Playing in Australia

Ambassador Beazley Sends off the Freedom & Revolution to the International Cup

By: Denis Ryan

A couple of weeks ago I received a request from a Scott Bolitho of the Embassy of Australia. You see, Australia's Ambassador to the US, Kim Beazley, is the patron of the USAFL and he wanted to hold a reception in honor of the local Baltimore Washington Eagles players who were about to head down under and represent the US at the 2011 International Cup of Australian Football.

International Cup Draw Released

International Cup 2011

The AFL has released the draw for the International Cup to be held in Sydney and Melbourne August 12 – 27.  There will be 18 countries competing in the men’s competition. Round one will be a seeding round used to determine two divisions. Teams have been split into six groups of three with each team to play the other two teams in its group in lightning match format of 2 X 15 minute halves. Based on the results of round one the top twelve teams will be placed in Division 1 and the remaining six will make up Division 2.

Dan Lehane’s Journey to Australia to Represent the World 18

Dan Lehane is a 17 year old New York native who is in his fourth season with the New York Magpies.  Dan has been selected in the World 18 team that will compete in the under 16 2011 NAB AFL U16 National Championships in Sydney, Australia during the week starting July 11.

As part of his preparation Dan has embarked on a 6 week training program to ensure he is in top match condition for the tournament. He will also be travelling to Australia a few weeks early and playing some local games to get acclimatized.

New York Magpie Selected to World XVIII Team

World XVIIINew York Magpie Dan Lehane has been selected to the World XVIII Team for 2011.  The World XVIII Team is comprised of some of the best Under 18 players from around the globe and this year the team will compete in the National Under 16 Championships alongside the Australian state teams and the South Pacific representative side.

Leos to Debut this weekend against Torquay

Austin Crows wingman Jesse Leos (pictured left with Mark "Bomber" Thompson) has made the trip to Australia this year to play with the Barwon Heads football club in the Bellarine Football Leauge. After some preseason games and his first two regular season games in the reserves, Leos has this week been picked to play in the senior team against Torquay at Torquay.

The AFL are seeking new American talent

Shae McNamaraA SERIES of meetings in the United States next week could be the first step in creating an AFL career path for American college athletes, in a plan to discover a new type of ruckman.

AFL director of coaching Peter Schwab will spend next week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, which will also be attended by leading officials from several AFL clubs, with talent identification among his key objectives.

Call for Nominations for the 2011 World XVIII team

AFL

The Australian Football League (AFL) are calling for nominations from around the globe for the 2011 World XVIII Team. Please see Memorandum from AFL International Development Manager, Tony Woods: Building on the success of the 2010 World XVIII team which competed in the NAB AFL under 16 Championships we would like to call for nominations for 2011.

Sleepy Floyd in the Louisville Journal

"Floyd pursued conventional American sports — football, basketball, the high jump — at Holy Cross High School, where he graduated in 2006. He tried Australian rules football, which has a small but passionate core of players in Louisville. After four years he won an invitation to spend a season Down Under, where they take the game seriously."

Sars Interview on ABC Shepparton

When American Dan Sarbacker tried his hand at Aussie Rules football several years ago, little did he know the sporting experiment would take him across the world to the Mansfield Eagles in the Goulburn Valley Football League.
LISTEN TO DAN'S INTERVIEW ON ABC SHEPPARTON >

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