Australian Festival Announces 2004 Sports Down Under!
September 7, 2004
In Australia sport is an absolute part of our culture. Australia has one of the highest participation per capita ratios in the world and her elite athletes are often found among the world’s best in a wide variety of sports. Nearly every hamlet, town and city in Australia has at least one representative sporting team – be it a football code – Aussie Rules, Rugby Union or League, Soccer, Netball, Cricket, Tennis, Swimming or even sports like baseball and basketball that have taken off in Australia. From the earliest age, Australian kids are encouraged to participate actively in sport and culture. With a small population of twenty million - Australia's recent medal count at the Olympic games showed a country with a small population matching it with the largest sports powers of the world.

From the egg-and-spoon and potato-sack races at kindergarten picnics through sporting activities at school AND in their local community, Australia’s children and youth have an incredible array of sports to choose from. And it doesn’t stop when you leave school or college. Australia’s communities boast a myriad of organized sports for the population to be involved in once the work day is over. Moreover, if your playing days are behind you Australia’s sports mad population have some of the greatest spectator sports in the world to watch – and they attend in their droves. Attendances of 80-100,000 people at major sporting events, is not uncommon. The Australian Rules Grand Final alone boasts a record crowd of over 121,000! Even the small country towns’ weekend sports events are attended by all and sundry. 

At the Australian Festival we try to provide a showcase of some of Australia’s more unique sports and, in so doing, perhaps encourage the local populations to try the sport out and perhaps grow these great community oriented pastimes here in the U.S.A. This year we are proud to host the following major sports that are played down under:

Australian Rules Football – represented by teams from the Mid America Australian Football League -  and, for the first time ever by representative college teams as they vie for the first ever Aussie Rules National Collegiate Title. The following clubs will be participating: Nashville Kangaroos, Chicago Swans, Vandy Aussie Rules Club (College Nationals Host in association with United States Australian Football League), MTSU Aussie Rules Club, Belmont Aussie Rules,  Missouri Aussie Rules Club, & Ohio State Aussie Rules Club.

Rugby Union – represented by a number of men and women's local and college clubs including a select squad from USA Rugby South – the South East Regions top rugby players. The following Clubs will be participating: USA Rugby South, Nashville Rugby Football Club, Nashville Women's Rugby Football Club, Vanderbilt Women's Rugby Football Club, (and late entrants - Vanderbilt Men's Rugby Football Club & Middle Tennessee Men's Rugby Football Club).

Cricket – represented by the premier clubs in Nashville and a visit from our current Festival reigning champions from the Carolinas. The Following Clubs will be participating: The Occasionals Cricket Club, The Nashville Cricket Club, The ANZAC Wanderers Cricket Club.

Netball – For the first time the Australian Festival is proud to present the USA National Select Squad representing USA Netball Association, hosts of the 2005 World Youth Netball Championships! Netball is the world's most popular team game for women, and is played on all continents, in over 70 countries by over 7 million people. Within the Commonwealth netball has a higher number of active participants than any other sport...[More Details]

Kids Aussie Rules & Cricket - representing the commitment of these sports people to their kids, the community and the growth of sport, Sports Down Under will be conducting children's games and clinics in Aussie Rules and Cricket with USFooty Kids and Kanga Kricket (SoftCricket).

Sports Down Under at the 2004 Australian Festival is bound to have something to get every one cheering with the fun and excitement that these great Aussie sports bring. So bring your voice and come along and shout G’day Y’all at Sports Down Under!