CATS FALL TO DOCKERS: A gallant fourth-quarter effort was not enough as the Louisville Cats fell to Cincinnati 10.2.62 to 5.10.40 at Hays Kennedy Park on Aug. 17. For more details, click here.
CATS IN THE NEWS: The Louisville Football Club received a significant dose of local media attention on Aug. 9 when Tom Nord, the pop culture columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, profiled the club on the front page of the Features section. To check out Nord's impressions of footy and the LFC, click here.
SO HOW BIG WAS THE C-J's PIECE: Well, if you read it and tried to access the Web site that morning, you probably already know. For the first time in the history of the club, we had a Web outage that was caused by traffic. An unusually heavy load of visitors to the site caused the "Online Catland" to go down for several hours. We apologize for the inconvenience.
CATS GET SOME HELP, KEEP WINNING: For the nine members of the Louisville Football Club who made it to Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Cup on Aug. 3, the reward was the satisfaction of winning a game in the closing seconds. With literally the last kick of the game, Todd Boice's running shot from 30 yards out gave the Cats-St. Louis Blues a five-point victory over the Chicago Sharks and the runner-up spot in the Cincinnati Cup. For more information on the day, click here.
CINCINNATI CALLING: The Louisville Football Club hosts Cincinnati on Aug. 17 at Hays Kennedy Park in our final home game of the season. Come on out and cheer on the Cats as we take on our traditional rivals. Game time is 2 p.m., Eastern time.
CATS GO TO 2-1: A pair of victories over a determined Illinois side has catapaulted Louisville to a 2-1 record going into the Cincinnati Cup on Aug. 3.opened up Season 2002 with a gutsy, but losing effort against a superb Atlanta side. Click here for details.
THE CATS GET THE BLUES: Louisville will be teaming up with St. Louis for this year's Cincinnati Cup on Aug. 3 in Cincinnati. Games start at 10 a.m., with the Cats-Blues scheduled to take the field at 11 a.m. to face Cincinnati. Also competing in this year's tournament is the Chicago Swans and Chicago Sharks.
A NEW TUESDAY ROUTINE: The Cats' Tuesday evening practices have more of a city feel now, with the move from Seneca Park to Witherspoon Street in downtown Louisville. The Cats new practice field is caddy-corner to Louisville Slugger Field, the beautiful stadium for the Triple-A Louisville Bats baseball team that opened in 2000. The field is also part of the City of Louisville's impressive, spacious Waterfront Park development on the Ohio River. For an evening of pleasant footy on the river, check out the Cats on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m.
AN INTERIM COACH FOR THE CATS: Bill Ley has stepped in as interim coach of the Cats until at least the end of Season 2002. Bill takes over from Trevor Church, who stepped in for Chris Parsley because of work commitments. Both Trevor and Chris were in atendance on July 30 as Bill took the Cats for a strong, 1 1/2-hour training run at Waterfront Park. Bill promises more game-simulation drills and practices games as part of the Cats' training routine.
NICE TRY JACK: Louisville stalwart Jack Jacobs finished third of three in the Sixth District Democratic primary for the new Greater Louisville Metro Council that takes office in 2003 when the City of Louisville and Jefferson County merge. Jack gave it a nice effort running against two of the 12 current members of Louisville's Board of Aldermen, but it was not enough in a conentious race. The Cats salute Jack for his civic commitment to the community.
FIRST-GAME OUCH!!!: The Cats opened up Season 2002 with a gutsy, but losing effort against a superb Atlanta side. Click here for details.
CITIZEN TOM: One of the Louisville Cats' favorite ex-pats is coming to town. Tom Potter, managing director of Australian pizza chain Eagle Boys Pizza and a director of AFL Queensland, will be in Louisville the weekend after the Kentucky Derby on business. We'll be looking forward to a training run with Tom, who played in the SANFL with Port Adelaide in the early 1980s, and a barbeque afterwards.
SEASON 2002 -- IT'S TIME: After a refreshing off-season, the Louisville Football Club is getting back down to business. The club's first practice session for Season 2002 will take place Saturday, February 16, at 11 a.m. in Seneca Park, the LFC's traditional training ground. Practice is mandatory for club members. If you are interested in having a run with the Cats, call Trevor at 412-6215, or e-mail us at louisville_fc@hotmail.com. On a related note, this season's schedule has just about been formalized, with Louisville adding a home date with Milwaukee on June 15. Props to the Bombers for coming down this season. The Cats will return the favor with a game in Milwaukee in 2003.
NATIONALS TO KANSAS CITY: The United States Australian Football League in early February announced that the 2002 Coopers/USAFL National Tournament will be hosted by the Kansas City Power from Oct. 18-20. The Louisville Football Club extends its best wishes and congratulations to Kansas City, and is looking forward to making the trip over in October for nationals.
YOU SAY YOU WANT TO PLAY FOR THE REVOLUTION: The Midwest region tryouts for this year's United States national team, the Revolution, has been scheduled for April 20-21 in Cincinnati. Louisville defender Jack Jacobs will be among the players seeking a spot on this year's Revolution side for the inaugural International Cup in August in Melbourne.
PROPS TO GEELONG: One of the oldest AFL-USAFL relationships in the country will have a fresh new look for the 2002 season. Matt Seuling recently returned from a trip to Australia with 30 jerseys for the Louisville Football Club courtesy of Geelong, Louisville's sponsor club since 1996. The jerseys, all long-sleeved, were worn by Geelong's VFL team last season. In addition, Geelong passed along 30 sets of white shorts for the season. The Cats will also have blue shorts with LFC monograms (props to Burley Sekem), meaning the club will look just as good as it plays this season. Geelong officials Ben Waller, who was Papa John's escort when he toured Kardinia Park last summe, recently gave Matt the grand tour of Geelong's facility. Carn the Cats, at home and abroad!
FAREWELL TO MATTY -- FOR NOW: Matt Seuling, last year's co-coach and best and fairest, is moving with his wife Heidi to Kennewick, Washington, in mid-February. Matt will still make a handful of appearances for the club this year. Everybody at the Louisville Football Club sends Matt and Heidi their best wishes as they embark on this exciting new stage in their lives together.
CITIZEN JACK: Veteran Louisville Football Club defender Jack Jacobs has thrown his hat in the political ring. Jacobs, a school teacher, coordinator of the club's nascent youth program, and nominee for the 2002 Revolution, recently filed papers to run in the Democratic primary for District 6 of the new Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Council, which will be created by the merger of Louisville and Jefferson County at the beginning of 2003. Jack won't have it easy in the primary, his two opponents currently sit on the 12-member Louisville Board of Alderman. Good luck Jack!
PICTURE THIS!!!: After a selection process that took six months, Papa John has picked his 90 favorite pictures from last year's vacation to Melbourne and thrown them on the Web site. To take a look at one footy maniac's grand tour of Melbourne (think Dave Attell's Insomniac on Comedy Central, except that it's daylight and there are no transsexual hookers), click here.
SEULING TAKES HOME MVP AWARD: Co-coach Matt Seuling was named most valuable player for the 2001 season at the Louisville Football Club's best and fairest banquet at Kitty O'Kirwan's on Jan. 6. Seuling, a former Under-19s player in the AFL with Hawthorn, completed his first season with the club and played a big role in Louisville's improved fortunes last season. Seuling also shared the 2001 president's award with club icon and co-coach Chris Parsley. For more details on this year's awards, please go here.
PARSLEY TO COACH IN 2002: Chris Parsley, one of the original members of the Louisville Football Club, will assume the coaching role on a full-time basis in 2002. Parsley, who has coached the club since its inception in 1996, shared the coaching role with Matt Seuling in 2001.
AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE FOR 2002: The Louisville Football Club is planning to play 10-12 matches as a single entity in 2002, up considerably from the six matches the club played in 2001. The club has currently scheduled six matches -- home-and-aways with Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Illinois -- along with an appearance in the Cincinnati Cup. Additions to the schedule will probably be made before the start of the season. The schedule can be found here.
ELECTIONS FOR OFFICERS: The Louisville Football Club is accepting nominations for 2002 officers. If you want to have some fun and spread the word on the Louisville Football Club and Australian Rules Football, then toss your hat in the ring. Nominate yourself or someone you love at louisville_fc@hotmail.com. The available positions are: President -- Oversees day-to-day operation of the club. Responsible for coordinating with other club elected officers and appointees to ensure the smooth operation of the club. This is THE position. It requires a lot of time input to do an OK job, lots of e-mails, phone calls and no small amount of stress. You also have fun at times to help shape the course of footy in Louisville and the United States. Vice President -- Acts as delegate to the USAFL in consultation with the president and assists president as necessary. This position requires someone who is thoughtful and committed. You will often be asked to assume tasks that fall into grey areas when things are busy. Position also requires that the person be willing to attend the regular AGM at Nationals and be prepare to deal with the constitutional issues before the league. Treasurer -- Responsible for club finances. Must be able to maintain detailed monthly financial records for submission to the club president and to the USAFL's designee. Nominees for this position preferably will have previous accounting experience.
NON-ELECTED POSITIONS AVAILABLE: If you want to help the Louisville Football Club, but would prefer not to take on the responsibility of an elected position, the following positions are available. Send your expression of interest to louisville_fc@hotmail.com. Social committee -- Three positions. Respnsible for coordinating social events for the club (minimum of three official functions between April 1 and December 1). Must consult with elected officers before entering into binding financial agreements on behalf of the club. Parks and grounds -- Two positions. Responsible for coordinating with Metro Parks to secure playing field and with personnel at A.B. Sawyer maintainence. facility to secure mowing services. Will also organize club members into work details as necessary to prepare ground for games. Media representative -- One position. Responsible for compiling a list of local media outlets and sending press releases, as directed, to same. Would be helpful if person owned a fax.
PROPS TO JEREMY: The Louisville Football Club would like to extend its heartiest congratulations to Jeremy Kraus of the Cincinnati Dockers on his selection by the USAFL to be the 2002 AFL Scholarship Player. Jeremy, a 6-foot-5 ruckman, will be training with the Essendon Football Club for several weeks (have fun training with Paul Salmon). Having played with and against Jeremy, several members of the Cats campaigned on his behalf for this honor. We are all pleased to see that it came to pass. Good on ya Jeremy, go make us proud!
TIME TO GET FIT: As we start 2002 and look ahead to the season coming up, we all could probably use a little conditioning. As footy players we average about six miles during a game, more for midfielders, less for forwards and backs. Since 10K races are also about six miles, that is probably a good target to shoot for. Even if you do not intend to run a 10K this pre-season, following a 10K training program is still an excellent conditioning choice. A very good one can be found at www.runningtimes.com/clinic/programs although it requires the use of a heart monitior. At www.geocities.com/enducircuit/10kplan.html you can find a simplified version that will work as well. Remember, the sooner you get started, the less we'll have to run when it's hot.
TEAM HONORS: The Louisville Football Club will be honoring this year's outstanding players and performances at Kitty O'Kirwan's on Jan. 6, starting at 3 p.m. Come on out with your girlfriend, spouse, family or what ever you have for what promises to be a good time. We will also be electing officers for 2002 so if you have an opinion or the desire to work hard for little recognition and no pay, come out and vote or stand for an office.
There will be a luncheon buffet with wine and soft drinks included. Cost for the event will be $10.50 and a cash bar will be available for those desiring mixed drinks or beer.
This will also be an opportunity for new recruits to come out and meet the team and experience the social side of our club. If you know of any prospective players for Season 2002, please contact Trevor Church at 502-412-6215 or through the club's e-mail address (louisville_fc@hotmail.com) and we can offer them a pre-paid admission to the event.
Please RSVP Trevor no later than Dec. 30 so that a final head count can be turned into Kitty's.
HONORS OF A DIFFERENT SORT: The Louisville Australian Football Club would like to congratulate our Webmaster and chief content writer, John Harrell, on winning a 2001 Red Smith award for his Kentucky Derby Monday wrap-up article "One for the old school" in Thoroughbred Times magazine. The award annually recognizes outstanding print media coverage of "the greatest two-minutes in sports". We are pleased to see John's talents recognized and look forward to more scintilating coverage of the Cats next year.
CATS GO NATIONAL: The Louisville Cats travelled to the nation's capital Oct. 13-14 to compete in their fourth USAFL National Championship. The Louisville boys teamed up with the Milwaukee Bombers to form the "Bombercats" entry, raising hopes for a birth in the Finals of Division II.
Saturday's action started with a tilt against USAFL newcomers, the Philadelphia Crows. The Bombercats came out with a rush, but had trouble getting in synch as several early scoring chances were wasted. Hopes for a quick recovery were dealt a serious blow when ruckman Trevor Church and center halfback Chris Parsley both suffered first period knee injuries. As the Bombercats continued their poor kicking a determined Philadelphia squad executed a masterful chipping & running game plan that saw them squeeze past the Bombercats 5.2.32 to 4.5.29.
The day's second contest promised further fireworks as the Bombercats geared up to face the Atlanta Kookaburras. The rivalry was further intensified by the pre-tournament talk from the Atlanta camp claiming to be much too good to be seeded in Division II. The game was both close and exciting, but once again the Bombercats proved that bad kicking is bad footy, bowing to the Kookaburras 4.5.29 to 3.6.24.
A new day brought new hope to the Bombercats as they faced off with the Boston Redlegs, the Boston Demons reserve side. This time the Bombercats lived up to their potential with a dominating performance. Stuart Smith and Gary Hill provided the scoring punch while Jack Jacobs prowled the ground, proving himself both an offensive and defensive threat as the Bombercats ran out easy winners 6.8.44 to 1.3.9.
As the tournament wrapped up it was disappointing to have come away 1-2, but some consolation could be taken in the team's percentage of 138 and the breakout performance of National Tourney first-timers. The Louisville would like to thank the Philly Crows, the Atlanta Kookaburras and the Boston Redlegs for the hard fought competion. Most of all the Cats would like to thank the Milwaukee Bombers for the opportunity to team up with them and put on a good show.
MAD JACK TOPS THE CHARTS: The coaching staff of the Louisville Cats would like to congratulate Jack Jacobs for being tapped as the Louisville Cats Tournament MVP during the USAFL National Tournament. Jack was a threat all over the ground and was hard at every contest. Jack also elicited praise from Revolution Coach Gary Hill for an absolutely brilliant game against the Boston Redlegs. Good on ya' Jack!
HONOR THE CATS: The 2001 End of Season Dinner and Awards banquet is in the planning stages, stay tuned to the Web site and your e-mail for more details.
DOCKERS TOO GOOD: The Cincinnati Dockers proved too strong for the Louisville Cats in the Fifth Anniversary Match on Sept. 29 in Louisville, winning by two goals. Louisville finished the 2001 regular season with a record of 4-2. More details on the match will be on the Web site shortly.
IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO: The Kangaroos had beaten the Swans in the Centenary Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On the other side of the world, two football clubs that dreamed of bringing Aussie Rules to the United States, the Cincinnati Dockers and Louisville Cats, made that dream a reality, playing the first game by domestic clubs in this country. For old times sake, the two clubs are going to get together on Grand Final weekend in Louisville again this year. The festivities start on Friday with ...
... THE MOTHER OF ALL GRAND FINAL PARTIES: The Louisville Football Club and Kitty O'Kirwans cordially invite you to enjoy the AFL Grand Final in style with an Aussie buffet and Grand Final party at the Irish pub-restaurant. Kitty O'Kirwan's is on 102 Bauer Avenue in the St. Matthews neighborhood of Louisville. The festivities start at 10 p.m. and run until Fox Sports World ends its Grand Final coverage. For $20, you get an Aussie dinner and dessert buffet, three drink tickets, the opportunity to watch Essendon and Brisbane lock horns live on a big screen projection TV, and, best of all, the chance to hang out with America's coolest footy clubs, the Louisville Cats and Cincinnati Dockers. How can you lose. For more details, call Kitty O'Kirwans (502-897-9050) or e-mail the club at louisville_fc@hotmail.com.
... THE BIG MATCH: The Cats and Dockers will renew acquaintances on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Hays Kennedy Park in Louisville. Game time is 4 p.m. The two clubs will celebrate five years of Aussie Rules in the U.S. with this special match, to be played 13 hours after the AFL Grand Final ends.
PROPS TO AKERS: The Louisville Football Club extends its heartiest congratulations to Jason Akermanis of the Brisbane Football Club for winning this year's Brownlow Medal. Akers polled 23 votes, two more than pre-count favorite Andrew McLeod of Adelaide. Props Akers, and good luck in the Grand Final.
NATIONALS, NATIONALS, NATIONALS: After a two-year hiatus, the Louisville Football Club has entered this year's USAFL National Championships, to be played October 13-14 in Washington D.C. at Rosecroft Raceway. The Cats will team with Milwaukee and play in the B Division tournament. Stay tuned for more details.
LOUISVILLE IMPROVES TO 4-1: The Louisville Football Club, in its first game in three months, pulled away in the second half to defeat Lehigh Valley 15.5.95 to 5.4.34 on September 8 in Cincinnati. The Cats are now 4-1 for the season. Click to the 2001 schedule section to get all the details.
PAPA JOHN DOES MELBOURNE: By all accounts, Melbourne survived its first visit from LFC founder "Papa John" Harrell, who spent ten days in Melbourne in late July and early August doing all things footy. Papa John went to six AFL games, ate his weight in meat pies, drank enough Vic Bitter to fill the Pacific Ocean, and even had time to turn out in the Amateurs competition for Kew (in the reserves). He also took lots of pictures and he's going to put them on the Web site real soon. He promises (or is that threatens).
LOUISVILLE IMPROVES TO 2-0: The Louisville Football Club got strong performances from a group of first- and second-game players to defeat Atlanta 12.13.85 to 10.4.64 on May 6 at Hays Kennedy Park. For a full match recap, click here.
LOUISVILLE AND GEELONG--A GREAT TEAM: Officials from the Louisville Football Club and the Australian Football League's Geelong Football Club have recently begun discussions to strengthen the two club's sister relationship. Geelong became the first AFL side to fully sponsor an American team when they joined with the Cats in 1996. Props to Garry Davidson at Geelong for the work he is doing in this regard.
INJURED LIST PREPARES TO LIGHTEN: Todd Boice, who kicked a goal and took arguably the greatest mark in LFC history during the club's season-opening game against Cincinnati, will have a cast removed from his thumb on May 7 and hopes to be back in action on June 2 when the Cats take on the Dockers and Illinois in Cincinnati. Boice suffered a tendon injury on the thumb during an April training session.
FIRST-UP VICTORY: With co-coach Matt Seuling kicking two goals, including the gamewinner in the fourth quarter, the Louisville Football Club rallied from an early two-goal deficit with a great team effort to defeat the Cincinnati Dockers in a low-scoring opening game of the 2001 season at Hayes-Kennedy Park in Louisville. Click here for all the details.
THE WEBMASTER SPEAKS: Welcome to the new home of the Louisville Football Club Web site. Just for a quick overview, we are the second-oldest club in the country (founded 1996), hosted the first Aussie Rules match played between indigenous American teams (vs. Cincinnati 1996), and we have managed to remain viable over the years despite fielding an almost entirely American side since day one. Things are changing, however, and season 2001 looms as one the most important in the club's history. Keep coming back here for more information on the Cats. Carn' Louisville.--"Papa John" Harrell, LFC Webmaster
SEULING, PARSLEY NAMED HEAD COACHES FOR 2001: The Louisville Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of former Hawthorn Football Club Under-19s player Matthew Seuling as co-coach of the Louisville Football Club for Season 2001. Seuling, who played Under-19s and one reserve game for the Hawks in 1991 and later A- and B-grade amateur football for Old Trinity, will team up with longtime LFC coach Chris Parsley this year in a dual coaching structure.
NEW, OLD RECRUITS LINE UP FOR SEASON 2001: The return of some familiar faces and the introduction of new faces is part of the renaissance at the Louisville Football Club this year. Former players Jeff Anderson, John Harrell, and Jack Jacobs have all committed for Season 2001, while ex-pats Glen Davidson and David Wood also plan to lace up the boots for the Cats. Davidson, who recently moved to the area, played in the CAFL the past two years and has more than 250 games experience back home, while Jacobs and Anderson are expected to show the dash that made them dangerous players in previous seasons.
SPECIAL FIFTH ANNIVERSARY MATCH SCHEDULED: The Louisville Football Club is proud to announce that it will host a special Fifth Anniversary match with the Cincinnati Dockers on September 29 at Hays Kennedy Park in Louisville. The match will commerorate the first match played between two domestic-based Aussie Rules teams in this country, on September 28, 1996. The pre-match festivities will, of course, include a party to watch the Australian Football League Grand Final, which will be played the night before the match. Stay tuned for more details.
