| Formation | 2010 |
|---|---|
Region served | Europe |
Membership | 19 |
Parent organization | AFL Commission |
| Website | AFL Europe |
AFL Europe is the regional governing body for Australian rules football in Europe. As of 2018, it organises the AFL Europe Championship and the Euro Cup, and previously managed the European Legion representative team as well being responsible for the organisation of the ANZAC Cup, Fitzpatrick Cup and AFL Europe Champions League. [1]
AFL Europe also organises the European combine which provides a direct pathway to the Australian Football League.
Australian football has been played regularly in Europe since the late 1980s when leagues formed in England and Denmark. These first leagues led to the first international game between two European teams was played in 1994 between Great Britain and Denmark. [2]
As more leagues were formed, more international games began to be organised. Historical international competitions played by European teams include the Atlantic Alliance Cup, Central European Australian Football League Championships and the European Australian Football Tri-nations Tournament.
The growth of Australian football in Europe led to the need for a central body that was accountable to the member organisations. At the 2005 EU Cup a conference was held which formed the body Aussie Rules Europe as a promotional body. ARE was superseded after a conference at the 2009 EU Cup the decision was made to form such a body at another conference the following January. The January conference was held in Frankfurt, Germany and the European Australian Football Association was founded. At an October, 2010 conference in Parabiago, Italy the members of the EAFA voted to change the organisations's name to AFL Europe, to fall in line with the Australian Football League. [3]
Headquartered in London, and affiliated to the Australian Football League, AFL Europe's responsibilities include assisting member Leagues and Associations, promoting the sport, managing and delivering major events, overseeing an Elite Talent Identification programme for the AFL and engaging with commercial and community partners.
Beginning in 2013 the annual Colleges and Universities Cup is named after current AFL Chairman, Mike Fitzpatrick. Generally played by Irish and English Universities and Colleges, with the 2016 edition being held in Birmingham for the second year running. [5]
A new event first held in March 2015, contested as a one-day lightning carnival involving the club champions of all the various European leagues. The inaugural Champions League was won by the West London Wildcats in Amsterdam. [6]
Beginning in 2012 and played in Villers-Bretonneux to commemorate the ANZAC's and the historic liberation of the town in World War II by Australian forces. A team of Australian players selected based on their connection to the ANZAC heritage to play in a game against the France national team, which is a centrepiece of the annual commemorations. The current tally stands at 4 wins to Australia and 3 wins to France. [7]
Starting in 2015, the first corporate event held by AFL Europe to raise awareness of Aussie Rules internationally was held in Australia House in London. The function was run in conjunction with the South Australia Club and was hosted by Bill Muirhead (Agent General for South Australia and AFL Europe Ambassador). The ticketed event provided a unique opportunity for attendees to connect with the UK and Australian business communities while creating exposure for AFL Europe and our great game. [8]
An annual nine-a-side footy competition. The Euro Cup was originally known as the EU Cup, the name was changed after teams representing non European Union countries started participating. The Euro Cup is partially intended as a developmental tool to allow participation for countries without enough players to form a full team. [9]
Held every three years, this full format competition determines the Champions of Europe and has taken place twice since the inaugural championship in Denmark and Sweden in 2010. The reigning champions are Ireland who won the most recent championship on home soil with a goal on the final siren against neighbours Great Britain, maintaining a 100% record in the Championships. [10]
AFL Europe also support a range of events and tournaments throughout the UK and Europe which can be seen in the Calendar on the AFL Europe Website. [11]
The Legion represents the whole of Europe in Australian football. The Legion's first game was an Under 21 game against the AFL-AIS Academy Australian Under 17 team in London, England. The Europe team had only been together for three days, which showed in the 27.21 (183)-2.0 (12) scoreboard. The Legion's colours are the blue and gold of the Flag of Europe and white. [12]
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of September. In other team sports, like association football or basketball, it is generally from August or September to May although in some countries – such as Northern Europe or East Asia – the season starts in the spring and finishes in autumn, mainly due to weather conditions encountered during the winter.
The Australian Football International Cup is a triennial international tournament in Australian rules football. It is the biggest international tournament in the sport that is open to all nations. More than 26 nations have participated and the competition has expanded into multiple pools and both men and women's divisions. At the time of the last tournament in 2017, the sport had a record 170,744 registered players outside Australia growing at a rate of 25 per cent per annum.
The Geography of Australian rules football describes the sport of Australian rules football played in more than 60 countries around the world. By 2017 more than 26 nations had contested the Australian Football International Cup, the highest level of worldwide competition.
The Irish national Australian rules football team represent Ireland in Australian rules football and is selected from the best Irish born and raised players primarily from the clubs of the Australian Rules Football League of Ireland but also playing abroad.
Australian rules football has been played in Sweden since 1993, with the game currently played in Helsingborg, Malmö, Lund, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Karlstad, Falun, Norrtälje and Uppsala. A national governing body was formed in 2007 under the name Svenska Australisk Fotbollsförbundet or AFL Sweden.
Women's Australian rules football, is the female-only form of Australian rules football, generally with some modification to the laws of the game.
Australian rules football in France is played in both league and cup based formats. As of the 2017/2018 season there are eight clubs based in Paris, Bordeaux, Perpignan, Toulouse, Blagnac, Lyon, and Cergy-Pontoise that compete in the national league. The Commission Nationale de Football Australien (CNFA) is the official governing body for Australian Football in France. In addition to the teams that compete in the national league, there are a number of other teams either in formation or playing in friendly and cup matches, these teams are located in Strasbourg, Bayonne, Montpellier, Lille and Antony. There are four tournaments held annually, the national league known as the French National Championship and three cup competitions; the French Cup, North Cup and South Cup.
AFL South Africa is the governing body and federation for Australian rules football in South Africa. Its name is due to its formal affiliation in 2004 to the AFL Commission the game's world governing body.
The Euro Cup is an international Australian rules football tournament played between European national teams. Played under 9-a-side Footy rules, the tournament was first held at Chiswick in London, England in 2005, created by Australian Football International. A women's cup has been played between more than two teams since the 2014 tournament.
Australian rules football in Scotland describes the sport of Australian rules football being played and watched in the country of Scotland. It is a minor, relatively unknown sport, currently played at amateur level by five clubs spread across the regions of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife and West Lothian. The Haggis Cup, a major invitational tournament hosted in Scotland, has been run annually since 2004.
Australian rules football in Oceania is the sport of Australian rules football as it is watched and played in the Oceanian continent. The regional governing and development body is AFL South Pacific it is affiliated to the AFL Commission and was formed in 2008.
Australian rules football in Asia dates back to 1910 but was only sporadically played until the 1980s after which it has boomed. Clubs have begun in most Asian countries and a governing body for the region, AFL Asia was formed in 2008 to coordinate the Asian Championship and promote its affiliated leagues. AFL Asia estimates that there are now more than 10,000 Australian Football players across the continent.
Australian rules football is played in Europe at an amateur level in a large number of countries. The oldest and largest leagues are those in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, in each of these nations there are several established clubs, and organised men's, women's and juniors programs. The British AFL has now expanded into Welsh, Scottish and English leagues. The Danish AFL has been responsible for the expansion of Australian Football into Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway. The governing body for Australian Football in Europe was founded in Frankfurt in January 2010; the body was initially called the European Australian Football Association, but changed its name to AFL Europe at a general assembly meeting in Milan in October of the same year. It currently has 22 member nations. AFL Europe, with backing of the AFL in Australia has overseen a large improvement in the organisation of Australian football in Europe.
Australian rules football in the Middle East describes the minority sport of Australian rules football as it is watched and played in the Middle East region.
Australian rules football has been played at an organised amateur level in the United States and Canada since around 1990. There have also been clubs formed for occasional play in Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Colombia.
Huddersfield Rams is an Australian rules football team, based in the West Yorkshire town of Huddersfield, England. They were formed in November 2008 by Karl Haigh, who was introduced to the sport when travelling in Australia.
Australian Rules Football was played by three clubs in Iceland, with the Andspyrnusamband Íslands being the main league and controlling body for the sport. The IceAFL was founded in 2009, and regular competition commenced in 2010. The league was the world's most northerly Australian Rules Football league. Since the inaugural Arctic Cup competition Australian Rules Football hasn't been played in Iceland.
The AFL Europe Championship is a triennial international Australian football competition played between European national teams. The European Championship is played in a full traditional 18-a-side format unlike the Euro Cup which has a 9-a-side format. It is organised by AFL Europe and held every three years.
AFL England is the governing body for Australian Rules Football in England. It was formed in 2012 to succeed AFL Britain with the aim to be more effective in governing the game in England, as both Scotland and Wales had developed their own autonomous bodies.
Australian Football International (AFI), is a world development body for the sport of Australian rules football. The organisation has developed a version of the sport known as Footy 9s that it claims will support global expansion of Australian rules football, and lead to it becoming an Olympic sport.
