Australian rules football in Spain
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Australian rules football in Spain is currently played in two regions, the Madrid Bears in the nation's capital and the four-team Catalan Australian Football League, featuring teams in Barcelona, Valls, Lleida and Tarragona in the region of Catalonia.
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[edit] History
Aussie Rules began in Madrid at a social level in 1997. In 2003, the Madrid Bears formed and quickly grew in player numbers. In a minor international championship in 2003 hosted by Spain and with Germany and England also involved, Spain defeated Germany in the final.
In Catalonia, Australian rules began to be played sporadically in around 2000, with the Catalan Australian Football League beginning regular league play in 2005.
[edit] National Team
The Bulls are Spain's national Australian rules football team. The Bulls' guernsey has the Bull, the national symbol of Spain, in the national colours of red and yellow. The Spanish national team expressed interest in entering a team into the 2005 Australian Football International Cup, successfully raising the money to travel to Melbourne, Australia. The team failed to win a game and finished last, but was widely commended for its spirited performance. This team was drawn exclusively from players from the Madrid Bears and Spanish nationals resident in Melbourne, the Catalan league of Australian Rules citing financial reasons for not competing in the squad.
[edit] Notable Players
The Bulls best and fairest player (from the 2005 International Cup) was Jose Francisco Lorente.
[edit] External links
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Oceania |
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Asia & Middle East |
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