The Canada national Australian rules football team represents Canada in Australian rules football. The men's side is known as the Northwind (french: Vent du Nord) while the women's side is known as the Northern Lights. The national team is selected by

AFL Canada AFL Canada (formerly the Canadian Australian Football Association, french: Association canadienne de football australien) is the governing body for men's and women's Australian rules football in Canada. AFL Canada was formed on 30 July 2004, w ...

the governing body for

Australian rules football in Canada Australian rules football in Canada (commonly known as "Aussie Rules" or simply "footy") is played in seven provinces - Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The Ontario league, cen ...

. Northwind players are selected from the best Canadian-born players from the club teams across Canada. The team plays in international tournaments, including the

Australian Football International Cup The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open to ...

and the

49th Parallel Cup The 49th Parallel Cup (formerly PanAm Cup) is an annual representative Australian rules football match between the United States and Canada first contested in 1999. Since 2007 the women's teams have also contested the cup. The men's matches are ...

Identity

The Northwind's guernsey has the

Maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along th ...

, the

floral emblem In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to ...

of Canada, in the

national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

of red and white.

History

The team formed to participate in the

in 2002 (finishing 9th) 2005 (finishing 7th) and 2008 (finishing 6th) as well as exhibition matches against other countries. Between 1993–1995, the Northwind were undefeated in tests against the

British Australian Rules Football League AFL Britain, also referred to as AFL Great Britain was established in 1989 as the governing body for Australian rules football in England, Wales and Scotland. It was formed in 2008, replacing the British Australian Rules Football League (BARFL) a ...

Notable players

Stefan Leyhane, Northwind's Captain (2003–2009) was also the only Canadian recipient of the 2002 International All Star Team. Northwind's best and fairest player (from the 2005 International Cup) was Paul Loughnane. Northwind's best and fairest player from the 2008 International Cup was Aaron "Azza" Falcioni. Northwind had two players named to the 2008 World Team: Emanuel Matata at Ruckman, and Scott Fleming at Forward. Northwind had one player named to the 2011 World Team: Steve Rutledge. Northwind had two players named to the 2014 World Team: Nathan Strom and Neil Casey. Northwind had one player named to the 2017 World Team: Eric Klein

Australian Football International Cup

Image:Scott fleming goal canada 2008.jpg, Canada's Scott Fleming kicks a long range goal against Sweden in the 2008 International Cup Image:Canada manny matata kicking.jpg, Northwind's All-International ruckman Manny Matata kicking a drop punt File:Australian_Football_2008_International_Cup.jpg, Canadian player evades a Nauruan opponent The Northwind have competed at the

since their first appearance in 2002. The International Cup is a competition where players that are citizens of the countries who are competing are the only players allowed to play (no expatriate Australians are permitted to play, with teams composed solely of amateurs who must be nationals of the country they represent). In the

2002 Australian Football International Cup The 2002 Australian Football International Cup was the inaugural international Australian rules football tournament held in Melbourne, Australia in 2002. 11 nations participated from around the world and the tournament was officiated by the In ...

the Canada Northwind finished 9th of 11 teams.
Round 1: Ireland 7.14 (56) def. Canada 4.7 (31) -

Trevor Barker Beach Oval Trevor Barker Beach Oval, currently known under naming rights as the Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval, is an Australian rules football ground in Beach Road, on the border between Hampton and Sandringham, Victoria. Most commonly known as ...

, Sandringham, Melbourne
Round 2: Canada 4.11 (38) def. South Africa 1.5 (11)
Round 3: New Zealand 10.8 (68) def. Canada 2.6 (18)
Round 4: USA 8.4 (52) def. Canada 1.1 (7)
Round 5: Samoa 9.15 (69) def. Canada 0.5 (5)
9th/10th Place Playoff: Canada 6.5 (41) def. Japan 5.2 (32)

In the

2005 Australian Football International Cup The 2005 Australian Football International Cup was the second time that the Australian Football International Cup tournament, an international Australian rules football competition was held. The event was hosted by both Melbourne and Wangaratta ...

the Northwind finished 7th of 10 teams.
Round 1: Ireland 4.7 (31) def. Canada 3.5 (23)
Round 2: Papua New Guinea 5.11 (41) def. Canada 4.3 (27)
Round 3: Samoa 7.4 (46) def. Canada 6.6 (42)
Round 4: Great Britain 3.7 (25) def. 3.5 Canada (23)
Qualifying Final: Canada def. Spain (Spain forfeited).
7th/8th Place Playoff: Canada 4.5 (29) def. South Africa 2.6 (18)

In the

2008 Australian Football International Cup The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested. It was scheduled for 2008 (as part of the 150th year cele ...

the Northwind finished 6th of 16 teams:
Round 1: Canada Northwind 18.22 (130) def. Finland Icebreakers 0.0 (0) -

Western Oval Whitten Oval (also known as Victoria University Whitten Oval under a naming rights agreement) is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administ ...

Round 2: Canada Northwind 16.12 (108) def. Sweden Elks 1.1 (7) - Ransford Oval
Round 3: Ireland Warriors 4.6 (30) def. Canada Northwind 2.2 (14) - Reid Oval
Finals Round 1: Canada Northwind 7.7 (49) def. Japan Samurais 0.3 (3) - Walter Oval
5th/6th Place Playoff: Nauru Chiefs 12.8 (80) def. Canada Northwind 7.7 (49) - Ransford Oval

In the

2011 Australian Football International Cup The 2011 Australian Football International Cup (or IC21) is the fourth edition of the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition run by the Australian Football League. It was contested between ...

the Northwind finished 10th of 18 teams
Group 6 - Match 1: Canada 2.0 (12) def. by United States 2.3 (15) - Blacktown International Sportspark 2
Group 6 - Match 2: Canada 3.6 (24) def. Peres Team for Peace 0.0 (0) - Blacktown International Sportspark 2
Division 1 - Group 1 - Match 1: Canada 2.3 (15) def. by Great Britain 6.8 (44) - Blacktown International Sportspark 2
Division 1 - Group 1 - Match 3: Canada 3.2 (20) def. by New Zealand 5.9 (39) - Blacktown International Sportspark 1
Division 1 Semi-Finals: Canada 13.8 (86) def. Japan 2.1 (13) - McAllister Oval
9th/10th Place Playoff: Canada 6.4 (40) def. by Tonga 6.10 (46) - Ransford Oval

In the

2014 Australian Football International Cup The 2014 Australian Football International Cup was the fifth edition of the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition run by the Australian Football League. It was contested between Saturday ...

the Northwind finished 5th of 18 teams.
Pool C - Round 1: Canada 19.5 (119) def. China 0.1 (1) - McAlister Oval
Pool C - Round 2: Canada 2.8 (20) def. by USA 8.3 (51) - Ransford Oval
Pool C - Round 3: Canada 20.10 (130) def. Sweden 0.0 (0) - Ben Kavanagh Reserve
Division 1 Semi Finals: Canada 9.15 (69) def. France 2.3 (15) - Ransford Oval
Division 1 Championship (5th/6th Place Playoff): Canada 9.7 (61) def. Tonga 7.6 (48) - McAlister Oval

2005 International Cup squad

References

External links

AFL Canada – Northwind
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northwind (Australian rules football team) Australian rules football in Canada

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Australian rules football