Baltimore-Washington Ausball

The Baltimore Washington Eagles are kicking off the 2007 season with the
United States' first-ever Ausball league. Composed of four teams from
around the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area, the Eagles have devised
a modified version of Australian Rules that accommodates players of all
genders and age brackets. This new, nine-a-side version is created as a
non-contact game (based on the "two-hand touch" American football version)
and is played on a rectangular soccer ground. Players still move and kick
the ball as they would in footy, but new rules state that a woman must be
a part of the offense’s scoring drive, that more than two people must
maintain possession from the center bounce before a goal is kicked, and
that once a player has been "tagged" with the ball, they have a three
second time limit to properly dispose of the ball to another teammate or
else it’s considered a turn-over to the other team.

The overall goal of Ausball is to teach both men and women that are new to
Aussie Rules the basics of the game and to get some fitness and exercise in
to more veteran players before the club begins its Metro and EAFL seasons.
With this positive and productive recruitment, the Eagles anticipate an
increase in player membership as well as the full development of a women's
team by the year 2008 for the USAFL National Tournament.

The Eagles currently have 67 players signed on to play in their Spring
Ausball season, with 24 of those persons being women. Teams include the
Baltimore Boghans, the DC Capital Punishment, Greg’s Groupies and the
Northern Virginia Vikings.

Games are currently being played every Saturday in and around the
Washington, DC area. The Ausball Spring season lasts from March 24th
through May 19th and costs $40 to play through the duration of the Spring
season (free t-shirt provided). Teams play a round-robin style format with
two games each Saturday. The six week season will culminate in Spring
Ausball Final between the league's top two teams. A Fall season will begin
following the closure of the Eagles' USAFL and Metro season on October
20th.

For more information regarding Ausball, please feel free to browse our web
page at http://www.baltimoredceagles.com/ausball/index.htm. Questions
regarding Ausball, the four teams or the rules of the game can be answered
by our Ausball director, Denis Ryan at usfootykids@usfooty.com.