AFL Europe works with DFAT to empower Women and Girls through Aussie Rules.

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The AFL footprint is extending beyond the shores of Australia at a rapid rate. Port Adelaide’s partnership in China, Europe’s continual growth in participation and the array of countries embracing Aussie Rules are increasing at a rapid rate. Countries as remote and varied as Palestine and Malta are jumping on board expanding the AFL bubble further outside of Australia.

On the 3rd of June in Palestine, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) hosted a ‘Young Women’s Sports Day’ in the capital of Ramallah. The Australian Representative Office (ARO) in Ramallah, in cooperation with the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Higher Council for Youth and Sport, organised the day which was attended by 11 to 16-year-old girls. AFL Europe collaborated with DFAT by sending every girl home with an Auskick pack and ball.

With expectations set at 100 girls attending, the organising committee was amazed to have 150 keen and excited participants. Girls from villages, refugee camps and sporting clubs in the West Bank area were in attendance; being even more impressive considering the mercury reached a top of 34 degrees.

Aussie Rules was a hit amongst all 150 Palestinian girls as they were put through the paces with some kicking and handballing drills before they went into a free-for-all match, with everyone joining in the fun.

The footies and Auskick packs were much appreciated souvenirs for the girls and will act as reminders of the amazing day they had learning Australia’s Game. No doubt they be making appearances around Ramallah in the near future.

Marcia Pius, Head of Office at the ARO, commented that they were “very proud to share our love of sport with the Palestinian girls, and hopes to build on our cooperation with Palestinian sports institutions and the broader community in future events”.

A enormous thank you goes to Marcia Pius, Lima Anfous, and Amani Hato in the Palestinian DFAT office for ensuring Australian Rules featured in such an amazing initiative. It was a pleasure to be able to assist in the delivery of such a special day for so many girls in Ramallah.

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Benjamin Durance

AFL Europe Match of the Round

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CEAFL Tournament 4/6/16

This week’s ‘Match of the Round’ is changing it up a little. Due to a fixture change for the CEAFL tournament which was initially meant to be held this weekend we’re going to do a review of their first tournament from the 4th of June that was held in Croatia.

The CEAFL or Central European AFL is a series of tournaments amongst countries in that region to supplement their domestic competitions.

The first tournament was held in Croatia on the 4th of June and included the teams: Zagreb Hawks, Zagreb Dockers, Zaprude Giants, Ploče Eagles, Sesvete Double Blues, Styrian Downunderdogs and the Velika Gorica Bombers.

The Zagreb Hawks won this league in both 2014 and 2015, however, this year sees a new set of favourites with the Zagreb Dockers and Zaprude Giants pushing for early favouritism.

This tournament saw teams were split into two groups.

Group 1:

  • Zagreb Hawks
  • Zaprude Giants
  • Ploče Eagles
  • Velika Gorica Bombers

Group 2:

  • Sesvete Double Blues
  • Styrian Downunderdogs
  • Zagreb Dockers

Games Review

Group 1 saw the Hawks topple the Bombers in a tight affair before giving the Ploče Eagles a tough game, winning that one by a bigger margin. The Giants won all their games and stamped their authority on the competition by letting everyone know who the favourites were in the group. Ploče edged out the Bombers for another year and locked in third place.

Final Standings:

  1. Zaprude Giant
  2. Zagreb Hawks
  3. Ploče Eagles
  4. Velika Gorica Bombers

Best on Ground:

Lenić (Giants), Galez (Giants), Mamić (Giants), Diklić (Hawks), Prtenjača (Hawks), Nedić (Bombers), Kežić (Eagles).

 

Group 2 saw the Dockers and Double Blues head to head in an absolute thriller. The Dockers kicked 2 goals in 2 minutes to edge past the Blues and claim victory. The Dockers cruised through their game with the DownUnderdogs, as did the Double Blues.

Final Standings:

  1. Zagreb Dockers
  2. Sesvete Double Blues
  3. Styrian Downunderdogs

Best on Ground:

Cvetko (Dockers), Ivoš (Dockers), Motik (Blues), Pavković (Blues), Jud (Downunderdogs), Schittegg (Downuderdogs)

Following the group stages the final series was played out. The Zaprude Giants dominated the Zagreb Dockers in the Final and proved they’ll be tough to beat in the remaining tournaments.

 

Best on Ground:

Ignacije Valečić

 

Team Reviews

Zagreb Hawks

After winning back-to-back Croatian leagues and CEAFL the Hawks lost some of their key players. Josip Habljak went to play in Sturt FC and that story is well known, Tomislav Cvetko, Croatian Knights Captain and one of the best players of the league went to play for Dockers. In this CEAFL they played without captain and best player, Jan Doležal.

Josip Kravar started to play at full forward and some rookies emerged to the team. The

Hawks were not focusing on winning the CEAFL or Croatian league, but to rebuild team with rookies in order to bring back the flag one day with young forces.
Maybe not the strongest team, but for sure most dedicated workers.

 

Zagreb Cvjetno Dockers

After the arrival of Tomislav Cvetko, the Dockers team won the Croatian league in 2015. Despite Cvetko, the Dockers have Croatian Knights in forward line that cause headaches for all team’s. Lovre Čudina, Ivan Ivoš and Tomislav Cvetko are making a difference and combined with strong midfielders (Ivan Molnar, Luka Čudina and Zvonimir Marinovic). Their strong and determined defence is what holds this team together.

Hot favourites for the CEAFL and Croatian league.

 

Zapruđe Giants

Maybe the only rivals to Dockers this year. The Giants have best midfield in this league (Murković, Lazanin, Mamić) and probably best defence led by Lenić and Galez.

They have lost Nedić as a skilful HF but compensate that with Benčić (last year’s rookie and Knights player).

Giants are strong team that can win against any other team if they play to their ability.

 

Sesvete Double Blues
After last year debut in Croatian league and CEAFL, the Blues grew into team that can play side by side with stronger teams. They lost to the Giants and Dockers in Croatian league this year due to inexperience and some rookie mistakes, but they have potential to hurt top teams.

They have a strong midfield group lead by Motik and Pavković and reliable defence with Djuran, Pecikoza and Karamatić junior. As well as this, Karamatić senior is forever dangerous in the forward line.

 

Velika Gorica Bombers

Founded by young Giant, Tomislav Nedić and Hawk, Filip Martincevic, who have given their best to start up a completely new team. Josip Josipović joined in their back line as an experienced player and gave them some confidence.

Bombers in their first year are still learning but showing a promising future with young players that work hard on and off the field.

 

Ploče Eagles

Ploče also started to play in the Croatian League and CEAFL in 2016. Found by Johnny Ante Rončević who has given his life to this club.  Youngest team in competition where midfield is led by 15-year-old players like Hrvoje Kežić, who in his first year is picked to play for Croatian Knights which proves his talent and potential.

Their strength is their unity and ability to play as a team and that is what matters. They proved to be better than Bombers in the last game and we are looking forward to watching their next game.

 

Styrian DownUnderdogs

Apart from some experienced players such as, Michi Jud and Lukas Holzegger, they’re predominantly rookies that are keen to introduce themselves into this league. They will continue to develop with the increased exposure and will hopefully stick together despite a few tough games ahead.

They haven’t won a game in Croatia for a long time and they are hoping to change this.

 

Looking Forward

The next CEAFL Cup is on the 9th of July in Graz followed by another tournament in Prague on the 10th of September.

A special thanks to Josip Kravar for provding AFL Europe with such a thorough breakdown of the first CEAFL tournament. We look forward to hearing all things footy in the future.

 

Member Offer Thursday

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Did you know that you can buy Official AFL Merchandise from shop.afl.com.au overseas?

Today’s Member Offer Thursday’s is 10% off the AFL Shop when you sign up to the newsletter.

Click here to get started!

 

Player of the Week – Filipe Lenic

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Each week AFL Europe is profiling a European player and finding out how they got into the great game of Aussie Rules and a bit about themselves. If you’d like a profile or know of someone who would, then email ben.durance@afleurope.org to receive a question sheet.

This week sees our first player profile outside of England. Filipe Lenic, nicknamed the ‘Killer Whale’ is born and bred in Zagreb, Croatia. He is a founding member of the Zaprude Giants and was a major factor in the first premiership in 2012. Filip is a regular in the Croatian National side who the coach says is irreplaceable due to his competitive spirit. He represented the European Legion in 2014 and is widely regarded as one of the toughest players to come out of Croatia.

Name:

Filip Lenic

Club:

Zaprude Giants

Nationality:

Croatian

What position do you play?

Half-back

Favourite AFL player:

Ex European Legion teammate, Josip Habljak

How did you find out about AFL?

The AAFC footy school

How long have you been playing for?

Since 2011

What is your memory of your first Aussie Rules game?

Forcing my opponent to earn mark and goal

Best AFL moment?

Winning the 2012 Croatian Premiership

Any other interesting information, quirky stories or interesting things about yourself?

Nicknamed the ‘Killer Whale’.

 

Tuesday Around the Grounds

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Demons ‘Freeze the C’ for MND

Despite going down in all three grades on the weekend the Wandsworth Demons had major success off the field. The big ‘Freeze at the C’ took place with an array of homemade cupcakes, beanies, hats and raffles seeing the Demons raise over 2300AUD for the Cure for MND Foundation. A simply amazing result.

Special thanks goes out to the great support of the opposition West London Wildcats, Jimmy Perrett, Ash Walsh, all the girls who helped at the stall and last but not least, Gaby Duncan. Days like these go to show how amazing football clubs are.

Amazing initiative Demons.

Demons

 

Cock fight ends in a thriller between the two Parisian sides

It was a changing of the guard in the French capital at the weekend. 2015 CNFA premiers, the Paris Cockerels, went down in a thriller to their little brothers, the Paris Cockatoos, 18.5. 113 to 13.8. 86.

The French league is certain to crown a first-time premier in two weeks’ time with minor premiers, Cergy-Pontoise Coyotes winning through in their semi-final by claiming a 4-point win against Toulouse.

The CNFA is fast developing into one of the premier competitions across Europe and no doubt the AFL Europe community will be keeping a close eye on the Grand Final in Bordeaux on the 25th of June. Watch this space for a match preview of that game.

COCK!

 

Port Malmo go back-to-back to claim the 2016 Swedish Cup

The Port Malmo Maulers continued their dominance in Sweden claiming the Swedish Cup in Norrtalje for the second consecutive year. The day was a huge success with the tournament getting a full page spread in the local paper. A big shout-out to all those who put this amazing tournament together.

Final standings for the day were as follows:

  1. Port Malmo Maulers
  2. Sodermalm Blues
  3. Norrtalje Dockers
  4. Oslo Crows
  5. Mixed Bags
  6. Arsta Swans

Swedish Cup 2

 

GB Swans meet in Birmingham and name their first 17 for AFL Europe Champs in August

British girls from all across the country made the trip to Birmingham at the weekend for a fantastic training session in the lead up to the AFL Europe Championships in August. The first 17 girls were selected to represent Great Britain following the session.

Congratulations to the following girls on making the GB Swans side:

Beth Bailey

Jen Bennett (Wimbledon Hawks)

Freya Blount (University of Birmingham)

Lea Cobham (North London Lions)

Lousie Darby (Wimbledon Hawks)

Charlie Eales (Wimbledon Hawks)

Chloe Hall (University of Birmingham)

Stacey Hughes (Glasgow Sharks)

Lucy Jones (University of Birmingham)

Rose Lewis (Wandsworth Demons)

Laura Mackay (University of Birmingham)

Rania Ramadan (North London Lions)

Alex Saulter (North London Lions)

Danni Saulter (North London Lions)

Caroline Sellar (Glasgow Sharks)

Laura Turner (North London Lions)

Lisa Wilson (Wimbledon Hawks)

GB Swans

 

Johan clocks up 100 of the best

Sodermalm Blues didn’t quite get the win at the Swedish Cup at the weekend but that didn’t dampen their spirits. Club stalwart Johan was elevated to legend status are clocking up his 100th game for the Blues. An absolutely amazing achievement Johan, well done.

 

Lisbon, Portugal announced as Euro Cup location

AFL Europe last week announced Lisbon, Portugal as the location for this year’s instalment of the Euro Cup. The Euro Cup is the premier 9-a-side national tournament for season 2016 and is set to be an incredible weekend in Portugal.

For more information regarding the tournament please email sarah.ongarello@afleurope.org

http://afleurope.org/euro-cup-2016/

 

AFL CNE top of the table blockbuster doesn’t disappoint

AFL CNE is the most competitive it’s ever been in season 2016. The weekend saw the two top sides the Manchester Mozzies and Wolverhampton Wolverines go head-to-head with the winner asserting their dominance coming into the backend of the regular season.

The Mozzies came out on top in what proved a scintillating contest in wet condition with the game staying within two kicks for the duration. The final score read 11.20. 86 to 10.13. 73 in favour of the Manchester boys.

 

Benjamin Durance

AFL Europe Match of the Round

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Swedish Cup – Norrtälje Sportcentrum 11/6/16 8am

The Swedish Cup is AFL Sweden’s annual, one day tournament. The 2016 tournament will be hosted by Norrtälje Dockers and played in a 9-a-side, round robin format to determine the premiers of AFL Sweden.

The 2016 edition of the Swedish Cup this year is promising to be the biggest and best yet, with men, women and juniors all participating. The men will play 5 group games, all playing each other before a top of the table clash in the final. The women will play 4 matches throughout the day and combine for the final, while the Juniors will play one match to showcase the growth of the sport at a grass roots level.

The men’s teams participating are the Port Malmö Maulers, Södermalm Blues, Oslo Crows, Årsta Swans, Norrtälje Dockers and a mixed team made up of players from Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Bromma and Solna. Whilst the women will have a two team format with the Port Malmö Lynx and a combined Stockholm/Oslo team.

The Port Malmö Mauler’s Jonas Lovén, is getting himself ready for a big day with the Maulers looking to keep a firm grip on the cup as reigning champions. “We’re all looking forward to a great tournament in Norrtälje and especially to defend last year’s title. After some tough games drinking beer from the cup is always the goal of the mighty Maulers”

The Maulers participate in the Danish league due to their location but are still very prominent in the Swedish competition. Coach of the Maulers and the national Swedish team, Brett Petersen is excited to coach the team in tomorrow’s tournament, “Coming off 2 big wins in the DAFL, Maulers are looking to be a strong force in this Swedish cup. Maulers leading goal kicker Ben Polmear is one to keep an eye on in this tournament”

Ben Polmear is ready to defend the title although, “we’re missing a few players from last year’s tournament the team of hungry beasts making the trip up to Norrtälje this year are more than capable of defending our title as Sweden’s top 9-a-side footy club.”

Södermalm Blues participated in this year’s AFL Europe Champions League coming 8th in the prestigious tournament. A few players to watch in the Blues would be Mick Larsson, Rob Njoku (better known as Mr T) and Dylan O’Keefe. The much anticipated return of Ivan Rexed will also add depth to the Blues as they fight for the title.

The Oslo Crows have frequented the Swedish Cup in the past years. Winning the Cup in 2013 and 2014, the Crows unfortunately displayed a disappointing performance in 2015 due to lack of inexperience and numbers. Back with a vengeance, Amund Lundesgaard is ready and bringing a fighting group to reclaim the Swedish Cup.

The Årsta Swans have a few guns to watch out for during this year’s tournament. Chris Murr, Che Ramirez, Rob Young, Mattis Kvarnström all add strength and well tuned skills to the Swans team making them strong contenders.

The mixed team will be made up of players from Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Bromma and Solna giving the team a great chance at a shot at the title. This mixed bag could well and truly take out the title with their pick from these 4 strong clubs. Experience will be the key here with the ageless Andreas Svensson, now in his 40’s, Svensson will be playing along side his young son.

The Norrtälje Dockers are proud to have the Swedish Cup tournament back in Norrtälje at the premier Australian Rules sporting facility in Sweden. Norrtälje have had their best start to a premiership season since their creation in 2012 and will be looking to continue that trend in the Swedish Cup. A strong showing of players will ensure that all matches against the Dockers will be hard fought and there is surely not to be a repeat of the 3 draws at last year’s tournament.

The Port Malmö Lynx are extremely happy that the Norrtälje women’s team, made up of Stockholm and Oslo, will be at the Sweden Cup. The anticipation is high regarding the new players they will get to come up against. It’s also exciting to see what new talent could be on offer for the national team. Ryan Davidson, coach for the Port Malmö Lynx and Swedish Ravens will have a keen eye out for what talent he can bring to Lisbon for the AFL Europe Euro Cup this October.

Good luck to all the men, women and juniors involved! We look forward to seeing who takes out the coveted title. #AFLinEurope

Demons set to ‘Freeze the Common’ in Cure for MND

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It may be summer here in London but that’s not stopping the Wandsworth Demons doing their part in fundraising for the now annual, ‘Big Freeze at the G’ happening over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in Australia.

The ‘Big Freeze’ is the initiative of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) sufferer and former AFL legend, Neale Daniher. The event takes at the Queen’s Birthday clash between the Melbourne Demons and Collingwood Magpies. It sees well-known footy celebs and personalities rally together and take the plunge in a freezing cold pool of ice to raise funds and awareness for the currently incurable MND.

Notable footy celebrities to get frozen this year include, Geelong Premiership Captain Cameron Ling, Essendon and GWS legend Coach Kevin Sheedy, and Brisbane Lions superstar, Jonathon Brown just to name a few. Let’s not forget the headline act, Neale Daniher, will be taking the plunge this year. Daniher, the ex-Essendon and Melbourne player and coach, was diagnosed with MND three years ago and is slowly showing the debilitating effects the disease, such as speech impediment and movement loss, can have on the sufferer.

This Saturday AFL London’s version of the Demons, The Wandsworth Demons, will not only be hosting the West London Wildcats in a top of the table clash at Clapham Common, but they’ll also be putting in their best efforts off the field aiming to raise funds and awareness for the incredibly debilitating disease that is MND.

MND is close to the heart of event organiser, Gaby Duncan, who grew up with the Daniher family and is thrilled to be able to mirror the fundraising efforts of the ‘Big Freeze at the G’ whilst over the other side of the world, here in London. Ms Duncan said “It means a lot that I can continue to help raise some much needed funds for research into finding a cure of MND, as well as support my close friends Loz, Bec and the Daniher family. I’m very thankful of the Demons and Club President Jimmy Perrett, who was fantastic and jumped on board as soon as we suggested the idea. Hopefully we can start something this year that will get bigger and better next year to help ‘Cure for MND’ achieve its aim to increase awareness, improve care for sufferers and increase funding to find a cure”.

Wandsworth Demons Club President, Jimmy Perrett furthered Ms Duncan’s sentiments saying “this cause is one that is quite personal to many Demons, including myself. We’re getting together on Saturday to do our part for the ‘Cure for MND’ Foundation, not only to raise funds for such a great cause but also raise awareness throughout the London AFL league. This may start small, but it has the scope to grow into something big in the years to come”.

With hats, beanies, a cake sale and raffles, including a signed GWS Jumper, the day is set to be an absolute blast. With the event running in conjunction with the first game at Clapham Common for Season 2016 expect this to be a special day. If you’re in the area and want to be a part of not only a great, action-packed day of Aussie Rules, but also aid the efforts of Neale Daniher, and the ‘Big Freeze at the G’, then make your way down to Clapham Common this Saturday the 11th of June from 11am.

Any help or donations are greatly appreciated and supports in raising the profile of MND as well as assisting in finding a cure.

For further information, please click the link below, or if you’d like to help out on the day please contact Jimmy Perrett at demonspresident@outlook.com.

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For more about Freeze MND click here.

 

 

Benjamin Durance

MEMBER OFFER THURSDAY

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Watch AFL is offering a free pass for theAFL Round 12. Jump on, register and click FREE ROUND PASS option today at http://watchafl.afl.com.au/.

Want to buy a pass? Use the code AFLEUR2016 for a discount.

EURO CUP 2016

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The 2016 AFL Europe Euro Cup will take place in Lisbon, Portugal this year on October 8th 2016.

Registration will include accommodation again, similar to last year – more information to come!

Email sarah.ongarello@afleurope.org for any queries, questions or to confirm your team’s attendance!

Round 12 Broadcast Schedule – UK & Ireland

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AFL ‪Round 10 Broadcast Schedule for the UK & Ireland is:

 
10/6 10:30am BST (Live) Essendon FC v Hawthorn FC
11/6 4:30am BST (Live) Port Adelaide FC v Western Bulldogs
11/6 10:00am BST (Live) Geelong Cats v North Melbourne
12/6 4am BST (Live) St Kilda FC v Carlton Blues  
13/6 6:00am BST (Live) Melbourne FC v Collingwood Magpies
14/6 19:00 BST Highlights

 

**WatchAFL is offering viewers a free weekend pass! Register and click FREE ROUND PASS!**

 

For all games live and on demand jump onto www.watchafl.afl.com.au and subscribe with the code AFLEUR2016