Bengal Tigers – winner of the East-North Zonal Championship 2023 (senior division)

ARFAI in partnership with Jharkhand Footy Association (JFA) as the local organising committee, organised the joint East-North Zonal Championship 2023 on 29 January at the Morabadi Mandir Ground in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The junior division title was won by the Jharkhand Crows defeating West Bengal (1-3-9 to 0-3-3) in a closely contested match, where both the teams did not give a chance to the opponent to score much in the game. In the senior division, the West Bengal Tigers won the title against the Jharkhand Crows with a good margin (6-4-28 to 0-5–5).

Returning to competitive football post Covid after a gap of nearly 3 years, ARFAI organised this inter-state championship comprising 6 states from the Eastern and Northern part of the country, a step away from the annual National Championship organised in the past and the slowly starting zonal championships in India. The 6 states comprising West Bengal Tigers, Odisha Swans, Rajasthan Eagles, Bihar Bulldogs, host state Jharkhand Crows and the debutant Uttar Pradesh Hawks, competed in junior and senior divisions with 178 players participating.

Jharkhand Crows – Winners of the junior division

In the senior division, the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award went to Amaresh Mondal from the Tigers who scored 3 goals in the Grand Final to seal the victory for his state team. (POT award not given) The ‘Best Goal’ was taken by Indian Captain Mahesh Tirkey playing for his home state Jharkhand. Mahesh who was also the leader of the local organising committee, balanced his organising responsibilities extremely well with his on field-performance, coupled with a knee injury as well. The ‘Best Defender’ was awarded to Shiba Marndi from the Odisha Swans team and the ‘Best Mark’ by Rajesh Rana from the Rajasthan Eagles. In the junior division the ‘Player of the Tournament’ was Niket Khalko from the Jaharkhand team. (Award not given).  The ‘Best Goal’ was scored by Sushil Kumar, the Vice Captain on the Eagles team, the ‘Best Mark’ was taken by Shubhash Bilung from the Crows while the ‘Best Defender’ trophy was awarded to Alok Kumar from the Bihar Bulldogs. The ‘Sayner’s Fair Play’ awards, supported by long-time supporters of ARFAI, the Sayner family led by Shane Sayner from Adelaide, Australia were won by the debutant Uttar Pradesh Hawks in senior division and Bihar Bulldogs in junior division.

ARFAI was honoured to host the Hon. Australian Consul General from Kolkata, Ms. Rowan Ainsworth who travelled over to Ranchi specially for the tournament and graced the event by her presence. A welcome dance by the indigenous community from the state was preformed to welcome her and she actively joined the group to shake a leg.  Among many other guests who attended the event to support the development of Footy in the state, ARFAI was pleased to host Mr. Madhukant Pathak, President of Jharkhand Athletic Association and Mr. Rajinder Prasad, President of Jharkhand Netball Association.

Girls from Ranchi and Khunti district of Jharkhand in action

Before the senior division semi-finals, Hon. Rowan Ainsworth thoroughly enjoyed the girls’ exhibition match that was organised between Ranchi and Khunti districts, two district teams of Jharkhand. The Grand Finals were both highly enjoyable as both the junior and senior teams tried to put in their best performances to win the Cup for their states. ARFAI executive committee member Mr. Priyank Choksi said “After spending more than 2 years in Covid without any action on the ground, I am glad to see the skill improvement of the players in this tournament. As per the conversations with the participants, they are keen to take Aussie Rules football to the next level in India, which I am delighted to be a part of”.

Footy Association of Bengal (FAB) organised their 7^th annual state championship at the Angrail Vidya Mandir Ground, Bangaon, West Bengal on the 23^rd January 2023. The Murshidabad district team took home both the senior and junior division Champions trophies, defeating the North 24 Parganas district teams in both the Grand Finals.

Six districts participated in the tournament that marked the return of competitive Footy in the state of West Bengal post Covid. Other district teams that participated were Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram and Purba Medinipur, with a total of 160 boys and girls participating on the day. The senior Murshidabad team won by a score of 46-20 while the juniors scored 26-19 to win the title. In the junior division the ‘Best Player’ was Ejaj Ahammed from Murshidabad district, ‘Best Mark’ award was won by Nobel Islam from Murshidabad district and the ‘Best Goal’ prize went to Dwip Mondal from North 24 Parganas district. In the senior division, the ‘Best Player’ trophy was awarded to Soyeb Ali from Murshidabad district, ‘Best Mark’ to Abu Bakir from Murshidabad district and ‘Best Goal’ trophy was won by Sk Rakesh from North 24 Parganas.

The Captain of Murshidabad Shaikh Shamim seemed very happy with the performance of his team (Murshidabad district), as he made sure to get the best out of every player in his team and this showed in the team’s performance on field.

An exhibition match was organised between two girls’s teams, who displayed various footy drills taught by their coach and former Team India player, Bishwajit Das. They play a very keen role in the footy development for the North 24 Parganas district. They aim to continue the training in their district and grow the sports with the youngsters.

The event was graced by the presence of The Director of Angrail Vidya Mandir – Mr. Shubad Kumar Vasu and also the Secretary of Angrail sporting club Mr. Debashish Gosh. They watched every match with great interest and also learned a few drills. ARFAI supported the event along with AFL Asia and FAB is grateful for the constant support.

A cultural program was conducted by the locals who penned and recited a poem based on the history of Footy in West Bengal – a delight to listen to in the local language – Bengali. There were around 800 locals who joined in to watch the matches all day. We can say, it was a great day of Footy festival organised by the Footy Association of Bengal (FAB).

Media Report

Jharkhand Footy Association (JFA) organised their 3^rd state championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Ranchi on 22^nd January 2023, marking the return for participants to Footy in the state after more than a two and half years gap. While the ‘Dhanbad’ district team won the senior division title defeating Bokaro district, while the ‘Ranchi’ district teams emerged winners for both the junior s and girls’ division, defeating Khunti district teams in both the games.

4 districts participated at the tournament including 120 boys and girls who played all day to win the trophies in their respective divisions. While many players displayed great skills in the game, in senior division the ‘Player of the Tournament’ trophy was awarded to Amar Roshan Bara from Dhanbad district and the ‘Best Mark’ was taken by Deepak Oraon from Bokaro district. In the junior division, the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award was won by Shubhas Bilung from Ranchi district and the ‘Best Mark’ award went to Rohit Khalko from Khunti district. In the girl’s division, the ‘Player of the Tournament’ was Alisha Tigga from Ranchi district and ‘Best Mark’ trophy went to Manisha Kachhap from Khunti district.

Shubhas was the best player in the junior division voted by all officials unanimously. He kept his personal practice continued even during Covid which is the secret to his fitness. Bansi Nayak and Nimay Tigga, former Jharkhand Crows junior team members have progressed from junior to senior division, where they are the youngest players in the team. They displayed excellent body technique and footy skills in the game and are looking forward to win the upcoming ARFAI Zonal Championship in Ranchi. Alisha Tigga has shown tremendous improvement in the game and looks like she will be ready to train the new players.

The locals did enjoy watching the match all day long. Few senior citizens also came forward enquiring about the rules of the sport to understand the game better. Hoping to see some senior citizens bring their grandchildren to introduce the game soon. The Chief Guest for the event Mr. Ajay Nath Shah Deo, former Deputy Mayor of Ranchi and Currently Vice-President of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), encouraged the boys to play the game with full enthusiasm and be an inspiration to the youth. Local media was also present at the venue to live telecast the final match on their prime-time news.

Going forward, the state association are looking forward to focus on introducing Indi-kick (under 14s) programs in a few schools that can inculcate Footy in their curriculum so that the sport starts growing form the grassroot level in Jharkhand.

Media report

Australian Football in India returns with the ARFAI East – North Zonal 2023

Inter-state Australian Rules Football competition in India returns after a long break due to the Covid pandemic with 6 states of Northern and Eastern India getting together for the joint East – North Zonal Championship.

Mahesh Tirkey receiving the award from Honourable Finance Minister of Jharkhand

ARFAI is proud to share that our Team India Captain Mahesh Tirkey was recently honored for his excellent accomplishment and sporting achievements through Australian Rules Football by the Jharkhand state government alongside multiple Olympians and Commonwealth Games gold medallists from the state of Jharkhand, India.

The ’Ummid Foundation’ organised a grand celebration on 2^nd January 2023, the occasion of 120^th birth anniversary of Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda. Mahesh Tirkey received the Jaipal Singh Munda Khel Ratna award 2022 from Honorable Mr. Rameshwar Oran, the Finance Minister of Jharkhand.

Jaipal Sigh Munda was an excellent sportsperson, great politician and an exemplary writer. He captained the Indian Hockey team to win the first gold medal at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. After his sporting career, he campaigned for the rights of the indigenous community as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Ritesh Oraon, Founder President of the Ummid Foundation, said that through these awards, the struggle, sacrifice and life story of Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda has to be taken to the masses and Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh is honoured by honouring the personalities of the soil of the state of Jharkhand. Jaipal Singh Munda was popularly known as ‘Marang Gomke’, which means ‘a great leader’.

Mahesh Tirkey who is awarded for his excellence in Australian Rules Football is a significant achievement for his efforts as a sportsman, a leader and also for his work in development of the Australian sport in Jharkhand. Additionally, it is a significant recognition for the sport of Australian Football in India and the national federation’s work to develop the sport in India. Mahesh has captained Team India at the AFL International Cup in 2017, along with representing India as the best player for the team in 2014 and 2017. Additionally, Mahesh has also led the Jharkhand state team at the ARFAI National Championship over the years to multiple champion and runner up trophies, including as the defending champions from the last national championship organised in India in January 2020 before the pandemic. Mahesh has led the development of Footy in various districts in Jharkhand.

Many other sports personnel like Sujit Munda who won the Blind Cricket T20 World Cup 2022, Shubha Laxmi Sharma who is awarded for her outstanding contribution towards women’s cricket in India and Rupa Rani Tirkey who bagged the historic gold medal for India at the Commonwealth Games 2022 for Lawn Bowl also received the Jaipal Singh Munda Ratna award.

Read more about the event here.

Winners (Sr) of the eight annual National Championship – The Jharkhand Crows

The eighth edition of the annual National Championship of Australian Rules Football in India organised by Australian Rules Football Association of India (ARFAI), resulted in the crowning of a new national champion in the senior division with Jharkhand Crows winning back the national title from Bengal Tigers by 05-02-32 to 03-04-22. The Bengal Tigers won the junior grand final for the very first time by defeating the 5-time defending champions Jharkhand Crows by a score of 04-04-28 to 02-05-17.

Each year, the tournament witnesses an increase in the level of competition, interest and development of the sport and this was added to the local crowd that gathered over the two days to watch a new sport they had never heard about. A crucial touch-point for the tournament success is the strong support displayed by the Australian umpires’ delegation that flew in from Bendigo, Australia to help organise the National Championship’2020. The delegation was led by Bendigo Umpires’ Association (BUA) Vice Chairperson Paula Shay and was supported by AFL Central Victoria from Australia.

Added to the group from Bendigo we had the privilege to host Shane Sayner, Treasurer of Port Pirie Football Club based out of the Australian state of South Australia and also a long-term supporter and well-wisher of ARFAI.

The gradual development of Footy in India is proved by the fact that every year, we have a new state debut in the National Championship and this year we had three teams making their debut from three different states.  A senior division debut was made by the Andhra Pradesh state team – Andhra Magpies alongside Jharkhand Crows, Bengal Tigers, Maharashtra Giants, Kerala Bombers, Rajasthan Eagles, Odisha Swans, Telangana Saints and Bihar Bulldogs. All though the Magpies failed to register a win, their efforts were loved and appreciated by all. The junior division also saw debut made by Bihar Bulldogs junior team and Telangana Saints junior team.

Debutants Andhra Pradesh Magpies vs Rajasthan Eagles

The ARFAI National Championship 2020 was organised at the Lalgola M.N. Academy ground in Murshidabad, West Bengal. ARFAI would like to recognise and appreciate the support provided by Footy Association of Bengal (FAB) and the Murshidabad Footy Association (MFA) in helping organise the national championship in the small country town of Lalgola, organised outside a big city for the very first time.

Day one saw a mix of very competitive league matches added to a few games where some of the more experienced state teams dominated over some of the newer states. The few hundred spectators gathered were all impressed by some of the high scoring games. The Kerala Bombers and Odisha Swans played some quality footy, improving their performance from the previous year.

The day also started with an opening ceremony including a march-past around the ground by all participating states letting the local crowd of Lalgola know that they have travelled all the way from their states to showcase their skills in the rapidly growing sport of Footy. They were led by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) troop from Lalgola before the customary national anthem of India was sung together by everyone attending the tournament to kick off the first league game between Bengal Tigers and Bihar Bulldogs (Sr.)

Snapshot from Crows Vs Tigers Grand Final with the crowd cheering for the teams

ARFAI has received increasing media attention every year and this year the interest from media personnel to understand the new sport caught everyone’s attention. We thank all the media houses from the state of West Bengal and Jharkhand along with local media houses from Murshidabad districts for taking interest in Australian Football and sharing the stories with sports lovers in the country.

Day two saw the remaining league matches in the morning deciding the finalists for the junior division along with the semi-finalists for the senior divisions. The Bengal Tigers and Kerala Bombers from Group A of senior division along with the Jharkhand Crows and Odisha Swans from Group B fought it out in the two most exciting games of the day. Bengal Tigers ended up defeating the Odisha Swans 01-08-14 to 01-03-09 in the first semi-final while the Jharkhand Crows defeated the Kerala Bombers 05-04-34 to 01-02-08 to repeat the historic and now traditional Bengal versus Jharkhand senior Grand Final.

The Bengal Tigers juniors led by their captain Selim Raja and coached by the veteran Biswajit Das put on a fantastic performance in the Grand Final to defeat the five-time reigning champions Jharkhand Crows and took the junior division trophy away from them for the very first time. The local crowd gathered cheering for the home state team broke loose and gathered on the ground to congratulate the winning team

The Senior Division Grand Final saw these two powerhouses of Indian footy facing off against each yet again. The Tigers started with intent and took control of the game early on. Led by their captain and star player Mahesh Tirkey (who was also the senior Player of the Tournament), Jharkhand Crows were determined to win back the title they had lost previous year to the Bengal Tigers. The Crows with a lot of experienced players in the side including five international players proved themselves in front of the crow that was supporting the home state.

The Senior finalists Jharkhand Crows & Bengal Tigers lining up with the Umpires before the Grand Final

Paula Shay from BUA was very happy to be back in India for the third time umpiring voluntarily at the ARFAI National Championship again. She thought “the skill level and enthusiasm grows each year and with it we expand the details of our coaching and umpiring. The distance the players can kick has increased dramatically, marking contests see two or three players reach for the sky and the final scores are higher due to increased goals (which can only happen from a kick with no interference)”.

ARFAI would like to thank the supporters for the event, including the Australian High Commission – New Delhi, the Australian Consulate General – Chennai, SEED, NEEDS, Buy Box Online, Bendigo Umpires Association (BUA), Essendon Football Club and the Gamila Nabin Sangha, West Bengal.

The Australian High Commission, New Delhi funded Direct Aid Program (DAP) to work with Australian Football in three eastern states of India is a fantastic recognition for the work put in by the state associations to develop Australian Rules Football in the states of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. ARFAI is a delivery partner of Kolkata based NGO – SEED, the managing partner for the program.

The programme kick-started on ground on 25^thJuly 2019 at the Angrail High School campus in Bongaon, West Bengal. Mr. Andrew Ford, the Australian Consul General to Kolkata inaugurated the program officially through a tri-state friendly tournament between the beneficiary states under the project. The teams comprised of the Youth Leaders from respective states, most of whom had not played the sport before and was introduced to the sport through a training session the very morning. The ARFAI coaches stopped the games at intervals to explain rules and techniques to be used during a game.

Video – Bengali News Channel Story

The program aims to provide life skill education to 2000 marginalized children from three eastern Indian states between the age of 10 to 16 years using Australian Rules Football (Footy) as a tool. Using sports as the leveler and creating a safe, welcoming environment for the children, help them get introduced to Footy and teach the best practices of life.

At the initial stage, there was a two-day training camp for the Youth Leaders and first batch of junior players. Day 1 saw introduction of Australian Football to the 45 Youth Leaders from the three states through an hour-long presentation indoors at Angrail High School campus followed by introduction of basic skills and rules of the sport outdoors. Upon completion of the same, the Youth Leaders were provided with the opportunity to participate in the sport themselves.

The Community Youth Leaders with ARFAI officials and trainers

Following the first-hand experience of participating in the sport themselves after the morning skills workshop, the Youth Leaders introduced the sport to the first batch of participants of West Bengal from two schools of Bongaon region in the evening.

On the second day, the 45 Youth Leaders from the three states (40 male and 5 female) were introduced to ARFAI’s Monitoring & Evaluation methods and made to sign the ARFAI’s Child Protection Policy (CPP). They were then provided with basic coach’s training of Australian Football before they were taken through a recap session on what they have learnt in the two days, details of the DAP program in their respective states, the tasks ahead and the process to follow by the ARFAI officials.

All three states organized a day long skills workshop for their state Youth Leaders in Ranchi – Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj – Odisha and Bongaon – West Bengal early in the month of August in preparation for the Youth leaders to be prepared and confident for rolling out introduction of the new sport in their respective districts.

Skills workshop for Youth Leaders in Odisha

The ARFAI coaches visited five districts each of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal in September and October along with the new Youth Leaders from those districts and were excited to find the development in skills of both the Youth Leaders and junior players (both boys and girls), added to the overflowing excitement for the new sport.

SEED carried out the life-skills education session in all three states to help develop the Youth Leaders while they continued training children in their own districts and once again, all participants cherished the opportunity that they have got to develop a new sport among children along with developing their own skills as individuals and leaders.

SEED conducted training programmes in all the three states in the ToT (Training of the Trainers) mode. All the Life Skill education sessions delivered to the ARFAI Youth Leaders were broken into five interactive, fun filled and thought-provoking sessions focusing on the following –

• Ice breaking session through a coordination game
• Goal setting
• Communication skills
• Leadership development skills
• Team building

SEED Life Skill trainer with the Youth Leaders in Jharkhand

In addition to the above, SEED carried out multiple workshops specially catered for the female students in the schools visited by ARFAI Youth Leaders to enhance the reproductive health and decision-making abilities of adolescent girls by using a participatory, community-development approach. The training module included-

• Understanding of their own selves and increase their capacities and life skills to deal with real life situations in both social and health spheres.
• Education through interpersonal communication with trainers of SEED and some relatable videos from YouTube. Social support networks created for the girls by forming women’s and adolescent community groups that get together every three months to increase understanding between mothers and daughters.

ARFAI and SEED looks forward to introducing the sport and life-skill training more widely across the three states, find talented athletes who can get the opportunity to excel in sports along with becoming leaders and role models in their own communities.