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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

AFL Interest Continues to Grow Globally

December 2, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


NEW YORK - More than 400 aspiring football players, coaches, officials, administrators, and cheerleaders from Australia and New Zealand will participate in the third Arena Football League International Training Camp, "Arena Football Down Under," to be held December 12-19 at training sites across Australia and culminating in a round-robin tournament at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre at Homebush, the site of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The event has been organized in conjunction with Southern Cross Gridiron, together with Gridiron Australia.

This is the third and largest of the AFL's international training camps, conducted to recruit and develop an international talent pool, as well as to set the stage for future international expansion and grow Arena Football's fan base through grassroots initiatives, encompassing all elements of the game.

"We are responding to the international interest that already exists for Arena Football," said Commissioner DAVID BAKER. "Our training camps overseas have been a great success. This camp allows us to further expand existing relationships and to develop new partners that share the same vision of making Arena Football a worldwide sport."

Eight existing Gridiron Australia teams, local teams playing American football in Australia, are currently learning AFL skills from local coaches who have attended previous AFL international training camps. Players are being instructed in a full-team setting, learning two-way and specialist positions. Participating teams include squads from: Adelaide, South Australia; Melbourne, Victoria; Sydney, New South Wales; Auckland, New Zealand; and Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Coaches from the U.S., consisting of former Arena Football players and coaches, will join each team in December to prepare for the tournament. Notable AFL coaches and former AFL players, including AFL Vice President of Football Operations JERRY TRICE and 11-year veteran AFL quarterback MIKE HOLD, who currently serves as head coach the Macon Knights of arenafootball2 (af2), the AFL's developmental league, will assist in coaching duties and grade the performance of all international participants. There will be conditioning drills, skill development, play instruction, execution, and full-contact drills. All training sessions will be videotaped for player evaluation.

The inaugural training camp, conducted in Honolulu, Hawaii in February 2002, drew more than 150 athletes with nearly a dozen participants eventually being invited to AFL training camps this past season. More than 200 participants attended training camp in Australia in September 2002.

"We have had a tremendous response internationally and we view this third training camp as an educational tool for our international participants," said AFL Vice President of International Development JERRY KURZ, a member of the Arena Football Hall of Fame. "After building a firm foundation for training local players internationally, based on great interest, attendance and results, this is next logical step forward. It's a rewarding demonstration that the education at previous camps is growing our game."

International game officials from Australia and New Zealand will also take part in an AFL clinic, consisting of on-field training and classroom sessions conducted by BUDDY WARD, an AFL Supervisor of Officials.

This camp also marks the first time an AFL dance/cheer clinic will be held internationally. Seven members of the Dallas Desperado Dancers will travel to Australia to conduct dance/cheer clinics throughout the camp and serve as halftime entertainment for the championship game of the tournament.

In addition, the AFL will conduct a "Junior Arena Training Camp" on December 20-21 for junior high and high school students to learn the game of Arena Football and participate in drills and camp workouts.

The AFL has a strong international history having played 21 exhibition games in either Europe or Canada since the League's inception in 1987.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from December 2, 2003


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