May 20 2004
The Brussel Saints are set to take on the Paris Cockerels on May 22, this is the first ever known match of Australian rules football in Belgium. The location for the match is the Elephant pitch in Tervuren - close to the Africa museum and the British School of Brussels - at 15h00.
The players to take the field for the Belgians are a multicultural mixture of English, Dutch, Belgian, New Zealander, Irish and of course Australian ex-patriots.
The Saints will be sporting jumpers supplied by St.Kilda F.C. - gear that was worn in AFL matches in 2003. Shorts, socks, balls and bags have also been supplied and Brussels captain Chris Stone who is a past St. Kilda player.
The club looks forward to adding strength to the already burgeoning support for Australian rules football across central Europe by playing at least six matches throughout the summer including the Central European championships in Cologne in July. The bragging rights as Europe's top Aussie Rules dog will be on the line when the Saints do battle against seven other teams from Spain, France, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
A return match against Paris and home and away matches against Dusseldorf are also planned for the season and training is on every Sunday at 10h30 at the British School of Brussels.
Anyone in the region looking to participate in or support Aussie Rules in Belgium are encouraged to contact team manager Luke White: lwhi3@yahoo.com
Players of all experience or ability levels are welcome.
|