AFI has extensive experience working with the Italian community in Australia.
We are now looking forward to bringing Footy 9s to Italy!
Footy 9s is played on rectangular fields, allowing the sport to be played on any soccer or rugby field.
There are 3 great formats to choose from – Men’s Footy, Women’s Footy and Touch Footy.
Get Involved
If you are keen to be involved with the development of the sport in Italy, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us via info@aflinternational.com.
AUSTRALIA & ITALY
Italians are well represented in every Australian town and region, with the highest concentration in Victoria and South Australia. Italian Australians, according to the 2016 Census, are the sixth largest ethnic group in Australia, with 1,000,006 people. In addition, the 2016 census counted 174,042 people who were born in Italy.
AFL PLAYERS
The VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. It recognises the role of Italian Australian players in the sport. Players and/or at least one of the player’s parents or grandparents had to have been born in Italy. They also had to have played at least one game at VFL/AFL level.
B: Frank Curcio, Stephen Silvagni, Len Incigneri
HB: Alec Epis, Anthony Koutoufides, John Kennedy Jr
C: Robert DiPierdomenico, Ian Stewart, Peter Matera
HF: Peter Riccardi, Alan Martello, Mark Mercuri
F: Phillip Matera, Saverio Rocca, Brendan Fevola
Foll: Steve Alessio, Mark Ricciuto (Captain), Peter Pianto
Int: Sergio Silvagni, Tony Liberatore, Scott Camporeale, Joe Misiti
Coach: Ron Barassi
TEAM ITALY
Team Italy competes in a number of AFI tournaments, including the Harmony Cup and World 9s.
Major Results
2017 Harmony Cup – Champions
2019 World 9s – Champions
2020 Harmony Cup – Champions
Sam Ciavarella
Team Italy
It’s about where we’re from, right here where we are.
It’s about growing a social, open and competitive version of our great game.
It’s everyone involved so far, and those about to jump on board. Playing for Italy, against teams just as proud as we were, was a personal favourite footballing experience. Though falling short this year, I’ll be back in blue, searching for glory!
Italy is located in south-central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south it consists of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia — the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea — and many other smaller islands.
The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, whilst Campione d’Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland.
Italy’s capital, Rome, was for centuries the political centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire. With 60 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third most populous in the world.
Take the art works of Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Tintoretto and Caravaggio, the operas of Verdi and Puccini, the cinema of Federico Fellini, add the architecture of Venice, Florence and Rome and you have just a fraction of Italy’s treasures from over the centuries.
