The AFL has announced the 2017 AFL International Cup (IC17) will be held in Melbourne, from August 5-19, and among other teams, the Indian team will be participating as well.
It will be the sixth International Cup and will include both men’s and women’s competitions. Pakistan is the only sub-continental country that will sporting a team in both the mens' and women's divisions.
The AFL’s head of community and international development Grant Williams said he expects the 2017 carnival to be the biggest yet.
“The popularity of Australian football overseas continues to grow with more players and fans taking up and supporting our game,” he said.
“Following the success of the AFL International Cup in 2014, we will again conduct a round of matches in IC17 at suburban and country grounds to give participants an authentic Australian Football experience.
“We look forward to welcoming players from North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.”
The AFL International Cup is played every three years. No expatriate Australians are eligible to play. Teams comprise solely of amateurs who must be nationals of the country they represent.
List of countries expected to attend this year Source: AFL
In 2014 there were 25 teams (18 men’s and seven women’s) representing 18 nations. Papua New Guinea won the men’s event, while Canada was victorious in the women’s.
An excited AFL India has recently received its team's guernsey for the 2017 International Cup. AFL India has been working very closely with the Essendon Football Club, which also has a local team named "Bharat Bombers".
The 2017 International Cup guernsey which will be worn by the Indian team. Source: AFL India
This year, the AFL is seeking a number of volunteers to join their commentary team and call the matches which will be streamed online. Commentary will be in English.
Interested individuals can submit expressions of interest to participate as a commentator for this year’s event by using this link
The AFL says this is a great opportunity to gain some commentary experience at an AFL event, one which will look great on any resume. It is a volunteer role and will require some previous experience calling football matches.
