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Davidsson to Coach Crusaders

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Swedish Ravens coach Ryan Davidson will take on the coaching role with the European Crusaders women’s team at the upcoming European Championships in London.

The tournament taking place over 5 days in October is the premier 18 a-side event on the AFL Europe calendar and is played every three years.

(AFL Europe) got in touch with me first regarding Ravens players wanting to play Euro Champs and the discussion developed from there.Ryan Davidsson

The Crusaders team takes the total amount of women’s teams to four with Great Britain, Ireland and Germany rounding out the division. Each team will play eachother once with the two highest ranked teams playing off on grand final day for European Champion!

But the team is not without it’s challenges as Davidsson explained.

The 18 a-side form is definately a factor. Neither the players or coaches get to be a part of that so often so resetting our way of thinking when we walk onto the field will be something new. In my eyes it presents an opportunity to coach more tatically compared to the 9 a-side game.Ryan Davidsson

The tournament will take place in London at the famed Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field, the second time in succession the Championships will be played there. In 2019 the schedule has been shortened from 8 days to 5 days to accommodate players wishes around tournament length. There will though be no less of a show on display with record numbers attending the event.

I’m looking forward to meeting and getting to know a bunch of new players, many that i have coached against in the past and to see how that dynamic translates into reality on the football field. To get another perspective on European footy, to learn from the players and hear their stories about their footy experiences will be fantastic. Ryan Davidsson

At this stage 3 Swedish players will join Ryan in the Crusade for European glory but the hope is that more will join the cause in the coming weeks as well as more players from across the continent.

I urge all clubs to get involved in women’s footy. I think the AFL Europe tournaments will benefit hugely from more involvement from the lesser established countries and i would love to see the top teams being challenged more often. Can’t wait to see everyone in London, gonna be an awesome tournament! Ryan Davidsson

Ryan will be supported by AFL Europe stalwart Bridgette Allen on the team leadership panel with more appointments to be made in the near future. Follow the tournament on the AFL Europe Facebook page October 9-12.