Israel

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="3fa285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Aussie Rules Global Invasion</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aussie Rules Global Invasion"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Belgium"><U>Belgium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Denmark"><U>Denmark</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Germany"><U>Germany</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great Britain"><U>Great Britain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ireland"><U>Ireland</U></A>   |   <B>Israel</B>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Scotland"><U>Scotland</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spain"><U>Spain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sweden"><U>Sweden</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other"><U>Other</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=9.375% BGCOLOR="#00CCFF" TEXT="#080000" background="3f9d4fe0egdxlq.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Israel</I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="4357d5a0.png" border=0 width="125" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><U>News</U></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="704" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#00CCFF HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="698"><div> <B>How 'bout a game of footy?</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1149 WIDTH="698"><div> Mar 8 2005</div> <div> From the <A HREF="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109820000736&p=1006953079845" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?p"><U>Jerusalem Post</U></A> by David Wiseman</div> <div> To the uninitiated, it looks like organized chaos. A mishmash of arms and legs flying around everywhere with a football somewhere in the middle of it all. But that is Australian Rules Football, affectionately known to its devotees as footy. </div> <div> In a country which is mad about sport, this sport rules. All across the island, millions of Australians, usually but by no means exclusively males, have a tremendous passion, if not obsession, for this game. </div> <div> So it should come as no surprise that an underground game has surfaced among Australian expats in Tel Aviv. </div> <div> Go to Hayarkon Park on a Friday morning and you will see 20 men participating in what seems like a ritual dance. Like something straight from the pages of The Da Vinci Code, they assemble in their strange regalia and then the ritual begins. </div> <div> Sport cuts across all demographics and Australian football, Israeli style, is no different, with each participant bringing a story of his own. </div> <div> Twenty-two-year-old Daniel Feiber is one of those who will do anything to play. </div> <div> Studying at the WUJS Institute in Arad, he wakes up at six o'clock on Friday mornings to get to Tel Aviv in time for the game. </div> <div> "It's a cool way to get together with other Australians and in a busy week, sometimes the only way that I can see my friends. Apart from that, it is in itself a fantastic game," says Feiber. </div> <div> A cholent of American football, Gaelic football and soccer, its origins are over 150 years old, with the code's roots going back to the 1850s. It was developed as a means whereby cricketers could stay fit in the off-season - quite apt, seeing how some of the competitors here also play cricket in Israel. One such athlete is Danny Brill, who stars for the Ra'anana cricket side in the summer and at the football in the winter. </div> <div> "I just love footy and it's great that we are able to share the joy of playing it here in Israel," Brill says. </div> <div> Beginners to the sport say there don't appear to be any rules, but that is not the case. Players can run with the ball or pass it by kicking or hand-balling it. They are allowed to run with the ball, but need to bounce the ball on the ground every 15 meters. Players can be tackled, but only between the shoulder and elbows. If a person catches a kick on the full, he is allowed to stop and kick, otherwise it is always "play on." </div> <div> There are four goalposts at either end of the team; two big ones in the middle flanked by two smaller ones with the aim of kicking the ball between the two inner ones. That is a goal which is worth six points. </div> <div> Grounds with posts such as these do not exist in Israel, so players have to improvise. </div> <div> "We use rugby posts and just ignore that the crossbar is there," says organizer Doron Zauer. </div> <div> THE GAME'S origins in Israel hark back to World War I, when Australian soldiers were stationed in these parts. More recently, it was instituted in 1996, when some Australians away from home were missing the sport so much they decided to give it a go. </div> <div> Led by Dion Epstein, they began playing at Jerusalem's Gan Sacher, but the field wasn't up to scratch, so they took their motley crew of yeshiva students, immigrants, tourists, professionals, diplomats and university students and moved to Hayarkon Park. </div> <div> Traveling would sometimes take longer than the match itself, but that was all part of the process. As Epstein explained, "It's a passion." There was a great novelty factor to it early on, with wives and children coming along to give the players a boost. </div> <div> One of the veterans from those days, Benji Pushett, recalls how it used to be.</div> <div> "The message was spread by word of mouth, just a matter of networking. In the beginning, we played once in two or three months, until more young blood came from Australia. Then it got to be every two to three weeks." </div> <div> It wasn't to last. The bursting of the dot.com bubble saw many go back to Australia or other parts, and the game went with them. Epstein returned to Australia where he led Israel to victory in the 2004 Multicultural Cup which was played in Australia. There Israel saw off teams from Croatia, Lebanon, Samoa, Tonga, Vietnam, the United Nations and an Australian Aboriginal side. </div> <div> That the game has taken off again recently in the Holy Land hasn't gone unnoticed by the game's higher powers, including Andrew Demetriou, CEO of the Australian Football League. </div> <div> "It's no surprise that passion for Australian football stays with Australians, wherever they may be in the world. It's fantastic that Australians are now coming together regularly in Israel to celebrate their links to football at home," Demetriou says. </div> <div> Zauer was around in Israel for the first version of the game and thought the time was right after a hiatus of sorts for a second coming. </div> <div> "We had lost our core group so had to wait a few years for a new nucleus to get here. With quite a few people recently moving here to study or making aliya, it was time to give it another go. </div> <div> "We have been able to play every two to three weeks. The results are meaningless - we just play for fun and a good game and we've been lucky thus far," says Zauer. </div> <div> It may not be meaningless for long, with the international competition an option after an invitation was extended to play in a nine-a-side European tournament to take place in Paris in October. </div> <div> "A tournament such as this may be exactly the thing we need to galvanize us," Zauer says. </div> <div> Play will intensify as people will now be playing for their spot in the international roster. </div> <div> This time around, communication is a bit easier with Zauer organizing an e-mail database of everyone who is interested in playing. </div> <div> "We spread the word to about 60 interested participants via e-mail and SMS, which is quite effective." </div> <div> Each year, hundreds of Australians come to Israel to study here for a year after graduating from high school. One such person is Jonathan Rochwerger, who is on the Bnei Akiva Tafnit program. </div> <div> The sports-crazy 18-year-old wouldn't miss his Australian football for anything. </div> <div> "We play a lot of sport during the week, such as cricket and soccer. We actually played a pick-up match earlier in the year, but it wasn't the same. It has been fantastic to be able to play here." </div> <div> Playing isn't exclusively restricted to those with Australian origins. </div> <div> "We would love to spread the word and if anyone is interested in seeing what it is all about, they are more than welcome to," Zauer says. </div> <div> And if Australian football isn't enough, as soon as the game is over, the Americans are on playing their variety of football.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="703" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#00CCFF HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="697"><div> <B>Kicking goals in Israel</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 290 WIDTH="697"><div> Feb 22 2005</div> <div> By David Wiseman</div> <div> On February 18 A great game of footy marked an absolute pearler of a day in Tel Aviv. The first game in a while was of one transition. Welcoming some new players who were making their AFL Israel debut and farewelling legends of the game such as Daniel Feiber who was leaving Israel's shore. A devoted follower who would travel upwards of two hours to play, Feiber was rewarded by being granted a testimonial match. </div> <div> Feiber's team was helped by the fact that the majority of the debutants were on the other team and still getting used to the local game. One player who didn't need any warming up was Shannon McMillan. McMillan was BOG and shone with three absolute screamers. Had a video camera been present, he would be a highly fancied contender for Almost Football Legends. He also dominated the hit-outs at well thumping everything on average a good 30 metres.</div> <div> Apart from Feiber, stalwarts, Doron Zauer and David Wiseman had sound games in defence. Creating turnovers before converting defence into attack. Wiseman also bobbed up forward and kicked two goals.</div> <div> For the other team, Yehuda Gottlieb played well on debut. Michi Goldberg showed a bit but for the most part they were outclassed by Feiber's team.</div> <div> The man in the middle, David Kalinski did a great job with the whistle and was very fair on both teams giving them both a lot of latitude. He was far superior to the bozos who appeared for Round 1 of the Wizard Cup.</div> <div> Next match is Friday, March 4 at Park Hayarkon (Sportech, rugby field, near the corner of Namir and Rokach, on the side closer to the beach), Tel Aviv, starting at 9:15am</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>