Tag: AFL

England Dragonslayers Announce 2019 Euro Cup Squad

England Dragonslayers Head Coach Dean Thomas has named his first squad in preparation for the 2019 AFL Europe Euro Cup in June.

Last year the Dragonslayers bowed out to eventual champions Denmark in the semi-finals, and George Dibble, Michael Sharp, Cameron Cope, Rob Goliah, Adam Morris and Andy Walkden are the only players returning from the 2018 Euro Cup squad.

All but four of the players in the 16-man squad play their football outside of the capital, showcasing the strength of the Central & Northern England league. The Dragonslayers also welcome Sam Walon as the first player from the National University League to be selected for England. Walon has kicked four goals for the undefeated University of Birmingham so far this season.

 

There are six debutants in the squad, including Jack Coughlan (North London Lions), who sits in second place on the list of Great Britain Bulldogs all-time goal kickers along with Luke Carrigan (West London Wildcats) and Adam Kelly (Manchester Mosquitoes).

“We’ve gone early with selecting this side to give these boys plenty of time to prepare,” said Thomas. “We know not everyone in the English footy landscape agrees with this move, but we do know that everyone here will be supporting these players and backing them to get a good result.”

Myles Hudson (Wimbledon Hawks) is the new captain of the England Dragonslayers, having been elected by the players themselves. Hudson then chose Andy Cochran (Manchester Mosquitoes) as his vice-captain.

Head Coach Thomas says that this is an important step in giving the players ownership over the team and the path they wish to take going forward.

“With some experienced players being unavailable for the Sweden trip, it is a fantastic opportunity for this young group to establish themselves. We will keep our options open with regards to emergencies should any of these players become unavailable for any reason between now and the end of June, but we are very comfortable with the 16 named.”

The 2018 Euro Cup takes place in Norrtälje, Sweden on the 29th June 2019.

Brummy Marvelous! Lions Men into NUL Grand Final

Birmingham turned up the heat on home soil as they won all four of their games to jump to the top of both the Men’s and Women’s division.

After a bye in Round 2, the two sides jumped straight back into the fray as the men’s team kept up their unbeaten record.

A total of seven individual goal-kickers saw them see of the Universities of South Wales (UoSW) team, and they followed that up by soundly beating Cambridge. Four goals from James Williams and three for Ciaran Jeanes across the round helping their side secure a spot in the inaugural NUL Men’s Grand Final with a round to spare.

Birmingham University Women’s Team

Meanwhile, in the Women’s Division, Birmingham are also sitting in top spot, after four goals from Neave Dent helped them thrash the UoSW by 58 points, the biggest margin of victory in the Women’s Division this season.

They then put in another dominant display keeping Cambridge goalless in a rematch of the first-ever NUL match.

The Birmingham teams now have a combined record of 7-1 across the two divisions this season, and haven’t lost an NUL match since the opening game of the season against Oxford Women in November.

Meanwhile, the UoSW Men’s team recorded their first win of the season with a 7.10 (52) to 4.9 (33) defeat over Cambridge in the battle for third place in the Men’s Division.

Soundly beaten in both Round 2 matches – including a 110-point mauling at the hands of Oxford – the team bounced back and reversed a 51-point loss against Cambridge into a 19-point win thanks to three goals from Josh Davey, who scored five across the entire round.

Cambridge University Men’s Team

It was a disappointing end to the regular season for the Cambridge sides, with a win apiece for both their men’s and women’s sides.

The women now sit second in the ladder behind Birmingham on percentage only and will have a nervous wait ahead of Round 4 to see if they can hold on to a spot in the Grand Final.

For the Cambridge Men, they were the beneficiaries of a 50-0 forfeit win over UoSW, but still missed out on a spot in the Grand Final

Round 4 takes place in Cardiff on February 16th as the regular season draws to a close. With the top two teams confirmed in the Men’s Division, all eyes will be on Oxford to see if they can overtake Cambridge in the Women’s Division and also make it to the Grand Final.

Round 3 Results

Men’s Division
Birmingham 11.12 (78) def. Universities of South Wales 2.5 (17)
Birmingham 9.6 (60) def. Cambridge 3.6 (24)
Cambridge def. UoSW (forfeit – 50-0)

Women’s Division
Birmingham 10.8 (68) def. Universities of South Wales 1.4 (10)
Birmingham 4.9 (33) def. Cambridge 0.1 (1)
Cambridge 6.4 (40) def. Universities of South Wales 2.11 (23)

Round 4 Fixtures

Men’s & Women’s Division

Universities of South Wales vs Birmingham
Universities of South Wales vs Oxford
Birmingham vs Oxford

National University League Fixtures Announced

With the start of the National University League less than a month away, and after extensive consultation, the fixtures for the inaugural season have been announced.

Several changes have been made to the original schedule published back in August. This is due to clashes with events such as the Movember Cup and the Fitzpatrick Cup, as well as future Great Britain training days.

Changes were also needed in order to accommodate a new team to the league, representing universities from the South of Wales, bringing the total number of teams involved to four alongside the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Birmingham.

The 2018/19 season will take place over four rounds, held in Cambridge on November 10th, Oxford on December 1st, Birmingham on January 19th and finally in South Wales on February 16th, after which the teams ranked first and second in the ladder will face off against one another on March 16th in the Grand Final.

2018/2019 Fixtures

Round Date Venue Team 1 Team 2
1 November 10th Cambridge Cambridge Oxford
Cambridge Birmingham
Oxford Birmingham
2 December 1st Oxford Oxford Cambridge
Oxford Wales
Cambridge Wales
3 January 19th Birmingham Birmingham Wales
Birmingham Cambridge
Cambridge Wales
4 February 16th Wales Wales Birmingham
Wales Oxford
Oxford Birmingham

 

Click the links below to see each team’s fixtures

Men’s Division

Women’s Division
University of Oxford University of Oxford
University of Cambridge University of Cambridge
University of Birmingham University of Birmingham
South Wales Universities South Wales Universities

There are of course two divisions – men’s and women’s – and the fixture list is the same for both divisions.

For more information like the National University League page on Facebook or email info@aflengland.org

Vixens Fall Just Short in Euro Cup Grand Final

FT: England Vixens 1.2 (8) def. by Irish Banshees 5.3 (33)

Second Half Irish Blitz Ends Vixens’ Hopes of Retaining Title

England Dragonslayers Fourth After Defeats to Eventual Winners Denmark, and Croatia

14th October 2018 – A repeat of their dual victories in 2017 was not to be as both England sides failed to retain their Euro Cup titles in Cork, Ireland, with the England Vixens losing out in the Grand Final against last year’s runner-up Ireland.

Meanwhile, the Dragonslayers finished fourth after losing in the third-place playoff to Croatia, after defeat in the semi-finals against eventual men’s division champions Denmark. Continue reading “Vixens Fall Just Short in Euro Cup Grand Final” →

Euro Cup Preview: England Teams Ready for Action

With the start of the 2018 AFL Euro Cup just one sleep away, the European footballing community’s eyes are on Cork. In total, 15 countries will compete for the title of European champions tomorrow at the Cork Institute of Technology, but in order to do so, they’ll have to take it from defending champions England…in both the men’s and women’s divisions!

With the combined England squads having made the trip across the Irish sea, they are preparing for a hard day’s competition tomorrow, starting with the pool stages and hopefully ending up in a repeat of their dual triumphs in Bordeaux twelve months ago.

Vixens open with matches against Denmark and Wales who are competing as independent nations after combining efforts in 2017. The England women’s team’s remaining pool matches area against Germany and Sweden.

Should the Vixens top their pool, they will face the runner-up of a pool including Ireland, France, Croatia and Scotland in the semi-final.

The Dragonslayers will come up against the relative unknown prospects of the Czech Republic, Russia and France in the group stages, and will also aim to top their pool. Depending on their position they will then face an opponent from Pool A (Ireland, Austria, Scotland and Sweden), knowing that should they avoid Ireland in the quarter-final, a Grand Final rematch may be on the cards.

Stay tuned to AFL England across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from updates live from Cork as the England teams aim to go back-to-back at the Euro Cup!

Euro Cup Draw: Dragonslayers and Vixens Find Out Pool Opponents

Both England teams have found out their opponents in the pool stages of next weekend’s Euro Cup in Cork. The Dragonslayers and Vixens are defending champions of their respective divisions and head to Ireland full of confidence.

The England Vixens were drawn alongside the Swedish Ravens, Danish Valkyries, Welsh Wyverns and German Eagles in Pool B of the women’s division, with the England Dragonslayers drawn with the Czech Republic Dragons, French Coqs and Russian Czars. Continue reading “Euro Cup Draw: Dragonslayers and Vixens Find Out Pool Opponents” →

British Players Named in AFL Women’s International Rookie Camp

18 Women Announced in CrossCoders AFLW International Rookie Camp

GB Swan Hocking and Former Welsh International Soccer Player Jones Included

17th September 2018 – After an extensive worldwide search, two British sportswomen have been selected for the first ever AFL Women’s International rookie camp in Melbourne, Australia. The camp takes place from September 22-30.

Great Britain Swan Frankie Hocking and former Welsh international soccer and netballer Nia Jones will join 16 other highly talented sportswomen from Ireland, the United States, France, Canada and Fiji as they seek a professional Australian Rules football contract. Continue reading “British Players Named in AFL Women’s International Rookie Camp” →

Clubs Set for Women’s Champions League Qualifiers

Three Teams Will Battle for Champions League Qualification

Innovative Inter-League Format Takes Place This Autumn

10th September 2018 – With the women’s game continuing to grow in England and Wales, the Nottingham Scorpions, Sussex Swans and Cardiff Panthers will face each other to decide who will qualify for next year’s AFL Europe Champions League.

The three teams will play one another three times, with the best team after this round-robin format qualifying for the tournament, which will be held in Spring 2019.

AFL Europe Events & Communications Coordinator Lily Beck welcomed the news as the women’s game continues to develop further in Europe.

“We’ve seen some fantastic growth in the women’s division of the Champions League recently,” she said. “It’s great to see the UK clubs using the opportunity to compete at the Champions as an incentive to get more games played during the season, as well as becoming more and more competitive.”

This year’s Champions League had a record seven women’s teams competing, and Nottingham Scorpions; Laura Turner-Ramadan says that her side will be desperate to qualify again.

“The Champions League was an awesome experience last year,” she said. “The timing of the league means that our players can continue to practise their skills throughout the winter when ordinarily the season would go pretty quiet.

“We have lots of new players who are excited about playing the tournament style game days meaning they will get lots of experience and hopefully lots of goals!”

The competition will run over three rounds, in Cardiff (22nd September), Sussex (20th October) and Nottingham (10th November).

Mick Tierney says that the Sussex Swans are thrilled to be debuting their women’s team after just over 12 months of having women attending training.

“The whole club is excited at the prospect of Champions League qualification,” he said. “The players have been training hard all season, with many taking part in AFL London fixtures, and Niamh Polly, Becca Prevett, Bella Penny and Anita Butterley all playing for the AFL London All-Stars against the GB Swans last month.

“I know the whole club will be behind them. We’ll be heading to Cardiff with a strong and confident side.”

Women's Champions League Qualifier

PosTeamPWLFA%Pts
166037974512.224
2633248206120.412
3606353829.20
View full table

Stay tuned to AFL England on Facebook and Twitter for more information about the three rounds of qualification this autumn!

For more information about finding an Australian rules football club near you, head to the Find a Club section of our website or email info@aflengland.org

 

“We’re Confident We Can Get a Result” – Head Coach Skelly as Vixens Prepare to Take on Demons

This weekend both the England Vixens and the England Dragonslayers will take on Wandsworth Demons sides. The fixtures, which will take place on Clapham Common, serve as a warm-up for the 2018 Euro Cup which gets underway in Cork on 13th October. Both England sides are the defending champions.

The Demons are arguably one of the toughest sides outside of Australia; the Men’s Premiership side are nine-time premiers, with all but one of the Women’s Premiership titles have gone the way of the ‘SheDees’ since its inception in 2015. Continue reading ““We’re Confident We Can Get a Result” – Head Coach Skelly as Vixens Prepare to Take on Demons” →

Rising Star Liam Dolling Preparing for Great Britain Debut

Was Named as One  of 14 Debutants in the Bulldogs Squad to Face the Netherlands

Dolling Plays His Club Football for the Glasgow Sharks

22nd August 2018 – With the Principal Great Britain Bulldog’s friendly against the Netherlands just days away, here we take look at one of the brightest prospects named in the Great Britain Squad by Head Coach Dean Thomas.

Liam Dolling is one of three Scots and 15 debutants in the squad – joined by West Lothian Eagles player Keir Wotherspoon and Glasgow Shark’s Andrew McManus – and Dolling says that he is excited to play his first game for Great Britain after enjoying a standout season for the Glasgow Sharks.

Continue reading “Rising Star Liam Dolling Preparing for Great Britain Debut” →