The Vienna Kangaroos are an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 club located in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, and are Austria's first Australian rules football club.

History

The club was established by Australian expatriate

Expatriate

An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...

s and began as the "Wiener Dingos" in 2003. The Irish pub, Flanagans, was the first sponsor, providing playing jumpers. The club doubled as the Austrian National team in international competitions until the foundation of the country's second club in Graz

Graz

The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...

 in 2008, named the Styrian Down Under Dogs.

The side competed as the Austrian National team at the Central European Championship in Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

 in 2004 against primarily expatriate sides from Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, but did not perform well. It also competed in the 2005 European Championships in London.

In 2006, the team was renamed "Vienna Kangaroos" and after a successful recruiting drive, it increased the number of Austrian players. Austrian nationals now comprise the majority of players in the side.

Coming into contact with teams in Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 and Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, the club began competing with these sides in a "Tri-nations" cup. Austria held the first competition with the "Schnitzel Cup" in July 2006 in Vienna. Then the team travelled to Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

 to take part in the "Croatia Open" in August and the final event, the "Prague Cup", was held in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

in September 2006 as part of the Central European Championships.

Since 2006, the Vienna Kangaroos are a registered sports club.

2006

• June 2006 Tri-nation Cup in Vienna, (Austria - Croatia - Czech Republic)
• July 2006 Tri-nation Cup in Zagreb, (Austria - Croatia - Czech Republic)
• August 2006 Tri-nation Cup in Prague, (Austria - Croatia - Czech Republic)
• August 2006 CEAFL Cup in Prague, (Austria - Croatia - Czech Republic - Finland - France)

2007

• 17.03.2007 friendly game against the Munich Kangaroos in Munich
• 04.2007 The Vienna Kanagroos become member of the ASKÖ (~Austrian Sport Association)
• 09.06.2007 CEAFL Cup in Vienna (2nd place)
• 09.08.2007 friendly game against the Munich Kangaroos in Kössen
• 24.08.2007 Tri-nation Cup in Prague (2nd place)
• 15.09.2007 EU Cup in Hamburg
• 06.10.2007 Tri-nation Cup in Zagreb

2008

• 03.05.2008 CEAFL Cup, Zagreb
• 07.06.2008 Tri Nation Cup, Vienna
• 30.10.2008 friendly game against the Munich Kangaroos in Kössen
• 11.10.2008 EU CUP in Prague (12th place)

2010

With 2010 the Vienna Kangaroos and the Styrian Down Under Dogs are starting the first official Austrian Australian Football league with regular games. Six game days were scheduled to take place. The Kangaroos won the Season against the Styrian Down Under Dogs.

External links

• Vienna Kangaroos website (English)
• Kangaroos sind keine Weicheier at sport.orf.at (German)
• Worum es geht at sport.orf.at (German)