AFL

The AFL announced today that FOX SOCCER Plus will be the 2012 telecast partner in the USA. The three-year deal will include two matches per week being televised live as well as a weekly one-hour highlights show.

The first match to be shown will be the derby clash between Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants and the Sydney Swans on March 23 (televised in the US on March 25 4:20amET/3:20amCT/2:20amMT/1:20amPT) followed on March 30 by Hawthorn and Collingwood (televised in the US on March 29 at 4:50amET/3:50amCT/2:50amMT/1:50amPT).

Earlier this week Clint Milner, President of the Nashville Kangaroos met with Cameron Vale, Chief Operating Officer of the North Melbourne Football Club and they established a more formal association between the two clubs.

"They were fantastic, extremely supportive and encouraging and we're working through the details now of what arrange will mean" said Milner,  “I have supported North Melbourne my entire life and when I came to America, I couldn’t just let my passion for the club fade away,” he explained.

Talented US college basketballer Alex Starling has been signed by the Sydney Swans after testing showed he had the athletic potential to make the switch to the AFL. Starling, 22, is finishing college in Florida but will make several visits to Sydney this year to meet with Swans’ coaching staff and develop his football skills.

He has been signed under the AFL’s International Scholarship Scheme, which will allow him to both  train with the Swans and complete his four year degree at Bethune-Cookman University. If things progress as planned, he will be recruited to the Swans’ senior list as an International Rookie in 2013.