While Australia is being treated to a second Grand Final
this weekend, on the other side of the world, another big day of footy will
also taking place: the Euro Cup. This year the annual 9-a-side Australian
Football tournament will be held in Parabiago (Milan), Italy.
The competition has only been running since 2005, but in
that time it has grown dramatically in terms of nations competing and players
participating, and its growth is reflective of the growing popularity of the
game in Europe.
Originally the competition was 9-a-side so as to reduce the
demands on playing squads. Since then Australian Football in Europe grown to
such an extent that it was possible to hold a full 16-a-side European
Championship in Sweden and Denmark last August.
However the 9-a-side format is still vital for the
development of the game as it makes it significantly easier for smaller
countries to take part. The 2010 Euro Cup will be contested by 15 countries.
Wales and Switzerland will be taking part for the first time where they join
other emerging football-playing nations such as Austria, France, Catalonia,
Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Scotland. England,
Ireland, Germany and Croatia, who are all relatively well established, will
also be involved. This year’s Euro Cup will also feature the first ever women’s
international in Europe, between Italy and Ireland.
Last August Ireland won the first ever European
Championships in Sweden, and will naturally be favourites to take out this
year’s Euro Cup. However the switch to 9-a-side does change the dynamics. “We’d
hope that we’ll be a contender but none of the players we’re taking have very
much experience of 9-a-side football,” says Ireland’s Ciaran O'Hara. “The
biggest difference will be the speed: 9-a-side games are end-to-end and high
scoring so we expect a real challenge.”
For a long time the commonly held assumption was that
Australian Football abroad was only played by expats, however this is clearly
not true. “French footy was set up by French people who saw the game on TV and
wanted to have a go,” says French coach Adam Le Nevez.
Many of the countries taking part in the Euro Cup simply
don’t have large Australian expat communities and have done everything
themselves. “If there where Aussies in our team, we would have the possibility
to learn from them,” says Martin Schittegg of Austria. “So far we have had to
learn by watching AFL matches, reading books and by trying out whatever tactics
and training methods that we can think of ourselves.”
However there are also advantages to keeping the development
of the game in indigenous hands. “The development of footy must go in line with
the developing local talents and not just for expats to get a kick while they
work or live in Europe,” says Italy’s Nicola Giampaolo. “In Italy we have adopted
the policy that Aussies should play at club level to teach local players the
skills and tactics, but the national team should only have Italian players.”
Obviously you don’t have to be Australian to love Australian
Football, and the Euro Cup is proof that many Europeans are just as passionate
about the game as any Melbournian. Possibly even more so when you consider the
lengths many teams go to just to continue playing. “Costs are our biggest
obstacle – it is difficult to secure sponsorship for a minority sport, and
there are obviously high costs involved with the flights and travel,” says
Scotland team manager Douglas Hamilton, echoing a common problem amongst all
the teams competing. “Finding a full team of Dutch players is difficult,”
agrees Josh Carmichael of the Netherlands. “While the numbers are there, many
don't want to commit (and pay) for travel to play.”
They might be
national representatives but just about everyone in Milan this weekend has had
to take off time from work or studies, and pay for their own travel and
accommodation.
In most European countries, the future of the game relies on
a handful of dedication individuals, and the future isn’t always certain. As
Switzerland’s Mattia Sacchi says: “It
can be the summer alternative to ice hockey in five years and maybe the fourth
biggest team sport in seven years. Or it can all crash down in one year.” But
tournaments such as the Euro Cup give everyone a goal to work towards, and a
shared platform to keep the game alive and well. As Adam Le Nevez says: “The
Euro Cup is a great chance to see the brotherhood of footy in Europe - the
extent to which it is growing and improving, to see competitive games, and to
spend some time with a few hundred passionate fans of the game.”
-- Nic Townsend
Last Modified on 30/09/2010 17:07