Aussie Rules International

Last updated

Aussie Rules International
Sport Australian rules football
JurisdictionInternational

Aussie Rules International (ARI) is an organisation which promotes and develops the sport of Australian rules football internationally. However, it is not recognised by the Australian Football League or any of its affiliates as having any official capacity in this regard. Committed to working with all stakeholders to assist the international growth of the sport, its focus is on:

Australian rules football Contact sport invented in Melbourne

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, or simply called Aussie rules, football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of eighteen players on an oval-shaped field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by kicking the oval-shaped ball between goal posts or between goal and behind posts.

Australian Football League Australian rules football competition

The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent and only fully professional men's competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body, and is responsible for controlling the laws of the game. Originally known as the Victorian Football League (VFL), it was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition from the Victorian Football Association (VFA), with its inaugural season commencing the following year. The VFL, aiming to become a national competition, began expanding beyond Victoria to other Australian states in the 1980s, and changed its name to the AFL in 1990.

ARI acknowledges the Australian Football League's (AFL) role as both the keeper of the code and the world governing body of Australian football.

Activities

Aussie Rules UK

See Aussie Rules UK

In 2005, ARI secured a government grant through Sport England to introduce Aussie Rules as a sport into schools in an effort to combat the growing obesity epidemic and build stronger communities through youth participation. A successful pilot began at Carshalton Boys School in 2003. The school eventually replaced soccer with Aussie rules in their curriculum for 2005. Also in 2005, the Thamesbridge College (Lions) and the Kew College (Crows) contested during the half-time break at an exhibition match in London between the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club in front of a strong crowd of 19,000. A second game also included Carshalton College. During 2005, 13 schools were trialled, with over 1,000 children participating in clinics and 4 schools entering teams in the London Youth Games, which is the largest youth sport event of its kind in Europe.

Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded partners, to grow the number of people doing sport; sustain participation levels; and help more talented people from all diverse backgrounds excel by identifying them early, nurturing them, and helping them move up to the elite level.

Obesity Medical condition in which excess body fat harms health

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to an extent that it may have a negative effect on health. People are generally considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight by the square of the person's height, is over 30 kg/m2; the range 25–30 kg/m2 is defined as overweight. Some East Asian countries use lower values. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases and conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and depression.

West Coast Eagles Australian rules football club

The West Coast Eagles Football Club, nicknamed The Eagles, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Australian Convicts

The Australian Convicts are a touring Australian amateur side, that has played Australian Rules matches in Europe (2003) and South Africa (2005).

Touch Aussie Rules

Touch Aussie Rules is a non-contact version of Australian football that is currently played in London, UK.

Major events

EU Cup

The inaugural EU Cup took place in London on 9 October 2005. The EU Cup was played under the rules of 9-a-side football (full contact) on fields conforming to standardised Rugby or Soccer dimensions (approx 100m x 65m). The primary intention of the tournament was to showcase Aussie Rules with a reduction in the number of players, so it can be played on sporting fields that are readily found in nearly every corner of Europe; without any loss in the excitement, skill or quality of the 18-a-side version of the game.

The competing teams were Israel, Catalonia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, England, Sweden, Scotland, France, and the Netherlands. Belgium defeated Sweden in the grand final.

Multicultural Cup

The Australian Football Multicultural Cup was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2004 and again in 2005 as part of Harmony Day. The aim of the event was twofold: to celebrate Melbourne's ethnic diversity and harmony, and to use the sport of Australian football (as Australia's only indigenous sport) to break down cultural and ethnic barriers.

A continuing aim is to use both the high profiles of the teams and contacts made during the event to generate interest in developing the Aussie Rules Football in the respective countries. Competing teams have included Australia, Israel, Lebanon, Croatia, Samoa, Tonga, Vietnam, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and a United Nations team(asylum seekers from nine different countries).

See also

Related Research Articles

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Australian rules football in Oceania

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Australian rules football in Asia

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References