General

The AFL todayreleasedthe fixturefor the inaugural Australian Football
International Cup, to decide the championship of Australian football
beyond the game's home shores.

Eleven teams haveconfirmed entry with the AFL's International Development
Committee forthetournament, which will be contestedin Melbourne
fromAugust 14-23 later this year--Papua New Guinea, New Zealand,
Ireland, Nauru, USA, Denmark, Great Britain, Samoa, Canada, Japan and
South Africa.

It's a new year, and it's almost time for the inaugural AZAFL Metro Footy
Tournament (FEBRUARY 8th-10th). In order to plan all the events properly,
we need to know which clubs are planning on attending. We need to know
approximate how many people each club is bringing by FRIDAY, January 11th
if
not sooner.

We have also struck a deal with the airport Hilton, so let us know if you
plan on staying there or if you'll be making other arrangements.

The USAFL is pleased to announce that Jeff Farnham has been appointed to the Vice President - East (VPEast) position. The VPEast position, vacant since original appointee Darren Beazley resigned in order to take a professional position in Australia, is a part of the USFooty Executive Board.

"I'm thrilled," said Jeff, the former President of the New York Magpies. "It's a role I take very seriously with responsibilities to the clubs in the Eastern U.S. I'm looking forward to working with all the eastern clubs."

Gary Hill, coach of the American Revolution, the United States National Australian Football team, added some extra excitement to Round 2 of the AZAFL when he made the trip to Phoenix to put on a coaching clinic for the leagues aspiring coaches. Thanks to excellent negotiation from John Pops Meier, AZAFL Commissioner, and great organization by Sam Yabbie Conrad, Steve Mom Hoza, and Revolution team member Jeff Fingers Purcell, the clinic paired with Round 2 to make for an excellent weekend of footy development in the Valley of the Sun.