Finland national Australian rules football team

Australian rules football in Finland is controlled by the Finland AFL, who formed in 2006 after the creation of Finland's first Australian football club around a year earlier. Domestic matches began in 2007 with two teams, the Helsinki Heatseekers and Salo Juggernauts. A third team, the Espoo Roos was created in 2008 but only lasted one season due to lack of numbers and the remaining players joined the Helsinki team, but there are plans to revive Espoo in the future. A third stand alone club, the Turku Dockers, was formed in late 2008 by Australian Ex-pats Craig Primmer and Grant Siermans. During the 2010 season, Helsinki players Mika Kupila and Kaj Karlsson who study in Vaasa decided to create a team in the city, the Vaasa Wombats, and they are hoping to join the league in 2011.

The FAFL plays the European style Australian football which is played on soccer or American football fields and consists of 15 players on each team, with nine on the field and six on the interchange. The FAFL plays 15-minute quarters and also has a 40-metre scoring zone where all scores must be made from.

The first full domestic season was played with three stand-alone teams in 2009. The Turku Dockers defeated Helsinki for the inaugural Finnish premiership.

2010 saw the Turku Dockers go back to back, but this time defeating the Salo Juggernauts. The Dockers completed the 'perfect season' by not losing a game for the entire year, with an average winning margin of 73 points.

After the 2010 home and away season the first ever FAFL cup was held in Tali, Helisnki. Four teams competed on the day in a round robin style tournament that consisted of 12-minute halves. The Vaasa Wombats made their Australian Football debut against the Helsinki Heatseekers, losing by just 11 points. The Wombats scored their first win against the Salo Juggernauts in their second game of the day. The Turku Dockers won the tournament after defeating Helsinki in the final by 10 points. The Dockers were undefeated for the day, with close wins over Salo (6 points) and Helsinki (3 points) but more comfortably over Vaasa (27 points).

Premiers:

2009: Turku Dockers 11.13:79 dft Helsinki Heatseekers 8.7:55

2010: Turku Dockers 19.17:131 dft Salo Juggernauts 8.5:53

2011: Vaasa Wombats 13.16:94 dft Turku Dockers 5.5:35

2012: Helsinki Heatseekers 18.8:116 dft Turku Dockers 8.1:49

2013: Turku Dockers 14.12:96 dft Helsinki Heatseekers 7.11:53

2014: Turku Dockers 14.17:101 dft Helsinki Heatseekers 7.11:53

2015: Helsinki Heatseekers dft Turku Dockers

FAFL Tournament winners

...
Wikipedia