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| Australian Football International Cup | |
|---|---|
| Current season or competition: 2008 Australian Football International Cup |
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| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 2002 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Continent | International (AFL) |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 Papua New Guinea |
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the "AFL International Cup") is an international Australian rules football competition hosted by the Australian Football League (AFL). The goal of the competition is to promote the sport outside Australia. 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). Melbourne, Australia has hosted both the 2002 and 2005 tournaments, along with some games in Wangaratta in 2005 and Geelong in 2002. Matches in the 2008 tournament were played in Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool.
The inaugural tournament was the 2002 Australian Football International Cup and it has been held every 3 years since.
The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was held in Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool in September 2008 with 16 nations competing. After 2008 the AFL intends to resume competition every 4 years.
Australia is not represented in the 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.
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History of the Cup
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, 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 August 14 and August 23, 2002 (in conjunction with the International Australian Football Council), with 11 countries competing including Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the United States. Ireland defeated Papua New Guinea in the final.
The second Cup was held between August 3 and August 13, 2005 in Australia. Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Samoa, South Africa, Spain 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). Tonga competed as a seventeenth team, 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.
Results
| Year | Host | Final | Third place match | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | 3rd place | Score | 4th place | ||||
| 2002 Details |
Melbourne |  Ireland |
7.9 (51) - 2.7 (19) | Papua New Guinea |
 New Zealand |
3.7 (25) - 2.4 (16) |  Denmark |
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| 2005 Details |
Melbourne, Wangaratta | New Zealand |
7.8 (50) - 5.2 (32) | Papua New Guinea |
 United States |
10.5 (65) - 4.6 (30) | Ireland |
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| 2008 Details |
Melbourne, Warrnambool | Papua New Guinea |
7.12 (54) - 7.4 (46) | New Zealand |
 South Africa |
4.9 (33) - 5.2 (32) | Ireland |
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Competing Teams , Nicknames & Placings
| Flag | Nation | Rep team | 2002 (11) | 2005 (10) | 2008 (16) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Canada | Northwind | 9th | 7th | 6th |
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China | Red Demons | - | - | 15th |
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Denmark | Vikings | 4th | - | 11th |
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Finland | Icebreakers | - | - | 14th |
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Great Britain | Bulldogs | 6th | 6th | 9th |
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India | Tigers | - | - | 16th |
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Ireland | Warriors | 1st | 4th | 4th |
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Israel-Palestinian Territories | Peres Team for Peace | - | - | 13th |
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Japan | Samurais | 10th | 9th | 8th |
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New Zealand | Falcons | 3rd | 1st | 2nd |
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Nauru | Chiefs | 8th | - | 5th |
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Papua New Guinea | Mosquitos | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
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Samoa | Kangaroos | 7th | 5th | 10th |
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South Africa | Lions | 11th | 8th | 3rd |
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Spain | Bulls | - | 10th | - |
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Sweden | Elks | - | - | 12th |
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United States | Revolution | 5th | 3rd | 7th |
Overall Tournament Ranking & Statistics
| Ranking | Country | #Played | #Won | %Won | #Lost | %Lost | #Drawn | %Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand |
17 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 2 | Papua New Guinea |
16 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 3 | Ireland |
17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 4 | United States of America |
17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 5 | Samoa |
17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 6 | Great Britain |
16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 7 | Canada |
16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 7 | South Africa |
16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 9 | Japan |
16 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 10 | Nauru |
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 10 | Denmark |
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 12 | Israel-Palestinian Territories |
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 13 | Sweden |
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 13 | Finland |
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 13 | China |
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 16 | Spain |
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 16 | India |
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0% |
Placing Rankings
| Pos. | Team |  Gold |
 Silver |
 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Papua New Guinea |
1 (2008) | 2 (2002, 2005) | |
| 2nd | New Zealand |
1 (2005) | 1 (2008) | 1 (2002) |
| 3rd | Ireland |
1 (2002) | ||
| 4th | United States |
1 (2005) | ||
| 5th | South Africa |
1 (2008) |
See also
- Australian rules football around the world
- List of Australian rules football leagues outside Australia
- List of International Australian rules football Tournaments
- Australian Football Multicultural Cup
- International Rankings
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Australian Football International Cup |
- Australian Football International Cups - ARI central page for all of the Cups
- Australian Football International Cups - World Footy News central page for all of the Cups
- Australian Football International Cup, 2005 - AFL Page
Video Content
- Video of Aussie Rules from YouTube
- New Zealand's Haka versus Samoan's Siva Tau - Wangaratta - International Cup 2005 from Google Video
- Samoan Siva Tau - International Cup 2005 from Google Video
- Papua New Guinea War Dance - International Cup 2005 from Google Video
- South Africa and Canada post match song from Google Video
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