Great Britain national Australian rules football team
Encyclopedia
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
National Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
team is known as the British Bulldogs. The team is made up of the best British born players selected from the clubs of AFL Britain
AFL Britain
The AFL Britain is the governing body for Australian rules football in England, formed in 2008. The organisation is the successor to the British Australian Rules Football League, whose clubs became the AFL London upon creation of the new national body....
affiliated competitions in England
Australian rules football in England
Australian rules football in England is a team and spectator sport with a long but obscure history and has grown since 1989 to a number of local leagues coordinated by AFL Britain...
, Wales and Scotland
Australian rules football in Scotland
Australian rules football is currently played by a three-team league in Scotland, with clubs in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh forming the Scottish Australian Rules Football League...
. Generally professional AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
players (such as in Brad Moran
Brad Moran (footballer)
Bradley "Brad" Moran is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.-Early life:...
and Will Thursfield
Will Thursfield
Will Thursfield is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League . Known as a courageous backman who has stood some of the more notable forwards of the current game...
) are ineligible due to either learning the game in Australia or not being released by their respective clubs.
The Bulldogs are currently coach by Mark Pitura, former Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood player after former coach Charlie Kielty resigned in June 2009. Charlie took over from Matt Connell (Adelaide Crows) after the 2005 exhibition match at the Oval.
Identity
Although the team represents the island of Great Britain rather than the whole of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland forming part of a cross-border Ireland Team), the Bulldogs wear the colours of the union flagUnion Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
.
History
The Bulldogs have participated in the Australian Football International CupAustralian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup is an international sport competition in Australian rules football...
held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
finishing 6th in both 2002 and 2005 as well as the Atlantic Alliance Cup in 2001.
In October 2005, the Bulldogs played against Ireland
Irish national Australian rules football team
The Irish national Australian rules football team represent Ireland in Australian rules football and is selected from the best Irish born players from the clubs of the Australian Rules Football League of Ireland....
in a curtain raiser at the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
vs Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
exhibition match
Australian rules football exhibition matches
Australian rules football has been introduced to a wide range of places around Australia and the world since the code originated in Victoria in 1859....
at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In October 2006, the Great Britain vs Ireland fixture was repeated before the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
vs Port Adelaide Power match. Although defeated once more by an opposition primarily composed of seasoned gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
player, the development of the squad continues and there are many encouraging signs of improvement in the British game.
2007 saw the team travel to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to take on the Irish side, on their home turf. The victory saw them dubbed as the unofficial European Champions.
In 2008 the highly improved team were considered by some to be a chance for the finals of the International Cup, however their defeat at the hands of Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
(who they had beaten by a goal in 2005) put them out of contention.
The coaching role switched to ex-pro Mark Pitura and England Dragonslayers coach Rob Fielder as assistant in late 2009, after a defeat away in Ireland was the last match of Charlie Kielty's coaching. The first test was against a travelling Denmark Vikings squad, which resulted in a 76-63 win for the Bulldogs.
In 2010, the squad competed in the inaugural European Championships in Denmark and Sweden, but due to the tournament dates, were unable to field an experienced squad, fielding a team with only 1 player with Bulldogs caps (Captain, Adam Bennett). The squad achieved a credible 4th place, losing out to losing finalists Denmark in the group and co-hosts Sweden in the qualification final. This was the first time that many of the squad had played full oval footy and this development would be key in recruiting and developing a squad for the 2011 International Cup.
Notable players
Great Britain's Best and Fairest player at the 2001 Atlantic Alliance cup was Tyrone Hallam.The Bulldog's Best and Fairest player at the 2005 International Cup was Vincent Carey.
The squad was captained by Johnathan Boyle at the 2008 International Cup.
2010 saw three Great British players picked for Team Europe at the first European Championships, held in Denmark and Sweden. These players are Adam Bennett (Reading Kangaroos
Reading Kangaroos
The Reading Kangaroos are an Australian rules football club who play in the English town of Reading. Formed by Australians living in the area, the club quickly grew with strong local interest, now attracting players from all over Berkshire...
) and Martyn Hinchey (Southampton Titans) and Gareth Blackstaffe-Turner (Wimbledon Hawks
Wimbledon Hawks
Australian rules football club in Wimbledon, a suburb of London, England. The club plays in the London Premiership of the British Australian Rules Football League. The Hawks are proudly sponsored by The Underdog Bar.-History:...
).
At the 2011 International Cup, Paul Harris from the Putney Magpies
Putney Magpies
The Putney Magpies are an Australian rules football club in London, England.-History:The London Gryphons were founded in 1999 by former West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears player Mark Zanotti along with BARFL Admin Officer Donald Eastwood who originally played with the Earls Court Kangaroos, and...
will captain the squad at the 2011 International Cup. Brendan McGeever (North London Lions), Ian Mitchell (Wolverhampton Wolves) and Paul Francis (Wimbledon Hawks
Wimbledon Hawks
Australian rules football club in Wimbledon, a suburb of London, England. The club plays in the London Premiership of the British Australian Rules Football League. The Hawks are proudly sponsored by The Underdog Bar.-History:...
) will be vice-captains.
International Cup
- 20022002 Australian Football International CupThe 2002 Australian Football International Cup was the inaugural international Australian rules football tournament held in Melbourne, Australia in 2002....
: 6th - 20052005 Australian Football International CupThe 2005 Australian Football International Cup was the second time that the Australian Football International Cup tournament, an international Australian rules football competition was held....
: 6th - 20082008 Australian Football International CupThe 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested....
: 9th - 20112011 Australian Football International CupThe 2011 Australian Football International Cup is the fourth edition of the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition run by the Australian Football League....
: 7th
See also
- Australian rules football in EnglandAustralian rules football in EnglandAustralian rules football in England is a team and spectator sport with a long but obscure history and has grown since 1989 to a number of local leagues coordinated by AFL Britain...
- Australian rules football in ScotlandAustralian rules football in ScotlandAustralian rules football is currently played by a three-team league in Scotland, with clubs in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh forming the Scottish Australian Rules Football League...
- British Australian Rules Football League
- Scottish Australian Rules Football League
- Australian Football International CupAustralian Football International CupThe Australian Football International Cup is an international sport competition in Australian rules football...