Courtesy: worldfootynews.com

Published: 31st December, 2012.

After a few years of hard work to get Footy rolling in different parts of the country, finally AFL India successfully hosted the inaugural Aussie Rules tournament in India earlier this month, at Kozhikode, a southern Indian coastal city in the state of Kerala. The tournament saw five teams – the Mahim Cats and Matunga Tigers from Mumbai, North Kozhikode Bombers and South Kozhikode Giants from Kozhikode and Madurai Kangaroos from Madurai, playing each other in a round robin format to qualify for the Grand Final.

A fantatsic show of skills and sportsmanship were on display as the players from different sporting and economic backgrounds and different age groups faced each other, all aiming to lift the first ever AFL India – OGM Cup, sponsored by Perth based mining company OGM, along with its Indian counterpart RP Group of Companies. Eventually it was an all Kozhikode Grand Final, where the Giants were beaten in a close contest by the Bombers, who clinched the trophy.

The tournament was organised by Australian Football Association of Kerala at Malabar Christian College grounds in Kozhikode, Kerala on 2nd December 2012, and was inaugurated by Dr. Muneer, honourable Minister of Social Welfare and Panchayat, Government of Kerala, who handed over the match ball to the umpires.

The day saw some fantastic display of natural ability from players of different age and backgrounds fighting it out on the ground, who were showcasing their footy skills for the first time in a structured tournament of its kind, not to forget the great display of sportsman spirit at every opportunity. The inaugural match was played between hosts South Kozhikode Giants facing Matunga Tigers, resulting in a big victory for the Giants, who ultimately qualified for the finals undefeated throughout the league stage.

On the other hand, the North Kozhikode Bombers, Mahim Cats and Madurai Kangaroos put in a great effort throughout the day, with Bombers edging past all the other teams apart from the Giants to qualify for the Grand Final, making it an all-Kozhikode affair. The Tigers and Kangaroos on the other hand got a victory each to cherish, which will be good encouragement for them to do better in future tournaments. The Cats on the other hand will surely be ready to attack every opponent in future tournaments to snatch away their first victory. The league stage also saw all the officials from AFL India, whose hard work resulted in finally organizing the tournament, take on the umpires’ role alternatively and also put on jumpers of their choice to try and help their teams score a few more goals, but more so to remind everyone that Footy is a game for everyone to enjoy together.

The Grand Final saw an exciting, close contest between Giants and Bombers, who were rightfully in the finals given their dedicated training schedule, which comprised of an hour of regular training at the Kozhikode beach for nearly six months. But one also has to keep in mind that both the host city teams had a clear advantage when it came to physical size of the players, as compared to the other three teams. The Giants who had defeated the Bombers in the league stage and had entered the final unbeaten, were taken by surprise by the sudden Bombers’ counter-attack, who went on to defeat the Giants 3-1-19 to 1-5-11 and lifted the inaugural AFL India – OGM Cup from the hands of Mr. Peter Puliattu, representative of the title sponsors OGM / RP Group and Mr. Boby Chemmanur, Director of the Chemmanur Gold Company, who were the guest of honor for the prize distribution ceremony. There were also three special prizes for the players, namely the ‘Richmond Tigers Player of the Tournament’ won by N.V. Abdul Ashraf from South Kozhikode Giants, ‘Essendon Bombers Best Goal’ won by Sumesh Sawant from Matunga Tigers and ‘GWS Giants Best Mark’ won by R. Raja from Madurai Kangaroos.

AFL India would like to thank all the three AFL Clubs, Richmond Tigers, Essendon Bombers and GWS Giants for their support towards the historic tournament, along with the other sponsor Australia Unlimited. A special thanks to Australian Cricket legend Steve Waugh for being a patron for our tournament, whose involvement helped attract a lot of attention, probably a much required strategy to attract the cricket fans in India. We are also grateful to Reclink Australia for providing the wonderful support in helping Lincoln Harris set up the Mumbai teams and Rick Shrowder, Director of Global Community Sports, based in England, for the wonderful work he has put it in the city of Madurai, which culminated in the formation of the Madurai Kangaroos team with the help of Syed Ali, Rick’s man on ground in India, and his entire team. We would also like to thank Rhan Harris, Ambassador of Reclink Australia for flying up to Kozhikode from down under specially for the tournament, and sharing his skills and knowledge with the players from all the teams and training the umpires for the tournament.

Also thanks to the Indian media, specially the state media from Kerala, who showed immense support both during the first press conference for AFL India, organized on 1st December at Calicut (former name of Kozhikode) Press Club, to introduce people to the new sport, announce the decisions taken at the board meeting and information regarding the tournament and also during the tournament.

Earlier a board meeting was held on 30th November 2012 in Kozhikode, where the national governing body of Australian Rules Football in India got together and decided to register ‘Australian Rules Football Association in India’ with the Indian Government. The meeting was presided over by Tom Calder, Australian Trade Commissioner in India. The meeting resulted in the decision that Mr. P. A. Hamsa from Kozhikode, Kerala, will be the new President of the national governing body, with Sudip Chakraborty from Kolkata, West Bengal as the Secretary General, and Rajeev Tharani from Kozhikode as the Treasurer. The Vice Presidents of the body are Tom Calder from New Delhi and Mr. Ashim Dawn from Kolkata, with Rick Shrowder, Lincoln Harris and A. Syed Ali as executive committee members of the board.

Australian Rules Football Association in India plans to make this tournament an annual event with participation from more number of states in India next year, making it a bigger footy carnival, including possible clinics for umpires and coaches as well. All the information regarding AFL in India will be up on our brand new website which will be launched in the New Year and we are looking forward to offer advertisement space to anyone interested.

Courtesy: aflnswact.com.au

Published: December, 2012.

India will play host to its very first Australian Football tournament next month, but it’s not the first time the country has been exposed to the AFL.

The tentacles of Australian Football are ever-expanding, even in parts of the globe that once appeared impenetrable. And here’s another example of the game’s extraordinary reach and impact.

On December 1 and 2, cricket-mad India will host its first Australian Football tournament. Adding to the surreal nature of the event, Australian cricket great Steve Waugh is the tournament ambassador.

The AFL push into India is not a recent development. AFL India has existed in different guises for several years, and organised games have been played there since 2007.

‘Captain Kirk’s Odyssey’ – a 2011 tour by Sydney premiership player Brett Kirk, then the AFL’s international ambassador – gave the sport a decent kick-along, and not just in India, but also South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Richmond has also been active in trying to make inroads into what it sees as a vast, untapped market. The Tigers have plans to play an exhibition game in India, and have been pulling out all stops to garner local support.

They hosted Bollywood superstar actress Vidya Balan at their round seven clash with Sydney at the MCG, and have enlisted Indian cricket star Rahul Dravid as patron of their Indian Tigers supporter group.

Dravid is one of Waugh’s greatest admirers. They are firm friends who catch up for dinner whenever their paths cross – a possibility during the Indian footy tournament.

Such non-cricket ambassadorial roles are not foreign to Waugh, who mentored the Socceroos during the 2007 Asian Cup and the Australian Olympic team in Beijing in 2008.

And AFL isn’t entirely foreign to the former Australian captain. In February, he spoke to the newly installed leadership group at Greater Western Sydney.

Raised in Sydney’s south-western suburbs, Waugh sees great merit in the AFL’s push into rugby territory.

His involvement in the Indian footy initiative is a considerable departure from the norm for him, largely because of the setting. But in many ways the 47-year-old is the ideal candidate for the role.

Waugh is fascinated by India, which holds for him both good and bad memories: the disappointment of never winning a Test series there is soothed somewhat by his love of the culture and the people.

But strangely, after touring the sub-continent on numerous occasions as a cricketer, this time Waugh’s journey will involve a much bigger red leather ball.

And the sport he will promote is perhaps accessible to more people than his chosen sport. (There is less financial outlay for equipment, for a start.) Indeed, competition organisers trumpet in a press release that teams will comprise “players from the slums of Mumbai, middleclass Indian teenagers and affluent uni students”.

Organised by AFL India, in conjunction with Global Community Sports and Reclink Australia, the competition will feature teams from the cities of Madurai, Mumbai and host Kozhikode. They will don the colours of Richmond (of course), Essendon, Geelong, North Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney.

About 10 games will be played in a round-robin format over the two days, culminating in a grand final. The winning team will earn bragging rights as national champions.

There are also some individual rewards on offer. Players will have the chance to push for selection in the national side (the India Tigers) for the next AFL International Cup, and one lucky player will be chosen to travel to Australia as part of a football exchange program.

The event is the result of a three-year campaign by AFL India to promote the sport. It will be sponsored by the Perth-based Oil and Gas Mining Institute and Australia Unlimited.

Sudip Chakraborty – the AFL India president who doubles as captain of his national team – describes the competition as “a dream come true”.

He harbours a much bigger dream: that of creating enough attention in the Australian game to attract widespread interest and participation, school programs, and the biggie – establishing an “all-India league”. All within five years.

Considering the atmosphere Indian fans create at big cricket matches, that would be something to behold.

Courtesy: post.jagaran.com

Published: 1st December, 2012.

Kozhikode: About five teams will be seen in action in the first ever inter-city Australian rules football, officiallly known as Australian football, and in some regions marketed as Australian Football League (AFL), at the Malabar Christian College grounds on Sunday.

Talking to reporters, Sudeep Chakrabarthy, Secretary General, AFL India, said the sport is played between two teams of 18 players each on the field. The game’s objective is to move the ball downfield and kick the ball through the team’s goal, he said.

The main way to score points is by kicking the ball between the two tall goal posts and the team with the higher total score at the end of the match wins, he said.

Players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. The primary methods are kicking, handballing and runnig with the ball, he said.

Earlier, at meeting presided over by Tom Calder, Australian Trade Commissioner in India; it was decided to form a national body for the sport.

Two teams from Mumbai, two teams from here and one from Madurai would play in a round-robin league format.

Courtesy: theaustralian.com.au

Published: 1st December, 2012.

Mayur Parmar had no idea what Australian football was when the call went round Mumbai’s Dharavi slum six months ago for kids to come and have a kick, so he did what any Indian kid would — he hit the internet.

The 18-year-old credits his new-found skills to hours watching YouTube videos of AFL games at a youth centre in Asia’s largest slum. This weekend, he and about 20 teammates from Mumbai’s first AFL club will put them to the test against the best Kerala and Tamil Nadu have to offer in India’s first AFL National Tournament in the Keralan town of Kozhikode.

“I didn’t know anything about football, but now I play really well,” the keen full-forward tells The Weekend Australian as he waits with his team in donated Richmond Football Club stripes for the train that will take him out of Mumbai for the first time ever.

For a year of Sundays, the Mumbai RecLinks have been carving up the hallowed turf of Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, best known as the nursery ground for the city’s most famous sporting hero, Sachin Tendulkar.

What began as a three-a-side game with a few Australian expatriates and curious locals has spiralled into a larger social experiment that has drawn together wealthy university students, lower-middle-class suburbanites and a dozen kids from the slums.

“The idea wasn’t so much to get people from disadvantaged backgrounds involved in footy as it was getting people from different backgrounds to connect with each other,” says Lincoln Harris, an Australian travel agent who founded the team last year and flew back to Mumbai from his new Singapore base this week to take his players south.

In such a caste-driven country, Harris says the game has transcended all such divides. “Once they’ve got their team tops, they do actually move beyond where they’re from. You lose any pretensions pretty quickly when you’re getting tackled,” he says.

The 32-year-old has so far funded the Mumbai effort largely from his own pocket, though Richmond has donated more than 50 jumpers for this weekend.

The national tournament has also been kicked along with contributions from the Perth-based Oil and Gas Mining Institute, Austrade and proceeds raised from the sale of signed AFL team jumpers.

AFL India president Sudip Chakraborty says he hopes it will become an annual event and the launching pad for a new Indian sporting love affair.

The game was launched four years ago by Ricky Ponting in Kolkata with a series of sports clinics.

Though it has now spread to four states, the AFL’s participation has been limited. It has chosen instead to concentrate on building a support base and talent recruitment pool in China.

Chakraborty and Harris hope this weekend’s competition will demonstrate the potential for growth in India where year-round cricket saturation has many fans looking for a change of pace.

“People say footy was cricket’s creation, invented to keep cricketers fit in the off-season, but in Australia footy is now more popular than cricket so we’re hoping history will repeat itself in India,” Chakraborty says.

Mayur, too, is optimistic, both for the future of Australian football in India and his own team’s prospects this weekend. “I have confidence,” he says. “I am thinking about the positives. Automatically, the negatives are going out.”

Courtesy: articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Published: 1st December, 2012.

KOZHIKODE: About five teams will be seen in action in the first ever inter-city Australian rules football, officiallly known as Australian football, and in some regions marketed as Australian Football League (AFL), at the Malabar Christian College grounds from Sunday.

Talking to reporters on Saturday, Sudeep Chakrabarthy, secretary general, AFL India, said the sport is played between two teams of 18 players each on the field. The game’s objective is to move the ball downfield and kick the ball through the team’s goal, he said.

The main way to score points is by kicking the ball between the two tall goal posts and the team with the higher total score at the end of the match wins, he said.

Players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. The primary methods are kicking, handballing and runnig with the ball, he said.

Earlier, at meeting presided over by Tom Calder, Australian Trade Commissioner in India, it was decided to form a national body for the sport.

Two teams from Mumbai, two teams from here and one from Madurai would play in a round-robin league format.

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh, is the patron of this tournmanet, he said.

Courtesy: worldfootynews.com

Published: 24th November, 2012.

AFL India is preparing for the first ever inter-city football tournament in India, to be held in Kozhikode this December.

AFL India held an official media launch for the tournament in Gurgaon last week, where they announced OGM (Oil and Gas Mining) as a major sponsor, and the company’s ambassador, former Australian Test cricket captain Steve Waugh, as the tournament’s patron.

AFL clubs Richmond, Essendon and GWS and Big Bash club the Melbourne Stars all sent in signed jumpers as auction items, which have assisted AFL India raise money for the tournament.

Read on for the Official Press Release.

India’s First Australian Rules Football tournament – A dream come true for players and organisers

Players from Mumbai, Calicut and Madurai middle will don AFL (Australian Football League) jerseys and boots next month in the first national level Aussie Rules Football competition to be played in India.

The tournament comes after a three-year campaign by AFL India (the governing body of the sport in India) to promote the sport and combines the work of Global Community Sports and Reclink Australia to introduce the game at the grass roots level, with patronage from Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh and sponsorship from Australia Unlimited and Perth-based Oil and Gas Mining Institute. The competition will be played in the south – Indian city of Kozhikode over two days in December, culminating in a grand final on Sunday, 2nd December 2012. Teams from the cities of Madurai, Kozhikode and Mumbai will participate in the event, wearing the colours of AFL teams North Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney, Geelong, Essendon and Richmond.

For the players, the tournament provides opportunities they could only have dreamed of such as travelling interstate, mixing with people of different backgrounds and being pioneers of a new sport, said Lincoln Harris, India coordinator for Reclink Australia.

“The tournament is as much about Footy (popular nickname of the sport) as it is the individual and social benefits that come with being part of a team,’’ said Harris. “Aussie Rules is a great leveller, but it also empowers people.’’

Harris’ Mumbai teams were brought together by his love of the game and experience seeing Reclink Australia draw people together. Reclink Australia is a charitable organisation whose mission is to provide sporting activities to enhance the lives of people experiencing disadvantage.

Madurai team coordinator Rick Shrowder, whose company Global Community Sports runs a programme that captures and shares the experiences of young people in different countries being introduced to Aussie Rules Football, says that the game could easily win over players in India, both male and female.

“Australian football requires very little equipment which makes it ideal for small communities who have limited resources – we’ve seen this with soccer’s success in Africa. The fast paced high scoring nature of the game also makes it popular with all age groups,’’ he said.

Rajeev Tharani, Secretary of Kozhikode District Olympic Association has been the driving force behind the teams from Calicut, apart from the various other sports he manages for the Olympic Association of Kerala, with support from P. A. Hamsa, Secretary, Kerala Olympic Association.

The tournament, which is an outcome of continuous support from the Australian Trade Commission in India, will include training sessions for players and umpires, as many as 10 games played in a round robin format over 2 days and a grand final.

AFL India’s Chakraborty, who is also captain of the team representing India in AFL, the Indian Tigers, sees the tournament raising awareness about sports other than cricket and hopes participation can expand to eight states, a regular national competition and school programs within five years.

Apart from the short term prospect of being crowned national champions, players will be appraised for selection to the Indian Tigers to play in the next AFL International Cup, along with the opportunity for one participant to travel to Australia for a footy exchange program. With so much to play for there is sure to be true grand final atmosphere on the day.

Courtesy: footyalmanac.com.au

Published: 21st November, 2012.

Players from the slums of Mumbai, middle class Indian teenagers and affluent university students will don AFL jerseys and boots next month in the first national Australian Rules Football competition to be played in India.

The tournament comes after a three-year campaign by AFL India to promote the sport and combines the work of Global Community Sports and Reclink Australia to introduce the game at the grass roots level, with patronage from Steve Waugh and sponsorship from Perth-based Oil and Gas Mining Institute and Australia Unlimited.

“It’s a dream come true,’’ said Sudip Chakraborty, president of AFL India. “It’s a small but important step to creating widespread interest in the game and a bigger all-India league.’’

The competition will be played in the southern Indian city of Kozhikode over two days in December, culminating in a grand final on Sunday December 2. Teams from the cities of Madurai, Kozhikode and Mumbai will participate in the event, wearing the colours of AFL teams North Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney, Geelong, Essendon and Richmond.

For the players, the tournament provides opportunities they could only have dreamed of such as travelling interstate, mixing with people of different backgrounds and being pioneers of a new sport, said Lincoln Harris, India coordinator for Reclink Australia.

“The tournament is as much about footy as it is the individual and social benefits that come with being part of a team,’’ said Harris. “Aussie Rules is a great leveller, but it also empowers people.’’

Harris’ Mumbai teams, brought together by his love of the game and experience seeing Reclink Australia draw people together, will travel 1,200 kilometres by overnight train to reach the tournament. Reclink Australia is a charitable organisation whose mission is to provide sporting activities to enhance the lives of people experiencing disadvantage.

Madurai team coordinator Rick Shrowder, whose company Global Community Sports runs a program that captures and shares the experiences of young people being introduced to Aussie Rules, says the game could easily win over players in India, both male and female.

“Australian football requires very little equipment which makes it ideal for small communities who have limited resources – we’ve seen this with soccer’s success in Africa. The fast paced, high scoring nature of the game also make it popular with all age groups,’’ he said.
The tournament will include training sessions for players and umpires, as many as 10 games played in a round robin format over 2 days and a grand final.

AFL India’s Chakraborty, who is also captain of the national team – the Indian Tigers – sees the tournament raising awareness about sports other than cricket and hopes participation can expand to eight states, a regular national competition and school programs within five years.

Apart from the short term prospect of being crowned national champions, players will be appraised for selection to the Indian Tigers to play in the next AFL International Cup, along with the opportunity for one participant to travel to Australia for a footy exchange program. With so much to play for there is sure to be true grand final atmosphere on the day.

Courtesy: worldfootynews.com

Published: 16th November, 2012.

It has been over a year since India won its first international match of footy against Timor Leste during AFL International Cup 2011 on 24th August. A historic day in Indian sports history. A day that came after almost four years since India started playing the game officially.

After a fairly good show in the later stages of IC08, the players had gone back to a complete standstill for over a year, with the previous body in charge disappearing due to lack of interest and enthusiasm. That was when two of the players from the IC08 squad took up the challenge and got the AFL to dissolve the previous body and helped them set up a new board to get things going again.

It was a couple of years of total hard work to get the existing players as well as new players together to start training again in the city of Kolkata, in eastern India, where the majority was based. There were a lot of obstacles to overcome, but there were surely quite a few big positives, including spreading the game to a new city of Calicut in southern India, Brett Kirk’s visit to India leading to discovery of the footy factories in northern India and the prospect of having the AussieX programme in India, following their fantastic work in Canada. Captain Kirk’s visit was specially the most inspiring part, which helped India to build up stronger into IC11 and snatch their much awaited first victory away.

Ever since the IC11, things have progressed slowly but surely. This includes the big support from Richmond Tigers extending on to having the first ever clinic conducted by the club in India, reaching out to the students in Mumbai. This was added to the fantastic work done by Rick Shrowder and his company Global Community Sports, to spread the game among hundreds of students in the city of Madurai. While in Mumbai, it was the work of another Aussie Lincoln Harris of India Unbound, who has successfully set up two teams of teenagers, who train regularly with the footy.

Meanwhile the AFL India President and the India Tigers Captain Sudip Chakraborty has completed his MSc Sport Management from Loughborough University in UK, and has successfully utilized his time in Europe to experience the footy action in UK while playing for the Wolverhampton Wolverines in the pre-season games and Nottingham Scorpions in the AFL CNE league. At the same time he worked on his Master-degree research on the topic ‘How to develop Australian Rules Football in Europe?’, with help from the AFL Europe General Manager Ben MacCormack. He also umpired for AFL Europe during the Easter series when the AIS Academy met the European Legions at London last year.

What lies ahead for AFL India is the first ever inter-city tournament in India, which will be played by teenagers from the cities of Mumbai, Calicut and Madurai, later in December this year. The governing body also plans to open up to Aussies in India and plans to grow from the grassroots and start school programmes. Hopefully in the next few years, there will be a potential market ready for the sport to spread rapidly and hopefully a junior development programme named ‘Indi-Kick’ can be implemented.