wildcats
2018 – West London Wildcats
2019 – Amsterdam Devils
2020 – Cancelled
2021 – Cancelled
2022 – TBD
Women
2017 – Wimbledon Hawks
2018 – West Clare Waves
2019 – West Clare Waves
2020 – Cancelled
2021 – Cancelled
2022 – TBD
2018 Highlights:
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The annual 9-a-side tournament is AFL Europe’s premier event for university teams, which see’s sides from throughout Europe travel to compete on one jam-packed day of Australian Football.
Location: St. Peter’s Rugby Club, The Harlequins Playing Fields in Cardiff
Date: February 5th, 2022
Current Champions: UCC Bombers (Men) & Cambridge University (Women)
Previous Winners:
Men
2013 – UCC Bombers
2015 –Birmingham
2016 – Birmingham
2017 – UCC Bombers
2018 – UCC Bombers
2020 – UCC Bombers
2021 – Cancelled
2022 – TBD
Women
2016 – UCC Bombers
2017 – UCC Bombers
2018 – UCC Bombers
2020 – Cambridge University
2021 – Cancelled
2022 – TBD
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AFL Europe is excited to announce that applications are now open for the Australian Spirit and Umpiring team to participate in the 10th Annual ANZAC Cup in Villers-Bretonneux, France.
The 2018 ANZAC Cup will be extra special with it not only being the 10th ANZAC Cup but also the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. As such, the matches next year will take place on Wednesday 25th April following the Dawn Service.
The small town of Villers-Bretonneux in Northern France has a strong connection with Australian Armed Forces. On 24th April 1918, the town was captured by German forces. Overnight the Australian troops retaliated and by dawn on the 25th April 1918 the town had be retaken.
The ANZAC Cup is played between the Australian Spirit team and French national sides for both men and women and is part of the ‘Australia Week’ celebrations held in Villers-Bretonneux in the lead up to ANZAC Day.
Players and Umpires will be expected to arrive in VB by Midday on Tuesday 24th of April. Participants are expected to attend the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day and ideally stay with their billet family until Thursday 26th April.
The ANZAC Cup costs £100 per player/umpire and includes; full playing kit, team uniform, billeted accommodation, dinner on the Tuesday evening and lunch on the Wednesday.
Applications are welcome from any Australian or New Zealander with selection for the event emphasised on a player’s personal connection to WW1 and the Armed Forces and not just purely football/umpire ability.
Players/Umpires interested in applying for the 10th Annual ANZAC Cup should express interest to ben.durance@afleurope.org to receive an information sheet and application form. Application forms need to be returned by Friday 1st December to be considered.
ANZAC CUP Highlights 2017
afleuropehttp://afleurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/AFLEurope-3.pngafleurope2017-11-16 12:44:402017-11-16 12:44:40ANZAC Cup 2018 Applications Now Open!
