Just when I thought my Saturdays were no longer going to spent on the side lines at the local football field, Ben discovered the largest following of AFL outside of Australia was at our doorstep!
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE - CANADA STYLE
The biggest difference? In Canada its a summer sport. Training does begin in Spring when the streets and fields are still covered in snow. To overcome the issue of snow they erect these massive tent like structures that create an indoor "oval".
Instead of teams consisting of just Australia's they actually have a rule that any one team can have no more then 6 Aussies or Irish on the grounds at any given time. Side note: Isirsh play galic football which is a lot like AFL
Bens team while playing in Canada was the High Park Demons.
******************************************
HANDY WEBSITES
Head on over to the official page for AFL Canada. Here you will find all the links and information needed to find a team near you. But for those of you that like things handed to you on a silver platter, below is a handy list of the provinces and websites for each.
Happy Team Hunting!
ALBERTA
Alberta Australian Football League (AAFL)
Edmonton http://yegfooty.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA
British Columbia Australian Football League (BCAFL)
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Newfoundland and Labrador Australian Football League (NLAFL)
Facebook - "St John's Australian Football Club"
NOVASCOTIA
Nova Scotia Australian Football League (NSAFL)
Facebook - "Halifax Australian Rules Football"
ONTARIO
Australian Football League Ontario (AFLO)
QUEBEC
Australian Football League of Québec
SASKATCHEWAN
Saskatchewan Australian Football League (SAFL)
******************************************
Ben joined the Demons during our time in Toronto. The demons are a bit of a beer league. They know what they are doing, they can play a mean game, but the most important part is the drinks after the game. They were welcoming and made sure that their calendar included lots of social events that the crew could be part of. And ladies don't feel left out, they have a women's team!
