Australian rules football in France
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Australian rules football in France is currently played by four clubs in Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Montpellier. The Union Française de Football Australien is the current ad-hoc governing body. There have been a number of other short-lived clubs in the country in the past, although the long distances between them have prevented the creation of a national league.
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[edit] History
Australian rules football was played by Australian armed forces at Poperinge in 1916.[1]
Among the recorded matches was also one in 1919 played in Le Havre.[2]
Australian football was first shown in France on Canal+ television in the 1980s. Aussie Rules had been played sporadically in the 1990s by clubs in Paris and Normandy, with the formation of the first club, Houquetot in Normandy. With the support of the Australian embassy, the club became the Montivilliers in 1998 and was nickamed "Tasmania" in reference to the Australian state. The first game was played against Australians in 1998, but the club disappeared the following year.
it wasn't until 2003-04 when the first stable teams began to appear, the first two being the primarily Australian-expat based Paris Cockerels and the mainly French Strasbourg Kangaroos. The first footy match on record between two 100% French teams was played in Strasbourg on 3 December 2005, with the hometown Kangaroos defeating the Senlis Razorbacks 91-17.
A promotional match was played in March 2006 between English club Reading Kangaroos and a French national side in front of between 500 and 700 spectators in Perpignan, including a sizeable media presence[3].
Owing to the large distances between clubs, there is no national league as such. Strasbourg competed in the Australian Football League Germany for 2006, with the Saint Esteve Saints considering joing the Catalan AFL for their 2007 season before going into recess.
[edit] National Team
The first French national Aussie Rules team appeared at the 2005 EU Cup in London. In September 2007 the French national Aussie Rules team competed in the 2007 EU Cup in Hamburg, finishing 7th overall with a record of 3 wins from 6 matches. The French team is unlikely to be ready for the 2008 Australian Football International Cup, although they will be participating in the 2008 EU Cup in Prague.
The team is known as the Coqs and is named after the Gallic rooster, the French national emblem.
[edit] Current Clubs
[edit] Paris Cockerels
The Cockerels were formed in Paris in 2003 by Australian expatriates. They have played matches against the Brussels Saints and Strasbourg Kangaroos.
[edit] Strasbourg Kangaroos
France's first all-French Australian football club, were founded in Strasbourg in 2003 by Marc Jund with some friends, calling themselves the Kangaroos. The French national team at the 2005 and 2007 EU Cup was composed mainly of Strasbourg players. Strasbourg has grown to now be the biggest Aussie Rules club in France.
In 2006, the club joined the Australian Football League Germany for its 2006 season. This required a name change, as the Munich Club was already nicknamed the Kangaroos - Strasbourg changing its name to the Black Devils. Strasbourg reverted to the Kangaroos name when they withdrew from the AFLG in 2007.
[edit] Bordeaux Bombers
The Bombers formed in late 2007 and began playing their first matches in 2008.
[edit] Montpellier Firesharks
Formed in 2008, the Montpellier Firesharks will make their debut at the French Cup in Paris in June.
[edit] Former Clubs
[edit] Senlis Razorbacks
[edit] Cergy Cats
[edit] St Estève Saints
The Saints formed in Perpignan around 2006, based mainly around Rugby league players. They hosted a match between the Reading Kangaroos and a French national selection in 2006. The club also formed an organisation called Footy Catalan and considered joining the Catalan AFL, based in southern Catalonia, for the 2007 season, but the club has since gone into recess.
[edit] The French Cup 2008
In June 2008 teams from Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Montpellier will play in the first national AFL competition, the French Cup, in Paris. This competition will also serve as the national selections for the 2008 EU Cup to be played in Prague in October.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?action=PADisplay&mode=display&rs=resultset-781993&no=290 P00046.050 Australian War Memorial
- ^ Australian War Memorial H85.55/160/134
- ^ World Footy News - French almost pull off an upset against the Reading Roos
