Stockholm region Australian Football Federation
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The Stockholm region Australian Football Federation (SAFF) is an Australian rules football league in Stockholm, Sweden, feeding into the Stockholm Dynamite club. Players from the SAFF are also eligible for selection to the Swedish national team.
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[edit] History
After earlier attempts to start the game of Australian Rules in Sweden, the first meeting of what was to become the SAFF was held on the December 19, 2003.
Early in April 2004 the Stockholm Dynamite (the new representative side for the SAFF) traveled to Malmö and won a resounding victory in their premier game against a rather depleted South Sweden Saints side. Six weeks later the Dynamite accepted an invitation to play a full-strength team in Helsingborg for the inaugural E4 Cup (named after the major freeway between Stockholm and the south). The match resulted in a four-point win to the South Sweden.
In Stockholm a 3-team league was established, teams being North, South and Central. After each team completed 9 home-and-away games, North defeated Central in the 2004 Grand Final. The Dynamite also travelled to Denmark for the Sheep Station Cup and played an International Rules game against a local Gaelic football club.
In 2005, the Stockholm Australian Football Federation completed its second year. The senior competition again maintained the same three team 9-a-side competition, the sides now named the Northern Axemen, Central Royals, and Southern Sharks. The Sharks defeated the Axemen for the premiership.
In the 18-a-side version of the game, 2005 was a learning curve for the Stockholm Dynamite. The West London Wildcats toured Stockholm in early April, defeating the locals by a good margin.
In the E4 Cup, the South Sweden Saints made the long trek to Stockholm. The Saints proved too strong and controlled the game from the outset. Again there were many encouraging signs with the local players making up 40% of the Stockholm Team. The Dynamite again ventured to Denmark for the Sheep Station Cup, finishing fourth.
[edit] Juniors
With the completion of the 2005 senior competition in September, the SAFF turned its focus to junior development. The SAFF hired a professionally accredited physical education teacher and primary school teacher to co-ordinate Australian Rules Clinics at a number of Swedish schools. The sessions were aimed at children aged 10-16 and were based primarily upon the Auskick program. In all, four schools were involved over 38 hours of clinics and 350 children got the opportunity to kick the Sherrin.
