Australian Football Harmony Cup
 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Country | Host:  Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Samoa |
| Official website | Official website |
The Australian Football Harmony Cup is an amateur Australian rules football competition featuring teams drawn from Melbourne's migrant communities. The tournament is coordinated by Australian Football International.
It was first held in 2004 in Melbourne around National Harmony Day.
Background
Australian Football is also known for a high participation rate amongst migrants, particularly amongst Europeans. Many such players reach the highest levels and some like Ron Barassi, Stephen Silvagni, Robert DiPierdomenico and Alex Jesaulenko are legends of the game. Some Australian Football League clubs, such as Carlton are renowned for the high number of players of Mediterranean origin.
Teams
The Harmony Cup has included teams representing multicultural communities from Albania, Chile, Croatia, Israel, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Macedonia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Samoa, South Sudan, Spain, Switzerland, Tonga, Wales, Vietnam and Turkey. A side drawn from the Melbourne Aboriginal community has also competed at the Harmony Cup. Teams under the banner of "United Nations", "Team Harmony" and "Team Africa" have also competed at the Harmony Cup.
| Teams |
|---|
 Albania
|
 Chile
|
 Croatia
|
 Greece
|
 Ireland
|
 Israel
|
 Italy
|
 Lebanon
|
 Malta
|
 Macedonia
|
 Netherlands
|
 Poland
|
| Samoa
|
 South Sudan
|
 Spain
|
 Switzerland
|
 Tonga
|
 Wales
|
 Vietnam
|
 Turkey
|
History
The first Harmony Cup was held in 2004 at Skinner Reserve, Braybrook in 2004, with Israel 8.9 (57) defeating Samoa 1.0 (6) in the Grand Final.
The 2005 Harmony Cup was won by Greece 5.5 (35) over Turkey 3.3 (21) in front of a crowd of 2,300 at Optus Oval in Carlton, Melbourne.
The Harmony Cup returned in 2010 and has been held every year since.
Results
| Year | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Samoa
|
| 2022 | Ireland
|
| 2021 | Ireland
|
| 2020 | Italy
|
| 2018 | Ireland
|
| 2017 | Italy
|
| 2016 | Ireland
|
| 2015 | Lebanon
|
| 2014 | Lebanon
|
| 2013 | Australia
|
| 2012 | Albania
|
| 2011 | Lebanon
|
| 2010 | Lebanon
|
| 2005 | Greece
|
| 2004 | Israel
|
See also
References
- ^ "Kids News: Harmony Cup". Kidsnews.com.au. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Swiss AFL team @ 2017 Harmony Cup". Swisscham.com.au. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Suns ready to shine at cup". Heraldsun.com.au. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Harmony Cup in Parkville". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "All in the name of harmony - Neos Kosmos". Neokosmos.com. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Team Hellas readies for Harmony Cup - Neos Kosmos". Neokosmos.com. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2019.