Papua New Guinea and Samoa face off before an International Cup match at Port Melbourne in 2005. The AFL is devoting more and more resources to promoting the game overseas. Photo: Vince Caligiuri
TEACHING a group of athletes to play Australian Rules football in nine months is an immense task. Yet when that team is made up of Israelis and Palestinians, coming together to demonstrate the power of peace, the seemingly impossible cannot be discounted.
Over dinner in the Deloitte boardroom tonight, business leaders, AFL representatives and board members from several clubs will pledge funds to add an 18th entrant to the field for the International Cup next August, under the banner of the Peres Peace Team.
The quasi World Cup of Australian Rules, to be contested in Melbourne and Warrnambool, is a key element of the league's 150th anniversary of football celebrations. The AFL's commitment to developing the game overseas increases annually, but even the boldest plans did not include something like this.
"The AFL has a proud track record in using our game to build communities in indigenous and multicultural communities here and increasingly overseas," chief executive Andrew Demetriou said. "The initial approach (regarding the International Cup) was a surprise, but we think it is a great initiative and a great way to send a strong message about the power of sport to unite communities."
The idea came about when Demetriou's brother, James, visited Israel in April. While in Tel Aviv he visited the Peres Centre for Peace, a non-political, non-profit organisation established in 1996 by Israeli president Shimon Peres, which promotes peace through business, education, culture and sport.
Upon returning he met with Tanya Oziel, executive director of the Peres Centre's Sydney-based Australian chapter. A self-confessed "AFL junkie", Ms Oziel jumped at the chance to forge a relationship, and her enthusiasm resulted in an invitation from the league to field a team.
"If it happens it will be just amazing," Ms Oziel said.
Sport is one of the Peres Peace Centre's biggest platforms, with a combined team of professional soccer players making history in June when they played a 'Peace Match' against Spanish champions Real Madrid in Israel.
"It was a really bad time for Palestinian people, with all borders closed, and against that backdrop we got 400 Palestinian kids into Israel to be part of the game," Ms Oziel said.
Soccer players will form the foundations of the football team, with expat Australians expected to help with coaching in Israel, and the AFL assisting with a coaching program here.
Demetriou conceded the time frame was tight, but said the International Cup was more about participation than finding the next superstars of the game. "We will be doing everything we can to ensure the team representing the Peres Peace Centre is as competitive and ready to play as the emerging team from China," he said.
The Pratt Foundation will get the ball rolling tonight by pledging $60,000 of the estimated $300,000 required.
"It's going to be a very interesting team," said foundation chief executive Sam Lipski. "Trying to get Palestinian, Arab and Israeli kids together to play football, it's quite an achievement."
The growth of the International Cup, which has been held in 2002 and 2005, has led to the creation of two divisions, with the Peres Peace Team to join China and India in the second division.
An Australian rules Football player 

The International Cup is Australian rules footballs world cup. The 2008 event is being held in Melbourne to celebrate  150 years of Australian rules football.

Currently the nation winning the International Cup is considered a distant second to Australia, who does not compete at the cup. This is because the difference in skill level between Australia and the next best country is quite considerate. The Australian Football League still names an All-Australian team anyway.
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===Group A===
New Zealand compete after playing against a touring Maffra side, who play in the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League. The match played in Auckland on August 2nd. The final result for this match was a win for the Maffra side 13 goals 13 behinds 91 to 3 goals 1 behind 19.

2005 Japanese captain Michito Sakaki was the first non-Irish internationally based player to play at AFL level.

New Zealand have been grouped with Samoa, Japan and cup debutant India.

===Group B===
2002 and 2005 runners up Papua New Guinea are set to play a trial game in Coolongatta before heading off to the cup. “Unless Mal Michael’s allowed to play, we’ve got no height” says coach Andrew Cadzow. Michaels plays for the Brisbane lions in the AFL.

The Peace Team, a combined Israeli-Palistinian team, is a cup debutant. It is being sponsored by The Pratt Foundation.

"It's going to be a very interesting team," said foundation chief executive Sam Lipski. "Trying to get Palestinian, Arab and Israeli kids together to play football, it's quite an achievement."

Great Britain come off the AFL Great Britain Northern Grand Final between Newcastle Centurians and Middlesborough Hawks. The match being won by the Centurions 11 goals 15 behinds 81 to 4 goals 13 behinds 37.

Plans are also in the works for a National Championship between The Centurions and southern Champions, the Southampton Titans.

PNG, The Peace Team and Great Britain have been grouped with Narau.

===Group C===
2005 third place getters the United States are generally considered the bench mark of this group. However the Danes enter the competition off the back of the national grand final.

With the Olympics in Beijing this year, the Beijing Bombers will play a demonstration match in the Chinese capital during the games. The Bombers will supply players to the Chinese national team for the Cup.

China, the USA and Denmark are joined in the group by South Africa.

===Group D===
"We have Finland up first on August 27th and we are now totally focused on that game, but at the end of the day, you have to beat them all and we believe we are capable of doing just that," Canadas General Manager Martin Walter has commented in a recent interview.

The Canadians bring a mix of experience and youth to their third International Cup. They are being financially supported by Foraco Drilling, Quantec Geoscience and Laramide Resources Inc; three of Canada's multi-national mining companies.

"This has put the team into a strong financial position, and that allows us to bring the best football talent that the Ontario Australian Rules Football League and other Canadian leagues have to offer," Walter says.

Canada are joined by inaugural champions Ireland, Sweden and Finland.