|
Australian rules football is played in Europe at an amateur level in a large number of countries. The oldest and largest leagues are those in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, each nation having a number of clubs, organised junior programs and women's football. The British AFL has now dramatically expanded into the Welsh, Scottish and English leagues. The Danish AFL has been responsible for the expansion of Australian Football into Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway. The governing body for Australian Football in Europe was founded in Frankfurt in January 2010; the body was initially called the European Australian Football Association, but changed its name to AFL Europe at a general assembly meeting in Milan in October of the same year.〔(AFL Europe - About Us )〕 It currently has 19 member nations. AFL Europe, with backing of the AFL in Australia has overseen a large improvement in the organisation of Australian football in Europe. The sport has grown from a few clubs and leagues started mainly by expatriate Australians and returning nationals in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to now having established leagues in over 15 nations,〔(15 Nations found European Australian Football Association in Frankfurt )〕 with the majority of players being non-Australian.〔(AFL Europe proposed )〕 Ireland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, France and Finland have thus far sent national teams to the Australian Football International Cup. The two main cup competitions played between nations in Europe are the 16-a-side European Championships in Australian Football, which are played under rules requiring teams to be composed entirely of locals, and the nine-a-side Euro Cup (formerly known as the EU Cup), where initially expat Australians could be included in the squads under a handicap system. Since 2011 however, teams have to be made up entirely of European nation nationals. Cup competitions held in the past have included the Atlantic Alliance Cup and Central European Australian Football League Championships. In addition, there are tests matches played between Great Britain and Ireland, a tri-series (European Australian Football Tri-nations Tournament) between Germany, Denmark and Sweden, and a tri-series between Croatia, Austria and the Czech Republic. ==Andorra== The Australian rules football club of Andorra formed in early 2008, with plans to compete in the Catalan AFL. Logistical problems saw them withdraw from the league before the first round.〔(France win inaugural "World 9s" in Catalonia )〕 Andorra made its first appearance at the WAFF (World Australian Football Federation) World 9s in September 2008, which was played in Valls, Catalonia. The first ever international goal for the Andorran team was kicked by Sumra Sallis and the team went on to defeat Spain in their first international match. Andorra finished equal third in the competition which included teams from Senegal, Catalonia, Argentina, France and Spain. France went on to win the final which was played against Catalonia.〔 In 2009 the Andorra Crows made their debut in the Catalan AFL.〔(Catalan league spanning three nations in 2009 )〕〔(Andorra Ravens impress against Valls on debut in LFAC 2009 )〕 The team's Catalan name is Corbs d'Andorra, which translates at "Ravens", but they use the name Crows when referring to the team in English. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Australian rules football in Europe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|