Australian Football International Cup
Most recent season or competition: 2014 Australian Football International Cup | |
Sport | Australian rules football |
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Inaugural season | 2002 |
No. of teams | 2014: 18 men's, 7 women's |
Most recent champion(s) |
Men's: Papua New Guinea (2nd title) Women's: Canada Northern Lights (1st title) |
Most titles |
Men's: Ireland (2 titles) Papua New Guinea (2 titles) Women's: Ireland (1 title) Canada (1 title) |
Official website |
PNG celebrating their 2008 Australian Football International Cup victory | |
Tournaments | |
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The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup) is an international sport competition in Australian rules football. It is currently co-ordinated by the Australian Football League's game development arm and run every 3 years since 2002.
The tournament is the largest international Australian rules football event and the only one that is open to worldwide senior competition; although Australia, the home and world's strongest nation in the game, does not participate as it would most likely dominate the competition.
The inaugural tournament was the 2002 Australian Football International Cup run by the International Australian Football Council under the auspices of the Australian Football League, which then assumed full control with the winding up of the IAFC.
The Cup was originally for male participants only, but in 2011 a women's competition was established.[1] After some suggestions the tournament would be run every 4 years, the AFL is currently maintaining the 3-year cycle.
The grand final of each men's tournament has been held as a curtain raiser to a home-and-away match of the AFL premiership season.
Australia is not represented in the men's tournament; as the only nation where the sport is played professionally, the difference in skill level between an Australian national team and the nearest competitor is currently far too large for any contest to be worthwhile. As such, the tournament is geared towards development of the sport outside Australia and expatriate Australians may not compete, with the exception of the women's OzIM team, where only indigenous and multicultural Australians are able to enter.
Currently there are efforts to help raise the event's profile by broadcasting the 2017 International Cup on SBS, an organisation devoted to multicultural, multi-lingual entertainment.
History
When the International Australian Football Council was formed in 1995 one of its aims was to 'establish and promote an official World Cup of Australian Football'. At the time it was thought that 2008, being the 150th anniversary of the game, was the appropriate date.
However, in 1999 a proposal was received from the New Zealand Australian Football League (NZAFL), suggesting that the World Cup be brought forward to 2002. This was accepted by the council and, following visits to many countries, IAFC public relations officer Brian Clarke drafted a discussion paper and draft regulations for circulation to the various national bodies.
An approach was then made to the AFL, asking for their support in staging the event. The AFL agreed on the basis that the event was renamed the "International Cup". An organising committee, chaired by Ed Biggs and including AFL and IAFC representatives, was then appointed.
The inaugural competition was held between 14 August and 23 August 2002 (in conjunction with the International Australian Football Council), with 11 countries competing including Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ireland defeated Papua New Guinea in the final.
The second cup was held between 3 August and 13 August 2005 in Australia. Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States competed. Denmark and Nauru competed in 2002 but withdrew from the 2005 tournament for financial reasons. Papua New Guinea were again runners up, this time defeated by New Zealand by 7.8 (50) to 5.2 (32).
The third cup was held in August and September 2008. Sixteen nations competed; all teams from the 2002 competition returned, joined by debutants China, India, Sweden, Finland and the Peres Peace Team (Israel-Palestine).[2] Tonga competed as a seventeenth team, but as they were unable to commit to the full draw they played a series of matches against Team Asia and Team Africa, sides drawn from Melbourne's migrant communities.
The fourth tournament, the 2011 Australian Football International Cup was held in Melbourne and Sydney[3] in August 2011 with 18 nations competing,[4] as well as five women's teams.[5]
Results
Year | Host | Final | Third place match | Number of teams | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | Score | Runner-up | 3rd place | Score | 4th place | ||||||
2002 Details |
Melbourne[6] | Ireland[7] |
7.9 (51) - 2.7 (19) | Papua New Guinea |
New Zealand |
3.7 (25) - 2.4 (16) | Denmark |
11 | |||
2005 Details |
Melbourne, Wangaratta[8] | New Zealand[9] |
7.8 (50) - 5.2 (32) | Papua New Guinea |
United States |
10.5 (65) - 4.6 (30) | Ireland |
10 | |||
2008 Details |
Melbourne, Warrnambool[10] | Papua New Guinea[11] |
7.12 (54) - 7.4 (46) | New Zealand |
South Africa |
4.9 (33) - 5.2 (32) | Ireland |
16 | |||
2011 Details |
Melbourne, Sydney[3] | Ireland[12] |
8.5 (53) - 5.5 (35) | Papua New Guinea |
New Zealand |
12.4 (76) - 6.5 (41) | United States |
18 | |||
2014 Details |
Melbourne | Papua New Guinea |
6.9 (45) - 6.6 (42) | Ireland |
New Zealand |
6.8 (44) - 6.7 (43) | South Africa |
18 |
Competing teams, nicknames, and placings
Flag | Nation | Rep team | 2002 (11) | 2005 (10) | 2008 (16) | 2011 (18) | 2014 | 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | Northwind | 9th | 7th | 6th | 10th | 5th | ||
China | Red Demons | - | - | 15th | 17th | 16th | ||
Denmark | Vikings | 4th | - | 11th | 8th | - | ||
East Timor | Crocs | - | - | - | 18th | - | ||
Fiji | Tribe | - | - | - | 13th | 10th | ||
Finland | Icebreakers | - | - | 14th | - | 15th | ||
France | Coqs | - | - | - | 14th | 11th | ||
India | Tigers | - | - | 16th | 16th | 18th | ||
Indonesia | Garudas | - | - | - | - | 17th | ||
Ireland | Warriors | 1st | 4th | 4th | 1st | 2nd | ||
Israel-Palestinian territories | Peres Team for Peace | - | - | 13th | 15th | - | ||
Japan | Samurais | 10th | 9th | 8th | 12th | 14th | ||
Nauru | Chiefs | 8th | - | 5th | 6th | 7th | ||
New Zealand | Falcons | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | ||
Pakistan | Shaheens | - | - | - | - | 12th | ||
Papua New Guinea | Mosquitos | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | ||
Samoa | Kangaroos | 7th | 5th | 10th | - | - | ||
South Africa | Lions | 11th | 8th | 3rd | 5th | 4th | ||
Spain | Bulls | - | 10th | - | - | - | ||
Sweden | Elks | - | - | 12th | 11th | 13th | ||
Tonga | Tigers | - | - | - | 9th | 6th | ||
United Kingdom | Bulldogs | 6th | 6th | 9th | 7th | 9th | ||
United States | Revolution | 5th | 3rd | 7th | 4th | 8th |
Overall tournament rankings and statistics
Ranking | Country | #Played | #Won | %Won | #Lost | %Lost | #Drawn | %Drawn |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Zealand | 23 | 20 | 87% | 3 | 13% | 0 | 0% |
2 | Papua New Guinea | 22 | 18 | 82% | 4 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
3 | Ireland | 23 | 18 | 78% | 5 | 22% | 0 | 0% |
4 | United States | 23 | 16 | 70% | 7 | 30% | 0 | 0% |
5 | Fiji | 6 | 4 | 67% | 2 | 33% | 0 | 0% |
6 | Samoa | 17 | 9 | 53% | 8 | 47% | 0 | 0% |
7 | Denmark | 16 | 8 | 50% | 8 | 50% | 0 | 0% |
7 | France | 6 | 3 | 50% | 3 | 50% | 0 | 0% |
7 | Nauru | 16 | 8 | 50% | 8 | 50% | 0 | 0% |
7 | South Africa | 22 | 11 | 50% | 11 | 50% | 0 | 0% |
11 | United Kingdom | 22 | 10 | 45% | 12 | 55% | 0 | 0% |
12 | Canada | 22 | 9 | 41% | 13 | 59% | 0 | 0% |
13 | Israel-Palestinian territories | 11 | 4 | 36% | 7 | 64% | 0 | 0% |
14 | China | 11 | 3 | 27% | 8 | 73% | 0 | 0% |
14 | Japan | 22 | 6 | 27% | 16 | 73% | 0 | 0% |
14 | Sweden | 11 | 3 | 27% | 8 | 73% | 0 | 0% |
17 | Finland | 5 | 1 | 20% | 4 | 80% | 0 | 0% |
18 | Tonga | 6 | 1 | 17% | 5 | 83% | 0 | 0% |
19 | India | 11 | 1 | 9% | 10 | 91% | 0 | 0% |
20 | Spain | 5 | 0 | 0% | 5 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
20 | East Timor | 6 | 0 | 0% | 6 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
Placing rankings
Pos. | Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Fourth |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Papua New Guinea | 2 (2008, 2014) | 3 (2002, 2005, 2011) | ||
2nd | Ireland | 2 (2002, 2011) | 1 (2014) | 2 (2005, 2008) | |
3rd | New Zealand | 1 (2005) | 1 (2008) | 3 (2002, 2011, 2014) | |
4th | United States | 1 (2005) | 1 (2011) | ||
South Africa | 1 (2008) | 1 (2014) | |||
6th | Denmark | 1 (2002) | |||
Women's International Cup
Beginning in 2011, a Women's International Cup will be competed for alongside the men's competition.[13] Teams competing in the women's division include:
Flag | Nation | Rep team | 2011 (5)[14] | 2014 (7)[15] | 2017 (–) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia Indigenous & Multicultural team | Australia | OzIM | 5th | – | |
Canada | Northern Lights | 2nd | 1st | ||
Canada | Midnight Suns | – | 4th | ||
Fiji | Fiji | – | 5th | ||
Ireland | Banshees | 1st | 2nd | ||
Papua New Guinea | Flame | 4th | – | ||
United States | Freedom | 3rd | 3rd | ||
United States | Liberty | – | 7th | ||
Tonga | Tonga | – | 6th |
See also
- Australian Football Multicultural Cup
- Australian rules football around the world
- Countries playing Australian rules football
- List of International Australian rules football tournaments
- World rankings
References
- ↑ "About AFL International Cup". Australian Football League. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
In addition, 2011 sees the introduction of a women's tournament with five competing countries: Canada, PNG, Ireland, USA and a combined Indigenous/Multicultural team from Australia.
- ↑ "AFL International Cup History". Australian Football League. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
The third International Cup hosted Papua New Guinea, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Nauru, Samoa, South Africa, Sweden, United States and an unprecedented Peres Peace Team combining Israeli and Palestinian players.
- 1 2 Thompson, Troy (2 December 2010). "IC11 dates and locations confirmed". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
The AFL have now stated that Melbourne and Sydney are locked in, but there will be no Queensland matches.
- ↑ "About AFL International Cup". Australian Football League. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
This year, 18 men's teams will compete for the title with Tonga, France Fiji and Timor-Leste (East Timor) all joining for the first time.
- ↑ "About AFL International Cup". Australian Football League. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
In addition, 2011 sees the introduction of a women's tournament with five competing countries: Canada, PNG, Ireland, USA and a combined Indigenous/Multicultural team from Australia.
- ↑ Northey, Brett (16 November 2004). "International Cup 2002 in Review". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
It has been two years since the inaugural International Cup, held in Melbourne.
- ↑ Northey, Brett (16 November 2004). "International Cup 2002 in Review". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
In a tough contest, the Green Machine, as they were dubbed by the Australian media, shut down the Papuans. There are numerous opinions on how the Irish came to defeat such a fancied opponent.
- ↑ Northey, Brett (23 April 2005). "International Cup venues released". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
As reported earlier, the grand final is to be played at the MCG, and the series also includes a round of matches at a country venue, Wangaratta, about northeast of Melbourne.
- ↑ Richard, Aaron (13 August 2005). "New Zealand take the Cup". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
New Zealand held off Papua New Guinea to win the 2005 Australian Football International Cup this evening, running out 7.8.50 to 5.2.32 winners.
- ↑ Nugent, Ash (27 November 2007). "Warrnambool to co-host 2008 International Cup". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
The AFL today announced that Warrnambool will join Melbourne as the host of the 2008 International Cup.
- ↑ Northey, Brett (6 September 2008). "Mozzies at last in MCG thriller". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
Papua New Guinea's Mosquitoes have finally broken through to win the International Cup at the MCG after twice being runners-up. It was magnificent come from behind win against quality opposition, the New Zealand Falcons, in a high quality match.
- ↑ Richard, Aaron (27 August 2011). "IC11 Men's Div 1 Grand Final - Ireland's Double Glory". World Footy News. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
Ireland have come back from a 28-point deficit midway through the second term to defeat the PNG Mosquitoes by 18 points today, in a match that saw the Warriors become the first nation to win two International Cups, as well as the first nation to win the Men's and Women's International Cups in the same year.
- ↑ "Women's Teams". Aussie Rules International. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
2011 sees the inaugural Women's International Cup in Australian Football.
- ↑ AFL Community (2011-08-28). "AFL Community: International Cup 2011". aflcommunity.com.au. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ↑ AFL (2014-08-25). "International Cup 2014 Final rankings". afl.com.au. Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Australian Football International Cup. |
- AFL International Cup 2014 Home Page
- New Zealand's Haka versus Samoan's Siva Tau - Wangaratta - International Cup 2005 from Google Videos.
- Samoan Siva Tau - International Cup 2005 from Google Videos.
- Papua New Guinea War Dance - International Cup 2005 from YouTube.
- South Africa and Canada post match song from Google Videos.
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