Australian Football Association of North America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 LOS ANGELES, March 30, 2007 -- The Australian Football Association of North America (AFANA) announced today that the Australian Football League (AFL) and Setanta Sports have reached a groundbreaking, multi-year agreement regarding North American television coverage for the 2007 season.  Beginning with season-opening matches in late March, up to three live matches will air weekly on Setanta in the US and Canada. Fans of the sport will now be able to watch at least 75 games -- nearly 250 hours -- of live Australian Rules Football. *

 Under terms of the agreement, the coverage includes up to three live matches per week during the 2007 Premiership Season, live or near-live post season matches and finals, and an one hour weekly highlights show, schedule permitting.  Setanta will also have the same coverage for Great Britain, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.

 "Congratulations to the AFL and Setanta on this TV deal," said Rob de Santos, chairman of AFANA. "We are delighted that our fans and members can watch so much live Australian Football in the US during the upcoming season. AFANA's volunteers and fans have worked long and hard for 11 years to promote the game in North America, and this deal is, in part, a tribute to what we have achieved as an organization."

 With 18 players per team roaming huge oval playing fields (measuring approximately three to four American football fields) and no offside rules, Australian Rules Football is furious and agile, covering the large distances with fluid teamwork, fast running, and enormous kicks. The players in this contact sport wear no pads or armor; the uniforms more resemble those of basketball than American football.  Players catch the long kicks in graceful leaps or by scrambling atop one another. Scoring is high, with teams routinely scoring 50 to 100 points. The game is affectionately known as "Aussie Rules" or just plain "footy" in its homeland, and originated in gold rush era Melbourne during the 1850s.

 "We appreciate the commitment that Setanta has made to the sport, as well as the increased effort the AFL has made to provide for international fans," de Santos continued. "Just a few years ago, few would even imagine that Australian football would have this kind of TV coverage in America."

 Schedules are expected to be available just prior to the start of the season and the AFANA web site (http://www.afana.com/drupal5/) will carry full details on the dates and times matches will be available. In addition to the live matches, a one hour weekly highlights program covering all the action from the previous week will be aired by Setanta.

 AFANA is an independent organization promoting Australian Football in North America, founded in 1996 by Americans in order to promote Australian Football in the USA and Canada and to lobby for improved media coverage of the sport. AFANA's goal is to further the development and exposure of one of the most exciting games in the world -- Australian Football -- in North America. AFANA also operates one of the most popular web sites in the world covering Aussie Rules and maintains staff across North America and Australia.   To find out more about where to find coverage in a particular region, and to receive the latest news about Australian Football, please visit the organization's web site at www.afana.com.

* Ed. note:  Initial coverage in April, 2007 will be 2 live matches per week minimum with repeats for the US.   Coverage in Canada will be on Setanta Canada when it launches later this year.