Local Womens International Footy

[The_Wookie]

AFL Canada are pleased to announce the selection of 30 of Canada’s leading female footballers to the Northern Lights, who will represent Canada at the International Cup to be held in Melbourne in August 2017.

The squad has a blend of experience and new talent. IC14 World Team selections Aimee Legault, Kendra Heil, Lara Hilmi, Hilary EP Perry and Danah Arnold return along with 10 exciting new faces who have made a strong case for selection.

In 2014, Canada’s Northern Lights won the women’s cup, defeating Ireland in the final to avenge their second place finish in 2011. The Northern Lights look forward to facing new challenges from Europe, as well as facing old rivals in 2017.

Selection of the team followed a national team selection camp held from September 3-4, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. The camp brought together over 50 players from across Canada participate in team orientation, theory sessions on game plan strategy, skills and fitness testing and three hotly contested and entertaining selection matches.

“Selection camp was a fantastic weekend. We challenged the group physically and mentally and they responded magnificently. Their commitment to raise the bar on our 2014 achievements is inspiring. The weekend also gave us the opportunity to gel as a group in preparation for the hard work that is needed over the upcoming months leading into IC17,” said Head Coach Jason Arnold. “The coaching staff faced many very difficult decisions in selecting this squad, which is a testament to the high calibre of football being played in competitions across Canada.”

In addition to the players who attended camp, an additional 18 players were available for selection to the Northern Lights, including ten Canadian players currently residing in Australia and developing their skills in local women’s footy competitions.

The camp was a major milestone in the development of women’s football in Canada, capping off a strong year of development that began with the Canadian National Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia in May 2016 and continued through league competitions in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec through summer 2016.

“With the high calibre of Northern Lights players and the strength of our coaching staff, the Northern Lights are well-positioned to defend their International Cup championship. With the launch of the AFL women’s competition next year, 2017 will be a very exciting year for women’s football and the Lights will be a major part of that excitement,” said Arnold.

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi…

#IC17Lights

 

[TWLS]

Our International Womens game just keeps expanding into new areas of the world albeit slowly.
There will be a first time Womens match at the 2016 AFL Asian Championships set for October 14/15 in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
It appears they will be drawn from various places/clubs - Womens Gaelic - and other areas not nominated yet. However the fact that these activities are happening at all is a bonus, coming from a previous nil base. Refer to AFL-ASIA.com.
A plug for the men - A record 18 teams are competing in the Champs, along with the Inaugral Asian Cup featuring all "LOCAL" players from 3 regions in 3 teams.

Another major Womens competition is being held on October 8/9 in Lisbon Portugal, which features the 2016 9 a side Euro Cup. This comp is the flagship event for AFL Europe, and is being held in Lisbon to try and attract some interest from the locals.
There will be 7 countries competing this year.
France, Scotland, England, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark.

 

[The_Wookie]

Carlton have taken Kate Shierlaw as a rookie. Shes been spending part of the 2016 season at the Wimbledon Hawks.
http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2016-09-23/womens-team-boosted-by-rookies

 

[TWLS]

We discussed recently and gave the reasons why Women in China would play our game - After all they play 15 a side Rugby etc etc.
Well it is going to happen it appears with one team initially.
The article below talks about a mens team mainly but a womens team is being planned. So this post covers both set ups.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/...eam-schools-victorian-students-their-own-game

 

[TWLS]

The USAFL Women will be bringing two teams again to IC17, and their teams will be the Freedom and Liberty squads.

We found an article written in August on the USAFL web site written by Andrea Casillas, which talks about the progress of the Womens game in the USA since 2005.
Andrea is obviously a very passionate player and supporter, and describes very well what happened in her country. There are some interesting current stats on the state of the Womens game in the early part of the article.
What is also obvious is the high level of interest in the new Professional Womens League where our great sport is played Internationally.

http://usafl.com/news/20160810/womens-footy-we-are-all-game-changers

 

[jatz14]

The USAFL Women will be bringing two teams again to IC17, and their teams will be the Freedom and Liberty squads.

We found an article written in August on the USAFL web site written by Andrea Casillas, which talks about the progress of the Womens game in the USA since 2005.
Andrea is obviously a very passionate player and supporter, and describes very well what happened in her country. There are some interesting current stats on the state of the Womens game in the early part of the article.
What is also obvious is the high level of interest in the new Professional Womens League where our great sport is played Internationally.

http://usafl.com/news/20160810/womens-footy-we-are-all-game-changers

I noted fewer womens teams in the USAFL nationals this year, and was curious as to the reason. It could be many of course, some women having been to one may not have felt the need to go to another 12 months later, it is quite a commitment. Also possible some have set their sights on the IC17 next year. Has there been a plateauing of numbers or interest. Does anyone know trending numbers?

 

[TWLS]

The 2016 9 a side AFL Europe Euro Cup will be held in the National Stadium Jamor in Lisbon Portugal this Saturday October 8.
There will be a record 7 Womens teams competing along with 15 Mens teams on 3 fields at the complex. Qualifiers in morning and finals in afternoon.
The Womens draw --Pool A
France v Scotland -England v Ireland
France v Ireland -England v Scotland
Ireland v Scotland
Pool B
Croatia v Sweden -Demark v Sweden
Denmark v Croatia
England we think will be favourites.
Live streaming available in morning and afternoon sessions on the AFL Europe web site.
The 9 a side format Internationally has been around for quite a few years now, and needs more promotion.

 

[CrowdedHouse]

The 2016 9 a side AFL Europe Euro Cup will be held in the National Stadium Jamor in Lisbon Portugal this Saturday October 8.
There will be a record 7 Womens teams competing along with 15 Mens teams on 3 fields at the complex. Qualifiers in morning and finals in afternoon.
The Womens draw --Pool A
France v Scotland -England v Ireland
France v Ireland -England v Scotland
Ireland v Scotland
Pool B
Croatia v Sweden -Demark v Sweden
Denmark v Croatia
England we think will be favourites.
Live streaming available in morning and afternoon sessions on the AFL Europe web site.
The 9 a side format Internationally has been around for quite a few years now, and needs more promotion.

Brief article on this weekend's Euro Cup - http://www.[NB: girlsplayfooty doma...10/fast-footy-on-cards-in-nine-side-euro.html

 

[TWLS]

Brief article on this weekend's Euro Cup - http://www.[NB: girlsplayfooty doma...10/fast-footy-on-cards-in-nine-side-euro.html

The Irish Banshees were victorious over the England Vixens to win the Womens Division.

 

[TWLS]

Here is something a little different to the usual media stories on the Womens game locally and Internationally.
A book- Play On - has just been released that covers the Womens game from the beginning to current times.
It is a fascinating look at how Women wanted to be involved from day one, and even in the 1860`s the ladies were attracted to the game.
Apparently in the 1870`s several outspoken women wanted to play but were told sorry men only.
To our knowledge this publication, which is meticuously researched is the first of its type.
Usually football knowledge and power had moved East to West geographically however this time it was reversed with the ladies. It went West to East.
http://www.echopublishing.com.au/titles/play-on/
We have no connection with the Authors, Publishers, Booksellers.

 

[TWLS]

AFL Asia have just completed their Annual Championships last Saturday -October 13 - in Ho Chi Minh city in Southern Vietnam. Have to say that group have really expanded in the last couple of years due to a lot of hard working expats and locals.

They held a Womens match for the FIRST time during the comp and hope to continue with the concept in future years.
The match was built around the Ladies Saigon Gaels and had a full International line up countrywise including Australia, UK, Ireland,USA, Cambodia, France.
The Squad of players were broken up into 2 teams -The Reds and The Whites. The Reds won the match - 3.1.19 over The Whites 1.1. 7
On the AFL Asia Facebook page under October 13 there is a 36 minute video of the game, which was streamed live on Saturday.

 

[CrowdedHouse]

Most of the videos from the USAFL Nationals are online - https://www.youtube.com/user/USAFL1997/videos

 

[The_Wookie]

Canadian Kendra Heil has been taken by the Pies apparently
http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_...D=154776&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=49103833

Kendra represented Canada against the USA in the 2012 and 2013 Parallel Cups and in 2014 she helped lead the Northern Lights to the world championships in the International Cup in Melbourne. Kendras strong play helped her earn selection to the World Team, being named on a forward flank.


Kendra moved to Australia in 2014 to further her football career and was named joint best and fairest for the Eastern Devils in the Victorian Football League. Cruelly, she suffered a torn ACL in 2015, hampering her 2015 and 2016 season. However she had shown enough prior to her injury and during her recovery for Collingwood to select her with their free agent draft selection.


While the AFL has had a number of internationally born players, including Canada’s own Mike Pyke, she is the first player to have been born and learnt to play outside of Australia. Although she is the first, with the strength of the Canadian leagues and national team program, she won’t be the only one.

 

[TWLS]

There have been several media reports on a country in Asia which has developed its player base to 500 according to their President, and development originally started in 2007, and has continued off and on since. They are attending IC17 in Melbourne next August, where their great rivals in sport AFL India is attending also.
We are talking about Pakistan, which recently held their 10 team National Championships at a Cricket Stadium, which for International footy is rare.
What attracted our attention was the fact that in their player base they have Women playing. There were no actual numbers given, but it is very interesting news indeed, so can we assume their playing uniform would be similar to the GWS Giants Womens Auburn team.
On the AFL Pakistan Facebook page there is more info and photos of the Championships, which were shown on National Pakistan TV.

 

[TWLS]

We have posted an updated review of the first ever Womens match at the AFL Asia Championships. The review gives a more detailed look at Womens Footy in Asia and its potential with the new Australian Womens League next year.
Apparently not many Australians involved in this match, which is a positive of sorts.
https://www.afl-asia.com/first-womens-afl-game-in-asia-a-success/

 

[TWLS]

AFL PNG is developing its female player base at a steady rate. It has had to overcome certain societal pressures, however they have managed to organise several School girl comps around the country, which will give it the larger player base. Of course they have Senior comps in Port Moresby, and Lae.
Recently the PNG Women travelled to QLD for the AFL QLD Youth Girls Champs for the first time since 2014.

While we are discussing QLD - They are reporting 76,000 Women and Girls participated in footy this year, up from 60,000 last year, and confirm interest up there is continuing.
Video of the PNG Girls is on the page below.

http://www.aflq.com.au/pngs-weekend-in-queensland/

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Given that Laura Corrigan and Kendra Heil are now on an AFL list and are paid players (though Heil might not be fit in time), does this preclude them from playing in the IC17?

AFL listed players have been unable to play in the IC before because the rules state that players must be amateur. So therefore players like Aimee Legault etc. have been able to play for their home countries despite being very successful in the VWFL, because the VWFL was still amateur.

Heil is named to Canada's IC squad for '17 but that was before she was drafted and perhaps she's not going to be fit in time anyway.

 

[eastfreo75]

I think Jatz14 means Womens sport in general and being low paid/conditions compared to the Mens sports.
However that can change -- The Lynx Womens Basketball team based in Perth is now part of the very successful- The Wildcats Mens Basketball team Franchise- and are now sitting on top of their comps ladder-(WNBL)- We dont know their pay set up/conditions but it will be better than before one would think.

Perth Wildcats have token over the West Coast Waves and the players are now full time employees who get paid for community work and playing.

Andy Stewart who taken over a head coach and has really had a difference in professionalism.

The Lynx now have the coaching, resources and pay to be very successful.

 

[eastfreo75]

The methods used to attract international women need to be unique. The utilisation of incentives perhaps?

If the AFLW goes professional, we should be targeting NCAA volley ballers, basketballers and Lacrosse players.

Their isn't alot of money in women's sport apart of Tennis, Basketball Europe and WNBA, and soccer in America.

If the AFL can provide an ok living for the Women, it will dominate not just in Australia but the world.

 

[Gigantor]

If the AFL can provide an ok living for the Women, it will dominate not just in Australia but the world.

I'm not sure about the world, but what would really be advantageous if young women can be attracted here for both tertiary studies and playing footy.

 

[eastfreo75]

I'm not sure about the world, but what would really be advantageous if young women can be attracted here for both tertiary studies and playing footy.

The Dockers with partnership with Curtin University are offering scholarships to female Docker players. Maybe, the other clubs could do the same ie Melbourne Demons with Melbourne University.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[TWLS]

I'm not sure about the world, but what would really be advantageous if young women can be attracted here for both tertiary studies and playing footy.

At this time in Womens International Footy probably Canada, USA, Ireland and England have the most advanced domestic comps, which may see more players travel to Australia and sign up to the local leagues first to get in front of the AFLW recruiters.
The other way would be for really outstanding players from other countries with less advanced comps like Jolyn Collins in NZ to do the same.
Hopefully AFL Europe on the Continent can continue to bring the Womens game along further in Sweden, Denmark, Croatia, France etc.

 

[TWLS]

There is one country with Womens footy that is taking the 2017 International Cup very seriously - Fiji.
They have had a 2 team comp up there for several years and are getting ready for the Cup now.
There is now a 23 member squad in training for their comp and Melbourne, and have listed a schedule to fit in with that.
Training started on September 26 and the domestic comp runs from October 15 through to next year in a build up for the big one in August in Melbourne, which will be a huge trip for the players.
The squad will be adjusted numbers wise as players form goes up and down over the summer and into 2017.

 

[CrowdedHouse]

The USAFL are inviting Aussie teams to compete in their own division at next year's nationals.

http://www.[NB: girlsplayfooty doma...016/12/usafl-invites-australian-women-to.html

 

[Garlic muncher]

The USAFL are inviting Aussie teams to compete in their own division at next year's nationals.

http://www.[NB: girlsplayfooty doma...016/12/usafl-invites-australian-women-to.html

Thats interesting, i personally think that footy tourism is a huge untapped market both into Australia and Australians heading O/S.

10 years ago many people would have scoffed at something like this.

I think something like rugby do in Hong Kong with the 7's will be the way of the future, the new 7 a side game or 10 a side ( whatever format the AFL decide to go with)

I personally don't really think 18 a side football is realistically any great sort of a chance to be successful O/S, but i can see 7 aside or 10 a side football played on smaller grounds having successful tournaments around the world.