Great Britain
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Bulldogs
Head coachDean Thomas
CaptainRoss Denton
Top scorerAndy Walkden (30)
Home colours
Alternate colours
Rankings
CurrentDecrease 8th (as of October 2022[1])
International Cup
Appearances6 (first in 2002)
Best result6th (2002, 2005, 2017)
Websiteaflengland.org

The Great Britain men's national Australian rules football team is known as the Great Britain Bulldogs.[2] The team is made up of the best British born players selected from clubs of in England, Wales and Scotland, and occasional appearances from British players playing for clubs in Australia. In AFL Europe, separate national teams represent England, Wales and Scotland.

As well as regular international friendlies, the team has played in every Australian Football International Cup since its inception in 2002.

They also compete at the triennial AFL Europe Championship, winning back to back titles in 2016 and 2019.

The Great Britain women's national Australian rules football team are called the Great Britain Swans.

History

The British Isles Australian rules team in 1888 at Scotch Oval, close to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, on both of which the team played Australian Rules Football against local clubs

The first team to represent Great Britain in Australian rules was the British Lions during the 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia. The team played 19 matches of Australian rules winning six and drawing one.[3] A standout for the team was Andrew Stoddart.[3] However following the tour the codes had diverged to a point that it was felt that such exchanges could not continue and Australia's policy was not to compete internationally in the sport.

The Great Britain Bulldogs played their first international on 2 October 1993 against Canada in Toronto.

They competed at the 2001 Atlantic Alliance Cup, recording wins over Canada and eventual runners-up Denmark. Great Britain's Best and Fairest player was Tyrone Hallam.

In 2002, the Great Britain Bulldogs competed at the first ever Australian Football International Cup in Australia, finishing sixth. Three years later they also finished sixth at the 2005 tournament.

In October 2005, the Bulldogs played against Ireland in a curtain raiser at the West Coast Eagles vs Fremantle exhibition match at the Oval in London. After this match head coach Matt Connell handed over the coaching role to Charlie Kielty.

In October 2006, the Great Britain vs Ireland fixture was repeated before the Geelong Football Club vs Port Adelaide Power match.

British Bulldog manages to get a kick away despite being tackled by a Nauruan opponent during the 2008 Australian Football International Cup

After coach Charlie Kielty resigned in late 2009, Mark Pitura became head coach, with Rob Fielder as assistant. The first test was against a travelling Denmark Vikings squad, which resulted in an 11.10 (76) to 9.9 (63) win for the Bulldogs on Putney Heath, London.

In 2010, the squad competed in the inaugural European Championships in Denmark and Sweden. The squad achieved a credible 4th place, losing out to losing finalists Denmark in the group and co-hosts Sweden in the qualification final. Three Bulldogs were named in the Team of the Tournament. These players were Adam Bennett (Reading Kangaroos), Martyn Hinchey (Southampton Titans) and Gareth Blackstaffe-Turner (Wimbledon Hawks).

At the 2011 International Cup, Paul Harris from the Putney Magpies captained the squad to a seventh-place finish. Brendan McGeever (North London Lions), Ian Mitchell (Wolverhampton Wolves) and Paul Francis (Wimbledon Hawks) served as vice-captains.

A marked improvement in performance culminated in a fantastic performance at the 2013 AFL Europe Championships, where the squad finished as runners-up to hosts Ireland.[4]

In 2014 the Bulldogs once again travelled to the AFL International Cup and were placed in Pool A alongside Ireland, Nauru, Fiji, France and Indonesia. Victories over France and Fiji were achieved and Great Britain finished 9th overall, defeating Fiji 5.7 (37) to 2.7 (19) in the Qualification Final.[5][6]

2016 was a successful year for the Bulldogs as they became champions of Europe for the first time. The bulldogs defeated Ireland 7.9 (51) to 4.5 (29). Six players made the team of the tournament. These were Luke Booth (Huddersfield Rams), Marc Cashman (Wimbledon Hawks), Jack Coughlan (North London Lions), Myles Hudson (Wimbledon Hawks), Michael Sharp (North London Lions) and Andrew Walkden (Manchester Mosquitoes).[7]

At the 2017 version of the AFL International Cup, Will Worthington captained the squad and was assisted by Luke Booth and Sean Walton as Vice-Captains. The Bulldogs finished in a joint-highest position of six.

As of February 2018, Ross Denton, formerly of Birmingham University and currently playing for the North London Lions, was appointed captain of the Great Britain Bulldogs.

International competition

International Cup

Great Britain International Cup results
Year Finish P W-L-D PF PA %
2002 6/11 5 4-2-0 165 352 46.87
2005 6/10 6 2-4-0 147 266 55.26
2008 9/16 5 3-2-0 264 208 126.92
2011 7/18 6 3-3-0 197 241 81.74
2014 9/18 5 2-3-0 222 174 127.58
2017 6/18 5 3-2-0 226 211 126.06

AFL Europe Championship

Great Britain AFL Europe Championship results
Year Host Finish P W-L-D PF PA %
2010 Copenhagen, Denmark & Scania, Sweden 4/8 4 2-2-0 232 154 150.64
2013 Dublin, Ireland 2/6 4 2-2-0 231 154 150.00
2016 London, United Kingdom 1/4 4 3-1-0 337 82 410.97

Results (2010-present)

Scores and results list Great Britain's points tally first.

2010

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
01/08/2010Finland Finland11.16 (82)1.2 (8)Stefan Boldklub, CopenhagenGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
03/08/2010Iceland Iceland11.20 (86)4.12 (36)Stenvadskolen, FarumGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
05/08/2010Denmark Denmark5.5 (35)10.11 (71)Stenvadskolen, FarumDenmarkAFL Europe Championship
07/08/2010Sweden Sweden3.11 (29)5.9 (39)Limhamnsfältet IP, MalmöSwedenAFL Europe Championship

2011

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
03/04/2011Ireland Republic of Ireland8.6 (54)8.11 (59)IrelandIrelandInternational Friendly
23/06/2011Ireland Republic of Ireland5.6 (36)11.6 (72)LondonIrelandInternational Friendly
13/08/2011East Timor East Timor10.10 (70)0.0 (0)Blacktown International Sportspark, SydneyGreat BritainAFL International Cup
13/08/2011Ireland Republic of Ireland1.0 (6)8.6 (54)Blacktown International Sportspark, SydneyIrelandAFL International Cup
15/08/2011Canada Canada6.8 (44)2.3 (15)Blacktown International Sportspark, SydneyGreat BritainAFL International Cup
17/08/2011New Zealand New Zealand0.2 (2)15.10 (100)Bruce Purser Reserve, SydneyNew ZealandAFL International Cup
24/08/2011South Africa South Africa2.3 (15)7.9 (51)Ransford Oval, MelbourneSouth AfricaAFL International Cup
26/08/2011Denmark Denmark8.12 (60)3.3 (21)McAllister Oval, MelbourneGreat BritainAFL International Cup

2012

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus

2013

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
02/04/2013Ireland Republic of Ireland9.4 (58)3.2 (20)Dublin, IrelandIrelandInternational Friendly
06/04/2013Ireland Republic of Ireland9.5 (59)1.6 (7)Surrey Sports Park, GuildfordGreat BritainInternational Friendly
03/08/2013Denmark Denmark7.1 (43)4.9 (33)Dublin, IrelandGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
05/08/2013Germany Germany9.12 (66)2.3 (15)Dublin, IrelandGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
07/08/2013Sweden Sweden6.4 (40)3.2 (20)Dublin, IrelandGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
10/08/2013Ireland Republic of Ireland6.8 (44)7.3 (45)Dublin, IrelandIrelandAFL Europe Championship

2014

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
10/08/2014France France12.18 (90)1.1 (7)McAllister Oval, MelbourneGreat BritainAFL International Cup
13/08/2014Nauru Nauru4.5 (29)6.14 (50)Ransford Oval, MelbourneNauruAFL International Cup
16/08/2014Fiji Fiji4.9 (33)7.7 (49)Koonung Reserve, BulleenFijiAFL International Cup
19/08/2014Nauru Nauru5.3 (33)7.7 (49)McAllister Oval, MelbourneNauruAFL International Cup
22/08/2014Fiji Fiji5.7 (37)2.7 (19)Western Oval, MelbourneGreat BritainAFL International Cup

2015

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus

2016

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
14/08/2016Sweden Sweden18.17 (125)1.1 (7)Motspur Park, LondonGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
16/08/2016Ireland Republic of Ireland4.16 (40)6.5 (41)Motspur Park, LondonIrelandAFL Europe Championship
18/08/2016Germany Germany18.14 (121)0.5 (5)Motspur Park, LondonGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
20/08/2016Ireland Republic of Ireland7.9 (51)4.5 (29)Motspur Park, LondonGreat BritainAFL Europe Championship
24/09/2016Netherlands Netherlands15.8 (98)3.1 (19)Battersea Park, LondonGreat BritainInternational Friendly
22/10/2016Ireland Republic of Ireland10.11 (71)12.6 (78)Dublin, IrelandGreat BritainInternational Friendly

2017

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
19/05/2017Canada Canada15.19 (109)0.0 (0)Motspur Park, LondonGreat BritainLondon Footy Carnival
06/08/2017South Africa South Africa9.11 (65)4.4 (28)McAllister Oval, MelbourneGreat BritainAFL International Cup
09/08/2017Canada Canada2.6 (18)5.3 (33)St. Francis Xavier College, OfficerCanadaAFL International Cup
12/08/2017Ireland Republic of Ireland8.7 (55)9.16 (70)Koornang ParkIrelandAFL International Cup
15/08/2017Fiji Fiji8.8 (56)3.9 (27)McAllister Oval, MelbourneGreat BritainAFL International Cup
18/08/2017Nauru Nauru5.2 (32)8.5 (53)McAllister Oval, MelbourneNauruAFL International Cup

2018

DateOppositionForAgainstVenueWinnerStatus
25/08/2018Netherlands Netherlands9.17 (73)6.1 (37)Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Field, LondonGreat BritainInternational Friendly

See also

References

  1. https://worldfootynews.com/article.php/2022102316562220
  2. "AFL England National Program - Great Britain Bulldogs". AFL England. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 "The forgotten story of ... the 1888 Lions tour". The Guardian. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  4. "AFL Europe Championship Grand Final Review". AFL Europe. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  5. "IC14 preview: GB Bulldogs | AFL Europe". www.afleurope.org. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. "International Cup Preview: Great Britain". Footy Industry. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  7. "2016 AFL Europe Championships – AFL Europe". www.afleurope.org. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
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