Official 2007 Champs Press Release:
July 11 2007
Bangkok

BANGKOK HOSTS AUSTRALIAN SPORT EXTRAVAGANZA

An action-packed weekend not to be missed.

For Immediate Release

Asia’s biggest-ever Australian rules football tournament has been confirmed for Thailand in July as the sport continues to expand in the region with competition for the trophy sure to be intense through Singapore attempting a three-peat.

Ten teams from China, Dubai, Hong Kong, Indonesia (two teams – Bali and Jakarta) Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and of course Thailand will compete for the coveted Asian Australian Rules Football Championship at the Patana International School on Saturday July 14.

Dubai and Vietnam will be making their debuts in the tournament this year, with Dubai tipped to give regional powerhouses Bali, Hong Kong Jakarta and Singapore a real push in the tournament.

Home team, the Thailand Tigers, also have the advantage of not travelling and will have a full squad to select from who have been in full training under the watchful eye of coach and former Fitzroy star Geoff Everett.

In what will be a super weekend for Australian sports fans, the Socceroos international soccer team play Iraq in Bangkok on Friday July 13 and Thailand on Monday July 16 in the group stages of the soccer Asian Cup Championship.

The Thailand Tigers have extended an invitation to the Socceroos and their travelling supporters to the Australian rules tournament where the Australian Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mr. William Paterson will preside over the day.

Thailand Tigers Organising Committee Chairman, Stephen Richards, said logistics planning for the event commenced in January and the response to the annual tournament has been so over whelming, organisers are claiming the international tournament may be the largest of its kind outside Australia.

“We are saying this will be Asia’s largest Australian football tournament ever because we know it is, but a lot of the teams involved think this might be the biggest international carnival outside Australia, which would make this event the biggest of its kind in the world,” Richards said.

“They have some pretty competitive leagues around the world particularly in Europe and North America, but we will have ten teams from different countries all together playing on the one day and through the Australian footy international grapevine we have not been able to come up with an event that will outmatch this in terms of the number of teams playing.”

Tournament details: DownUnder Sports Bistro
Asian Australian Football Championships 2007

Date: 14 July 2007

Venue:
Bangkok Patana School

2/38 Soi La Salle, Sukhumwit 105

Bangkok, 10260