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The following press release was issued by MHz Worldview today and is republished by AFANA.  Fans are encouraged to participate in the fan voting because, as noted below, special giveaways have been arranged:  

March 26, 2008 

WASHINGTON, DC – The 2008 Australian Football League (AFL) season kicks off Monday, March 31^st on MHz Worldview/MHz Networks 1, featuring Hawthorne vs. Melbourne.   

Aussie Rules will continue broadcast each Monday at 8 PM EST, with a repeat at 11 PM, throughout the season.   

by Lisa Albergo, reporting for AFANA from Chicago.

GENERAL NEWS

Irish Discussions In Dubai
Officials from the AFL and GAA met last month in Dubai during the Collingwood-Adelaide preseason game to discuss the future of the International Series. The GAA made a number or proposals for regulating the game and penalty procedures which the AFL will need to approve. The recommendations were:

Janet Linn, reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Western Australia

Western Australian football fans celebrated the first round of the AFL’s 150th year by packing Subiaco Oval to capacity and cheering the West Coast Eagles to a 16 point win over the feisty Brisbane Lions. In an entertaining and high intensity game, the West Coast put paid to the thoughts they might struggle to overcome the loss of sensational midfielders Chris Judd (traded to Carlton) and Ben Cousins (suspended for 12 months) while the Lions showed that they should not be underestimated in season 2008.

AFL Coverage Included

According to this article on Sportsbusiness.com Telstra's Bigpond unit in cooperation with Perform, an internet services company, will soon launch "Aussie Sport TV" which will offer video from the AFL, NRL, Supercars, and other sports. 

The AFL web site has undergone it's annual makeover which is summarized at this link: AFL web site is changing.  See updated post by clicking on "read more".

[g2:13697]The Western Bulldogs outlasted a spirited Kangaroos outfit at TIO stadium in Darwin on Friday night. In a low scoring game where the back lines of both teams held firm, the Bulldogs were able to put the score on the board and remained in front for the entire game.

Plus other news: ITVN's future; Setanta for sale?  (Updated: see comments: ITVN On Life Support)

The first live coverage of AFL for 2008 begins this week with the Brisbane v Essendon match at 4:30 AM EST this Saturday morning.  For more info, see our TV pages -- links on the sidebar and top menu.  This is the first time ever that fans in North America have had any coverage of the preseason competition.  Setanta has indicated to AFANA that they plan similar coverage for the rest of 2008 as we had in 2007.  Setanta may cover up to 4 matches per week if schedule space permits.  Initially, only 3 are scheduled for Round 1 of the AFL season.

AFANA has been monitoring the situation with ITVN closely.