It was a closely fought contest at Mentone Grammar School grounds in Keysborough suburb of Melbourne in cloudy and windy conditions as Germany came out on top after a strong competition by the Essendon India team.

The first quarter was a very close affair as India had a chance to make it 12-13 at the first break, but our forwards failed to convert a free kick so we had to be happy with the 6-13 score line, determined to overcome the difference in the second one.

Unfortunately, the Germans successfully defended their lead and increased it further. Germany were strong favourites for the match as their kicking skills were superior, added to the physicality over India but the Indians punched above their weight and put up a fighting performance. India registered their first goal of the tournament coming from the beautiful free kick around the 50 metre circle by Ashish Sharma (#3).

The First Goal from Ashish Sharma

Few of the players played really well, players like Mahesh Tirkey, Sagar Ashoka, Prasanjeet Singh, Akash Malhotra and Amar Roshan Bara. The Developing team chemistry of the Indian team was clearly evident as the boys walked out with their heads high after a tough fight.

India matched the Germans toe to toe in the first quarter but the Germans kept on raising the stake as the match progressed, specially with their very tall players against a quite short Indian team. There was strong support for both the teams. The much-improved Essendon India team would be high on confidence as they take on Pakistan at Bendigo on Friday.

The best one came from the German Captain Florian Naumann as he said “You guys were really good and we had to face a tough fight. We didn’t expect the Indian team to be so good after playing the Pakistan team up first. The way you guys played against us, if you can do the same against Pakistan, am sure you can win the big game in Bendigo.”

Thanks to our sponsors Essendon Football Club, Air India, UEC and individual supporters like Mr. Avtar Singh from Craigieburn in Melbourne,  who have helped the team Indian team to come out to Australia and put up a show.

The Indian and Japanese teams together after the match

The Essendon Indian team went down fighting against a visibly much stronger Japanese Samurai team 13-8-86 to 0-2-2 in the opening round match of the AFL International Cup 2017.

The match took place at the home-ground of International Cup for years – Royal Park in Parkville, which saw Japan dominate the game over but not to forget the few flashes of brilliance from the Indian team. It was a marked improvement from 2008 when the Japanese team had thumped India 106-0 in India’s first ever International Cup appearance.

The Japanese team comes out of Tokyo where they regularly train together which was quite evident in their structured play during the game. India on the other hand has come together specifically for this tournament as the team comprises of players from seven different states and some of the players are based in Melbourne. So it was always going to be an uphill task for the Indians to outperform their counterparts in the opening round but there are a few positives that can be taken from India’s performance.

Many regulars in the small crowd that had gathered supporting both countries thought the Indian team played really well compared to the International Cup in 2014 and were positive about India’s performance during the rest of the tournament.

It can be said that the team chemistry of the Essendon Indian team is only going to get stronger here onwards with some great show put up today from players like Sudip Rajbanshi, Karan Singh, Amal Dev, Mahesh Tirkey, Arjun GK and Abhi Kalia.

The entire match was telecast live on Youtube by the AFL International Cup and can be watched here.

Official results of the AFL International Cup can be checked here.

Thanks to our sponsors Essendon Football Club, Air India, UEC and individual supporters like Mr. Avtar Singh who have helped the team Indian team to come out to Australia and put up a show.

Captains of the 18 mens team and 8 women team

AFL International Cup 2017 was launched at the Government House in Melbourne today with around 850 participants from 18 men’s and 8 women’s teams from across the globe and other dignitaries present. The Captains of all the men’s and women’s team went through a special photo shoot to kick things off for the day along with the Governor of Victoria, Hon Linda Dessau and the Sports Minister of Victoria, Hon John Eren.

Hon Governor of Victoria with our Captain

Members of all the teams were then welcomed by the Governor and the Sports Minister and were hosted for tea.

The honourable governor Dessau, who is an Essendon supporter herself was really excited to see the Bombers support the Indian team and gladly posed for a photo with the Essendon Indian Guernsey and wished the team all the luck.

The second leg of the opening ceremony was at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground where all the countries participated in a ‘Parade of Nations’ inside the MCG before the Essendon Vs Carlton game.

The big moment came for the India team at half time of the match when the legendary Kevin Sheedy presented the Indian team Guernsey to the captain of the Essendon Indian team Sudip Chakraborty on the ground after which the Indian captain was interviewed by the media present as well.

Kevin Sheedy then handed out the guernseys to all the players in the team which he had selected himself back in Kolkata when he visited India during the ARFAI National Championship 2017. He wished all the luck to the Essendon India team and promised to visit them during the tournament once again.

Kevin Sheedy with the Essendon Indian team

Historic Ind Vs Aus match under way with thousands watching

The seemingly incessant rain gave way to partially clear skies as the AFL Masters (Australian) team disembarked the bus at Rabindra Mitali Sangha Ground in Daspur, West Midnapore, West Bengal, on the afternoon of Saturday, 22^nd July. This historic day will be marked in the records of ARFAI as the day when a small village in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal hosted the first ever international Footy match on Indian soil. The AFL Masters team took on Team India as part of the AFL Masters’ tour, and the memories of this day will live long with everyone who witnessed the momentous occasion.

Flag Hoisting ceremony & National Anthems of both countries being sung with Ms. Sidhu as Chief Guest

The AFL Masters team, comprising players above the age of 30, have started maing tours to Europe and Asia to promote Footy across the world. After having played England and Ireland last year, India was their second stop this year, after China, and they were treated to an experience of a lifetime. The West Midnapore Footy Association with support from Footy Association of Bengal (FAB) took the mantle of organizing the event and they ensured that it was a spectacle to behold. The inauguration ceremony saw the Guest of Honour, Australian High Commissioner in India, Ms. Harinder SIdhu, greet both sets of players following a flag hoisting ceremony, and our visitors from Down Under were treated to some traditional song and dance performances. Before the Footy players took to the pitch, there were exhibition matches of Kabaddi contested by girls and boys from the West Bengal Kabaddi Association. For most of the Australians present, it was the first time they were witnessing the indigenous Indian sport in flesh, which has become increasingly popular in India over the last 3-4 years. Notably, AFL India and Essendon Football Club helped form the first ever Australian Kabaddi team that participated in the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 in India.

The Indian team at the historic match

Late afternoon saw the serious stuff unfold – the event that 6000 odd spectators from in and around the district had been waiting for. The AFL Masters and Team India took to the field to rapturous applause. Most of the bystanders had never seen a game of Footy, but that didn’t stop them from creating an atmosphere of a true sporting spectacle; and the game did not disappoint. The first quarter was a closely contested affair ending in 3.5.23 – 3.2.20 in favour of the Australians and the fight put up by the Indian amateurs drew ample praise from the Ms. Sidhu and her team from the Australian Government Ms. Geraldine Gant, First Secretary, Public Affairs, Australian High Commission in India. But the experience and endurance of the Masters’ players shone through as the game went on, and the match ended 12.26.98 – 4.7.31 in their favour. In a match where the final score was of little significance, the Indian players left the field with their heads held high knowing that they had pushed the Masters’ to be at the top of their game and identified areas of improvement in their own.

According to Bengal Footy Association Secretary General Rakesh Ghosh, who also led the Indian team on field for the match, “We had put in a lot of hard work along with the West Midnapore District Footy Association to get the show together for the day. The heavy downpour in the morning before the game had got us scared but everything went really well in the end and thanks to the local crowd who travelled over to the stadium from all parts of the district to make this game more memorable for us. Would also like to specially thank Mr. Utpal Samanta and Mr. Probir Mondal, our district association leaders who ran the show on the day and made it a grand success.”

The victorious Australian (AFL Masters) team with the trophy

The biggest highlight of the day for the Indian team, apart from being cheered for every run by 6000 plus spectators, was the fact that they spent an entire day with their Australian counterparts who shared their knowledge, advice and words of encouragement. This would definitely serve as the perfect precursor to their participation in the International Cup (IC) 2017 starting from 5^th August in Australia. For the Masters on the other hand, everything was a highlight apparently. They experienced a side of India and Bengal that they had never even heard of, complete with social, cultural and sporting immersions. According to one f the Australian team players, there was no comparison between the experiences they had in China to what they experienced in India, which was a huge complement for AFL India. There was a lot to talk about on the bus journey back and there will be more when they see some familiar faces Down Under during the IC17.

While talking to ARFAI Founder & Secretary General Sudip Chakraborty, Ms. Sidhu mentioned “it was truly fantastic to have attended the tournament on the weekend. The team spirit and also the enthusiasm of the crowd more than everything made up for all the rain! I am a convert and you are to be congratulated for all the work you have done to bring the AFL relationship to this point.”

Teams cherishing the experience together after the match

Special thanks to the International Ambassador of the AFL Masters Paul Newbury, who had got in touch with Sudip who is now working for the AFL and Essendon FC in Melbourne, Australia, to make this memorable day take shape and also to our long term supporters Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School, Salt Lake, OGM Technical Institute and Global Reach, who helped the Indian team prepare for the day.

The Indian Team Guernsey for AFL International Cup 2017

The Indian team Guernsey for the AFL International Cup 2017 – Unveiled!! Chak De India!!

The guernseys would be handed out to the Indian team players through a special occasion and by a very special person in August before the tournament.

Josh Abott (fifth from left standing behind) in Bongaon, West Bengal

I was extremely privileged to travel to Kolkata, India, with 9 other Flinders University (Adelaide) students in late 2016. Our main objective through the university was to run Physical Education classes in disadvantaged schools, and lend a hand coaching at some soccer and cricket academies. Being an avid AFL fan, I did some research before we left, and got in contact with Sudip Chakraborty at AFL India, who connected us with the leaders on ground in India to hep run the activities.

The first clinic was in Bongaon, rural West Bengal, and involved a long 3-hour bus trip from our accommodation in Kolkata. The bus was very squishy, and the traffic was something that none of us had experienced before! Finally we arrived at the soccer pitch, and quickly saw hundreds of kids come running over to experience footy, many of whom would have been experiencing it for the very first time. Very quickly we saw the tackling potential of some of the bigger players, and the agility and dodging talents of some of the smaller players. We were also shown our first match of Kabaddi as the leaders set up the footy drills.

After the Kabaddi demonstration, we began to do some drills. Lochie and Christian took some of the older boys and ran them through some more complex drills, where Aiden and Aaron took the younger boys and focused more on fundamental skills such as handballing and catching/marking. Courtney and Kristen took the girls through some of the fundamentals as well. I ran through some drills with some of the middle aged kids, including some lane handballing and kicking, three man weave, a ‘stitches’ drill, and a handball game to finish. While it took a little while to get our explanations across due to the language barrier, Rakesh and some of the local leaders were very helpful, and the kids were clearly having a great time. After the drills began to wrap up, we organised a full pitch sized game, in which some of the Flinders Students participated in the first half. I umpired the first half of the game, being a field umpire back in Australia, and it was very challenging due to the heat, but a rewarding experience. I managed to play the second half and had a really fun time with the kids.

Once the game was finished, we all took the opportunity to take some photos and selfies with the kids, which was an equally rewarding experience for both the kids and ourselves! We then got the opportunity to see just how these kids lived, which was quite an eye opening experience. We then all clambered back into the bus, which made for a long hot drive back to our accommodation.

Our work within the schools was severely hampered by a lack of equipment, so we were forced to use the little footballs that we had brought along with us. While they were much smaller than the real thing, we were able to explain what an Australian Football was, and how it was different to rugby or American football.

During the second week of our trip, we travelled to Delhi to see the Taj Mahal, and if it hadn’t been for Sudip’s help at the hotel, all 10 of us including Brett and Zac from Mumbai would have been in big trouble without anywhere to stay.

We continued to run football-type drills in our school classes with the little footballs, focusing on ball handling, basic catching skills, and sometimes branching into kicking drills when we had the time to do so.

Due to the popularity of the first clinic that we ran, a second one was organised, this time in the district of West Midnapore. This time the drive wasn’t as long as the first time, although it still took a while to get there. We arrived to a big police presence, and a huge crowd lined up along the fence, which was a sight to behold! We were honored to be apart of a welcoming ceremony before we began the clinic. The group of participants was a bit smaller this time, so the drills were run at a more basic level. The participants were very quick learners however, and we quickly decided that we could play a game. Before we started that though, the boys of our group were convinced to play Kabaddi against some locals, which we actually won! I’m sure they took it very easy on us though! We then got into a game, which flowed a lot better than the game at the previous clinic. Once again it was a very rewarding experience for both the participants and ourselves.

Our last official AFL India involvement was at the West Bengal State Championships 2016, where we all volunteered as goal, boundary and field umpires throughout the day. While this was very different to the previous two clinics as it was a championship, it was an interesting insight into how the state championships worked. It was good to see the skill level of the players, especially considering that most of the players had never been coached properly before. One thing in particular that I liked to see was the toughness of the players in their intent to get the ball, some very courageous efforts throughout the day. A few Australian players could learn a thing or two about commitment like some of these Indian players!

Our last University placement location was with a Police soccer academy right near Eden Gardens stadium, where we ran some footy based fitness drills, which were very challenging. We also presented them with a signed Adelaide Crows Football, and briefly explained the sport to them.

Overall, I loved my experience in India, and the work we did with AFL India was the most enjoyable of the whole lot. I have made some lifelong friends in Harris and Rakesh, and would love an opportunity to go back and do it all again!

*This article has been written by Flinders University student Josh Abbott who was part of the first internship group for ARFAI