Apparently the emu - a flightless Australian bird, similar to an ostrich - never takes a backward step. Not a bad animal to adopt for a sports team. The Stuttgart Emus are the city's latest sports club, an Australian Rules Football team, now playing in the German Bundesliga.

Ask any Australian to describe an emu and he'll tell you they're big, tall, strong, fast animals. A kangaroo might be described the same way. So it comes as no surprise to learn that the first clash between these two Australian icons last Saturday, on a huge grass field in Esslingen, was a tough, pounding contest. The Emus came out on top. Australian Rules Football - or 'Aussie Rules' - has arrived in Baden-Württemberg.

Australian Rules? It’s a fast moving game, played with two teams of 18 players on an athletics-stadium-sized grass field. The object of the game is to kick a rugby-like ball down the field towards four, tall, upright goalposts, spaced six metres or 20 feet apart. If the ball is kicked between the two taller central posts, a ‘goal’ (6 points) is scored; one point (called a ‘behind’) is awarded for a ball kicked between a tall central post and a smaller side post.

If the ball is kicked and then caught by any player on the full, a free kick is awarded. You’re not allowed to throw the ball – you have to hold it in one hand and punch-pass it to a team mate. Tackling of opponents is allowed, if they’re holding the ball. The game is played over four 20-minute quarters. It might sound complicated but it’s very simple when you see it being played. Australian Rules football is a professional sport in Australia, played in the winter months. It is the country’s biggest spectator sport.

The Aussie Rules footy season in Germany has just started, and the Stuttgart Emus are the newest team in an eight-team German-wide league. A core of 8-10 local Australians play in the Stuttgart team, as well as an American. But the majority of players are young Germans who want to play a fast, outdoor team sport other than football. And they function mighty well for a new team!

In their first ever competitive match on May 9, at their home ground at the Eberhard Bauer Stadium in Esslingen, Stuttgart defeated the Munich Kangaroos (6-10) 46 to (5-5) 35. In Aussie Rules speak, that means the Emus kicked six goals and ten behinds to the Kangaroos five goals and five behinds. Around fifty people came out to the ground to cheer on the Emus in their first game.

Grant Walsh, an Australian who manages the team, is still keen to recruit more players. People of all nationalities are welcome to join in the fun. The team trains on Tuesday and Friday evenings at Killesberg – or Thursday instead of Friday if a game is scheduled for the weekend. The Emus next home game is on June 6.

For further information, contact Grant Walsh
StuttgartEmus@gmx.de

Stuttgart Emus Football Team
www.stuttgartaustralianfootball.de
(still under construction – works better with an Explorer browser)

Australian Football League Germany:
www.aflg.de/

Photo: Bettina Pinter