Footy 9s set to kick goals in the UK

It is with great pleasure that we are launching our first ever Footy 9s league here in the UK. For us it has been a long journey with the Portsmouth Pirates being left as the only Aussie Rules club on the South Coast.

We have spent 3 years building up a player base and touring to local rugby clubs to help spread the word about our great game. We have now secured a permanent location in partnership with Fareham Heathens Rugby Club, who have themselves entered a team into our league for 2024.

Pirates and Heathens will be joined by the Solent Sharks (a Southampton based outfit) and Southsea Tigers to make a 4 team league. Throughout the summer months each team will play the other twice over a series of Saturday or Wednesday night games, with the top 2 playing off in the Grand Final.

A special thank you must go out to our 4 club sponsors, as without them we would not have been able to kit out the teams with their great looking jerseys – Citrus Facilities Management, Mudlark Tavern Rum, Taz Carpentry Services and Hell or High Water Rum.

Our season kicks off with round 1 on Saturday 18 May with Pirates v Heathens at 12pm and Sharks v Tigers at 2pm.

Finally, thank you to AFI for their continued support and for bringing us this fantastic new version of Aussie Rules, we cannot wait for the season to kick off!