Aussie Rules Football: Centurions to promote sport by hosting national tournament

Apr 1 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

NEWCASTLE Centurions will showcase Aussie Rules football to the North East with a national tournament in May.

The inaugural Aussie Rules UK National Cup at Cochrane Park in Newcastle on May 9 will feature teams from England and Scotland.

The curtain-raiser to the 2009 season is designed to promote the sport. But for Centurions captain Matt Bradford it is an opportunity to pit his wits against some of his England team-mates.

The 25-year-old centre was born in Guildford, but moved to Newcastle to study eight years ago. He has stayed ever since, working as a PE teacher and playing rugby for Novocastrians. Bradford took up Aussie Rules in 2007 to keep fit in the summer, and just over a year later was in the England team which beat Croatia in the EU Cup final.

“I know a lot of the boys I’ll be playing against in the tournament from that,” he said. “Our league’s quite small so to have 20 teams coming up will be great. The southern teams will be very strong because they play almost all year round, whereas here it’s a summer sport. But we should give them a good game.”

Two years ago Adelaide-born Rick Shrowder set up the Centurions, who play a nine-aside version on rugby pitches, instead of 18 on cricket ovals. He is now the sport’s North East development manager. “It’s a chance for people in the North to see the sport,” he explained. “It’s also a way we can showcase to the rest of the country what we’ve achieved in the last nine months in particular.

“We’ve got two more clubs in our league next season in Sunderland and Gateshead. We’ll almost be getting to the point next year where Newcastle might be able to host a second team, and there’s been interest expressed in a Northumberland team.

“It’s crucial we don’t come across as just Aussies playing the game, it’s very much about encouraging new people to learn a brand new sport. You don’t have to be at a high level of fitness, skill, size or anything. If you want to get involved, we’ll find a way.

“It would be really great if we could find some corporate support, it just means we can provide more on the day. But it’s just as much about the follow-up to the tournament if we want to continue to develop the sport at grass roots level, improve our schools programme and get more kids playing.”

Anyone interested in getting involved as a player, coach or sponsor can contact Shrowder on 07986 822543 or email rick.shrowder@aussierulesuk.com for details.