The much awaited event of the year for all the footy fanatics in India, National Championship 2014, took place this year on the 1^st and 2^nd of November in Navi Mumbai, Maharastra. The tournament was preceded by introductory training sessions conducted by ARFAI officials for the kids residing in the colony on the ground of which the tournament took place along with an Umpiring Workshop conducted by Mayur Vora who has trained as an umpire at international level.

Nine teams participated in the tournament, which were divided into two categories with the seniors group consisting of four teams and the juniors group consisting of five. The tournament took off with a brilliant exhibition of footy skills in a match between the junior teams Maharashtra Cats and Bengal Tigers who were playing for the first time in the National Championship. The Tigers proved to be too strong for the Cats and bagged an impressive victory with the final score being Tigers 18 – Cats 1.

The first two teams to play in the seniors division were the Kerala Bombers and Jharkhand Crows, another new entry in the tournament. Bombers had returned as an improved side and made the best use of their speed and agility to keep possession of the footy. Crows nonetheless equally matched their ability and put a great fight not allowing the Bombers to score. The match ended with the Crows emerging victorious having scored a behind at the last moment.

It was observed that all the teams had returned this year with a significant improvement in their skills and a better understanding of the game. The new teams namely, Maharashtra Giants (Junior), Jharkhand Crows(Senior & Junior), Bengal Tigers (Junior) and Rajasthan Eagles(Junior) showed great potential and displayed gallant efforts on the field considering that they had started playing the sport not very long before the championship.

Day one ended with some spectacular matches with all the teams giving their best to get to the finals. All the teams in the seniors group won a match each. The Bombers surprised and impressed everyone with their clean game and sharp tactics. The junior division was dominated by the Jharkhand Crows who left everybody awestruck with their accurate kicking and superb marking abilities.

Day two began with an opening match between the Jharkhand Crows and Maharashtra Cats of the junior division and the Crows continued their winning streak, defeating the Cats by 21 points, not allowing them to score at all. Senior teams Bengal Tigers and Kerala Bombers started the day with a tough battle with both the teams fighting fiercely for points. The Tigers matched Bombers speed with strength and used their tackling skills with great success defeating the Bombers with a score of Tigers 26 – Bombers 14.

Co-incidentally, the two teams to reach the finals in the seniors as well as juniors division were Bengal Tigers and Jharkhand Crows. The juniors went first and both the teams played their best football and entertained the onlookers with their spectacular performance. The Crows bagged the Winner’s trophy defeating the Tigers, with the final score being Crows 29 – Tigers 12.

In the seniors division the old favorites Bengal Tigers used their experienced players tactfully and overcame a strong defense put on by the Crows. Bengal Tigers emerged victorious with the final score Tigers 14 – Crows 9.

Sudip Chakraborty, Secretary General of ARFAI, Lincoln Harris, Vice president of ARFAI, Rhan Harris Coach of Salvo Hawks football club, Helen Mell, ARFAI ambassador were some of the guests present at the event. The tournament concluded with the guest presenting the awards to the winning teams and distributing the individual player awards. The winner of the Best Mark award in the junior division was Suvankar Krittaniya of the Tigers and in the senior division was Ankit Bara of Crows.

The trophy for the Best Goal was awarded to Rahul Yogi of Rajasthan Eagles in the junior division and Abdul Ashraf N V of the Kerala Bombers from the senior division. The prestigious award of the Best Player went to Navin Thapa of Crows in the junior category and Maidul Ali of Tigers in the seniors category.

One of the highlights of the closing ceremony was players from all the teams coming together and dancing arms around each other to traditional folk music. The 3^rd annual National Championship ended clearly indicating the progress that has been achieved in the development of the sport in the country and the ever growing footy family.

The first ever Maharashtra State Championship organized by the ARFAI took place this year at the Seawoods Estate Ground, Navi Mumbai on the 28^th of October. Enough kids had started playing the sport to form ten teams of twelve players each,all aged between 12-16, being coached by the Magic Bus CYL’s under the guidance of Magic Bus Coaches and ARFAI officials. All the players seemed to be very excited about the tournament and not a face was seen without a smile after receiving the colorful team jumpers.

The tournament began with an opening ceremony in which Sudip Chakraborty, the Secretary General of ARFAI and also the Captain of the Indian Tigers, gave an introductory speech welcoming all the players and the guests followed by a performance of the National Anthem by the Magic Bus CYL’s, ARFAI officials and players. Lincoln Harris who has been supporting footy activities in Mumbai since the early 2011 and who is now the Vice President of ARFAI was present at the event along with his brother Rhan Harris, showing their support by umpiring matches and mentoring the teams.

The tournament took off with the first match between Tigers and Cats and both the teams fought bravely for the possession of the ball. There seemed to be room for improvement in the kicking skills of the players but one got to see some very good handballing during the game. The Cats emerged victorious defeating the Tigers by 14 points, who couldn’t put any number on the score board.

Two semi final matches took place between the teams Cats and Crows and Hawks and Eagles. All the teams showed considerable improvement in their game with every match and impressed everyone with their strong and fierce attack on the ball. Cats continued their brilliant performance and defeated Crows to face the other best team, Hawks in the grand final of the tournament.

The Hawks proved to be a tough side for the Cats and they couldn’t break through their defense. The Hawks bagged the winner’s trophy with the final score of the match being Hawks 15 – Cats 8. The prize distribution ceremony was presided over by Sudip Chakraborty with Lincoln and Rhan Harris helping with the distribution of prizes and awarding the trophies. A beautiful day of footy came to an end with all the teams joining in the celebration. The enthusiasm with which the kids played and the energy they brought on the field made it certain that Maharashtra will be seeing many good players and the sport is definitely going to be developed further more in time to come.

Jharkhand witnessed its first taste of competitive Footy action as the ARFAI Jharkhand State Championship kicked off on the 21^st of October 2014 at Mitra Mandal Ground, Ranchi under bright sunny skies. 10 teams with 12 players each, and all between the ages of 12-16 years, participated in the inaugural tournament. The hard work put in by the ARFAI coaches and MB CYLs was purely evident as the players showed skill and maturity well beyond their tender years.

The dexterity with which the players from Jharkhand were playing had left Helen Mell, ARFAI ambassador,gobsmacked. The four teams which went through to the semi finals were Crows, Giants, Tigers, Bombers. Crows played against the Giants and the Bombers against the Tigers. Bombers and Crows qualified for the finals after crushing their opponents in the semi finals.

The championship trophy was lifted by The Crows after they defeated The Bombers in a gripping final which ended 32-16 in favour of the champions. Amar Roshan Bara of The Crows shone the brightest of them all and he was deservingly voted the Player of the Tournament. Sachit Ekka of The Tigers and Navin Thapa of The Bombers received the award for Best Mark and Best Goal respectively. Sudhashil Mitra, ARFAI Game Development Manager and Regional Development Manager and also one of the coaches under the ASOP initiative was visibly pleased – “The skills of the players here in Jharkhand are just remarkable. If they can continue playing like this they will not just impress spectators in India but will also impress spectators in Australia when they will be selected to play for the Indian team in the International Cup ” The tournament has set a marker for a promising future indeed and one should not be surprised to see the boys from Jharkhand punching above their weight soon.

19^th October 2014marked a first in ARFAI’s Footy calendar as 10 teams from Rajasthan took the field at Chogan Stadium, Jaipur, to stake a claim for the inaugural ARFAI Rajasthan State Championship crown. The players, all aged between 12-16, put on an impressive show despite the harsh weather and every match was keenly contested.

The semi finals witnessed some exceptional skills from the players. The first semi final was contested between the Cats and the Kangaroos where the Cats won 6-12 and the second semi final saw the Giants playing against the Eagles where the Eagles had a convincing win by 2-17.

The Eagles took home the spoils defeating The Kangaroos in the final with a score of 48-6. All the participating players were trained under the ASOP initiative and the ARFAI and MB officials present were visibly proud of what unfolded before them. The individual awards were bagged by Arun Kumar Roy (Eagles) for the Best Mark, D’Costa (Crows) for the Best Goal and Rohit Singh (Cats) for the Best Player of the Tournament. Speaking of the tournament, ARFAI Game Development Manager and Regional Development Manager, Saurabh Bhandekar said – “The kids are showing a good flair for the sport. a little more training with experienced coaches and the players are sure to come up as formidable in the near future”

The state tournament of Rajasthan accentuates the fact that how footy in the state has been developing in a commendable way. It was a pleasing moment indeed for ARFAI and the Footy journey of India rolls on.

Written By: Saurabh Bhandekar

“Look at that flag on your chest. Play for its honor, know that you represent the people who salute it”, said our Coach at a particularly difficult and rough match at one of the fields in Royal Park, Melbourne. I still find these words ringing in my ears sometimes when I get on to the field to kick footy. And then I am reminded of the wonderful and memorable experience that was the AFL International Cup 2014.

I have played several sports at competitive levels but my initial involvement in footy was only restricted to the once or twice a week games we played for fun at a local park. So, it came as a surprise when I got a chance to represent my state of Maharashtra in the first ever Aussie Rules National Cup and compete against other states. I seldom travelled myself even though I had a small desire to do so every now and then. But this desire of mine has been fulfilled time and again because of my involvement in footy. Footy has taken me places and given me the pleasure of making friends in different parts of the country, which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. One can hardly imagine how astounded I was when I was informed that I was selected on the Indian Team and would be travelling to Australia for the International Cup. I never thought that I would be rewarded so highly for my steady but determined involvement in footy.

Before leaving for Australia a National Camp was held at Kolkata and it offered a great opportunity to all the players to bond with each other and understand their ways and styles of playing. This was essential because the players had never ever practiced as a team before but merely played against each other at the National Championships. Just when everything seemed to be going well, I strained my calf muscle during one of the training sessions and it put me on the bench for the next few sessions. I felt dejected and cursed my ill fate. But I was determined nonetheless to overcome the injury. I followed the doctor’s advice carefully and started conditioning myself for the tour, gradually regaining my confidence and motivation.

 The big day arrived when we were to depart for Australia and I woke up feeling very excited and yet a little nervous. I am not a big fan of goodbyes and wished if I could sneak out of the house unseen. But I was out of luck. My family and friends had gathered to bid me farewell and I must admit that I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of myself. The journey till Australia was an eventful one as it was my first trip abroad and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. I was fascinated by the views and the atmosphere that Australia offered as soon as we arrived there. The next couple of weeks I spent there were one of the best ones in my life. I don’t remember ever being so active and yet very tired, but persistently fighting fatigue and willing to go on.

We set to work with the first team meeting which included players residing in Melbourne as well. Here we agreed upon five team values which we would all strive to uphold during the entire tournament. Then onwards, all our actions and efforts were directed towards being Strong, Committed, Disciplined, United and Respected. This wasn’t the first time I got the feeling that lessons in footy are indeed lessons in life as well. I felt privileged to be a part of Indian Tigers and felt elated to experience proper coaching as it was something I always craved for. I will never forget that day of our first match when we stood there, one as a team, holding on to each other’s jumpers, heads held high while our National Anthem was played in the background. It indeed felt like being a soldier ready for a battle.

The only fond memory I have of my first international match is getting bumped from nowhere and hitting the ground hard. That hurt, real bad. But I knew that I had to be strong, that I had to be committed to my team, and I was back on my feet in no time. Though I admit, it took me a while to steady my footsteps. In the matches that followed we kept getting hit, harder every time. But we didn’t stop, we got back up and kept on going. We were defeated on the score board time and again but never in the spirit thanks to the constant encouragement we received from our Coach. His faith in our team instilled a strong desire in us to deliver what he asked for. And I am happy to say that we always returned to the field as an improved side. We kept improving and fought harder and harder after every quarter. Playing at the international level and facing the top teams was a brilliant learning experience for me and I was very excited to share what I had learnt with everyone when I got home.

Participating in the sport and learning about its importance in the lives of people there I got a glimpse in to their lifestyle and rich culture. I found it to be very exciting and intriguing. When it was time for us to leave I felt heavy in my heart and found it hard to accept that we were going to leave the place which had become our home for a few weeks and where we had learnt so much about the sport we love, about each other and indeed about ourselves.  Once again, I realized how wonderful and rewarding playing footy has been for me. And what makes it even more gratifying is to be able to work for the organization that strives towards the development of this wonderful sport in our country. To make the sport available to everyone who wants to play it and to help them get what I have gotten from it would make me more happy than anything else could. An oval ball making people fly across seas to play, connecting lives of people and adding smiles to their faces isn’t less than magic, is it?

Courtesy: essendonfc.com.au

Published: 22nd September, 2014

Travel and Taste the official tour partner for the club’s Embracing India trip later this season have a special offer for all Bomber fans.

Take this opportunity to meet up with the team at the iconic Taj Mahal during your trip to India.

This once in a lifetime opportunity is available only to the first 10 Essendon fans to book through Travel and Taste.

Experience a unique pre-packed/custom made tour to some of the world’s most diverse and exotic destinations including India, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Travellers can choose tours focused around ‘themes’ including Heritage, Adventure, Sightseeing, Shopping or Cuisine – or a combination of each

Travel & Taste also creates custom travel packages for holiday goers – based on their budget, travel time and destination preferences

With access to only the very best accommodation and experienced local English speaking tour guides, a Travel & Taste tour will ensure your holiday is a once in a lifetime experience – as well as an ‘authentic’ one.

Courtesy: essendonfc.com.au

Published: 22nd September, 2014

The off-season may be the time to enjoy some well earned R&R, but a contingent of Essendon Football Club players and staff are packing their bags for the trip of a lifetime.

As part of the club’s multicultural program and in partnership with the club’s official tour provider Travel and Taste, Joe Daniher, Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett and David Zaharakis will spend ten days travelling and embracing all that India has to offer.

Essendon has emerged as the AFL club of choice for Melbourne’s Indian community, and to show its dedication to building strong and sustainable relationships, the club has taken the proactive step of sending its young leaders to immerse themselves in India’s rich and diverse culture.

A key feature of the trip will see the travelling party visit the SOS Children’s Village in New Delhi. The village hosts children from all over the region who can no longer be supported by their families due to disadvantage. They will also spend time working with AFL India in the country’s north-eastern city of Kolkata.

Heppell said he was looking forward to introducing Indian boys and girls to the game of Australian Rules Football.

“I think the trip to India is going to be a beauty,” Heppell said.

“As a club we’ve been doing a lot of work with the Indian community, the kids and the parents certainly love their footy and are passionate about Essendon so I think it’s important to learn more about their culture and history.”

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel to India before, the kids are obviously mad about their cricket but to spend time with AFL India and the SOS Children’s Village is going to be a great experience, and who knows we might even find the next Jobe Watson over there.”

Founder of AFL India and captain of India’s International Cup team Sudip Chakraborty has praised Essendon for being the first AFL club to bring senior AFL players to India.

“Awareness of the great game of Aussie Rules is growing in India and more players are trying their hand at the sport,” Charkraborty said.

“To have a club like the Essendon Football Club choose to come and meet and train our players to further develop the game is an unbelievable opportunity.”

“The Essendon visit will be a major step in the development of footy in India, and a welcome boost for our communities.”

Head of Community Cameron Britt said the trip was an important step in the ongoing relationship between Essendon and the Indian community.

‘We are committed to being an accessible and representative leader in our community,” Britt said.

“There is a large and vibrant Indian population in Melbourne, and it’s rapidly growing. The trip to India is an important step for the Essendon Football Club, and I’m confident the key learnings from our trip will only strengthen our local programs and relationships with an engaged and passionate section of our community.”

To keep across all the colour and action from the players ten day trip, the club will have an Embracing India Hub located on the club website.

You will also be able to join in the conversation on social media by using #EmbracingIndia.

Many Australians will be jealous of the footy players from Bengal, India as they got a fortuitous treat this October. They got some true Aussie Footy flavour as 4 of the finest Footy players from Essendon Football Club of the AFL came down to have a joint training session with the players at Bongaon, West Bengal. The training was a part of the club’s ‘Embracing India’ initiative and true to its name, Joe Daniher, Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett and David Zaharakis embraced the occasion in style.

Around 200 enthusiastic players from Bongaon, Kolkata, Howrah and Khardah turned up for the chance of a lifetime. Some had made a 10hr long round-trip to attend the training and their efforts did not go in vain. Few players had even made the trip from Ranchi, Jharkhand to grab this opportunity. Not just boys but many girls also turned up accentuating the fact that footy is an inclusive sport which can be enjoyed by both boys and girls. The players were put through the paces Aussie style, and their skills with the Footy impressed even the professionals. “I was really surprised how many young boys and girls turned out for the AFL India super clinic,” Daniher said.”They had some pretty impressive skills. Zacka and I took them through a few drills and they didn’t miss a beat, we might have even met the next Dyson Heppell or Jobe Watson today,”

For the Australian Rules Football Association of India (ARFAI), it was one the biggest moments in their short history and their gratefulness towards the Bombers was unmistakable. “The Essendon Football Club players in India coming to coach us, is the biggest achievement.

It is the first time that an AFL club has reached out to help with on ground activities!” Secretary General of ARFAI Sudip Chakraborty said.”Essendon took the first step in coming over and helping us out here, all the boys and girls have never had training from a proper coach, this is a magnificent experience and hopefully we can do this every year. This is like Sachin Tendulkar coming to another country to teach people how to play cricket, to have these players here training us is out of this world.”

As a part of their tour, the Essendon players visited the Mecca of Indian cricket – Eden Gardens, where they introduced the sport to the Chief Curator. They also had a small kick-about with the locals at the Victoria Memorial lawn. The players then headed on to New Delhi where they did local sightseeing and more importantly, attended the screening of ‘Aussie Rules the World’, a movie on the worldwide impact of Footy, at the Australian High Commission.

The players also engaged in a youth development session with Catholic School in Delhi. Taking the opportunity to experience the vibrancy on offer, they made a trip to Ranthambore for a safari and Agra to witness some architectural marvels of the Mughal era. All through their trip they connected with the community, visiting SOS Child Village, Faridabad and even managing to play some cricket with locals at Delhi.

Essendon’s India visit has proved to be a boon for AFL India. Not just their training helped the footy players in India but also after the trip they also seem to be more interested in getting involved to footy throughout India. Indeed Essendon embraced India with an open heart.