Profile
The Portland Australian Football Club represents Portland in the United States Australian Football League. Our men’s team, the Steelheads, and our women’s team, the Sockeyes, play both regionally and nationally. We also have a metro league with teams comprised of Portland players. Several players from our club represent the United States on the international level as members of the men’s USA Revolution and women’s USA Freedom/Liberty squads. Portland AFC is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit sports organization.
Our main season typically starts in mid-spring and culminates in the annual Nationals tournament held in October. In addition to trainings, we start out our season with several weeks of “Ausball”, a recreational form of Australian football, or “footy”, that’s coed and non-contact. It’s a great way to learn the basic skills of the game in a fun and low-pressure environment. During the summer months, we split the club into teams to compete in our men’s and women’s metro leagues–PAFL and PWAFL, respectively. We also play games against teams from other cities and compete in tournaments throughout our season. The biggest tournaments are the Regional and National Championships. During Regionals, held annually in July, we compete against teams from the west coast all the way to Colorado. Nationals is a two-day tournament held in October with over 40 teams from all around the country. In our off-season, we typically hold indoor recreational games to get our footy fix during the colder, wetter months. We also hold several social events throughout the year, ranging from post-practice drinks/food to larger events like footy watch parties, Australian holiday celebrations, and fundraisers.
Footy is a fast, exciting, and fun sport to play. Every year sees new faces join the club, and we’re always excited to share our passion for the game and teach people how to play. Our club is comprised of Aussies and Americans alike. We always welcome new players at any time during the year, regardless of skill level or knowledge of the sport! Other than the Aussies, many players had never even touched a footy before coming to a training.
