ANZAC Cup

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 22-25, 2023

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 – Australia by 2 points

2023 – France by 110 points

 

Head to Head – Australia 8, France 5

 

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 – Australia by 22 points

2023 – Australia by 11 points

Head to Head – Australia 6, France 0

 

Champions League

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: Parc du Tremblay, Paris

Date: April 1st, 2023

Current Champions: Belfast Redbacks (Men), Cork Vikings (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 – Amsterdam Devils

2023 – Belfast Redbacks

 

Women

2017 – Wimbledon Hawks

2018 – West Clare Waves

2019 – West Clare Waves

2020 – Cancelled

2021 – Cancelled

2022 – Cork Vikings

2023 – Cork Vikings

 

2023 Live Streams:

Fitzpatrick Cup

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 11th, 2023

Current Champions: UCC Bombers (Men) & UCC Crusaders (Women)

Previous Winners: 

Men

2013 – UCC Bombers

2015 –Birmingham 

2016 – Birmingham

2017 – UCC Bombers

2018 – UCC Bombers

2020 – UCC Bombers

2021 – Cancelled

2022 – QUB

2023 – UCC Bombers

 

Women

2016 – UCC Bombers

2017 – UCC Bombers 

2018 – UCC Bombers

2020 – Cambridge University

2021 – Cancelled

2022 – Oxford

2023 – UCC Crusaders

Festival of Football

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.

Location: Around Europe

Previous Events: 

September 26th, 2020 – Europe unites for a spectacular day of footy

August 14th, 2021 – Ten hours separate first and final matches in jam-packed 2021 Festival of Football

Euro Cup

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: Nordmarksportfeld, Kiel, Germany

Date: July 8th, 2023

Current Champions: England (Men) & Ireland (Women)

Previous Winners: 

Men

2010 – Croatia

2011 – Ireland

2012 – Ireland

2013 –  England

2014 – Denmark 

2015 – Denmark 

2016 – Croatia

2017 – England 

2018 – Denmark

2019 – England

2020 – Cancelled

2021 – Cancelled

2022 – England

Women

2014 – Ireland 

2015 – England 

2016 – Ireland

2017 – England

2018 – Ireland 

2019 – Ireland

2020 – Cancelled

2021 – Cancelled

2022 – Ireland

Eligibility Information:

Euro Cup – Eligibility Policy

Frequently Answered Questions – Eligibility Criteria

AFL Europe Talent Combine

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

European Championships

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)

Previous Winners: 

Men

2013 – Ireland

2016 – Great Britain 

2019 – Great Britain

 

Women

2016 – Great Britain

2019 – Ireland

AFL Europe Grand Final Lunch

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

International Cup

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

ANZAC Cup 2018 Applications Now Open!

ANZAC Cup 2018 Applications Now Open!

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