AFL Teams And Their European Soccer Club Equivalents
Adelaide Crows: AC Milan
The Crows played games at Princes Park and AC Milan have also played there. But there are more similarities than that. Each team has a huge following in their leagues and is usually in contention. Financially, both clubs have an advantage over most other clubs in their leagues. The Crows can spend big on facilities, coaching and anything else that can get them an edge while Milan are always ready to bring in a big star from another team.
Brisbane Lions: Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham spent up big to land Jürgen Klinsmann, and it was worth it. The Lions also had to open the bank to bring in Lynch and he brought them three premierships. The Lions brought in Matthews to coach and that resulted in big wins, Venables was appointed coach of Tottenham and he delivered the FA Cup. Tottenham is a club in the North of London, Brisbane is a club in the North of Australia. Paul Gascoigne brought a lot of things to Tottenham, in comparison to him Jason Akermanis was a very quiet person. Both were great players for their clubs but didn't finish their careers there.
Carlton Blues: Juventus
One team did something wrong and only lost a couple of draft picks, they thought that was harsh. The other team may have done something wrong and they were kicked into a lower league. Carlton can be thankful they didn't receive a similar punishment to Juve, imagine Carlton playing at Frankston or Werribee. Both teams were powerhouses in the past, and even though Juventus were demoted they would seem to be in better shape than Carlton are, and are more likely to be winning trophies sooner. Juventus had Zoff at the back, considered one of the best ever at his position, while Carlton had Silvagni in their last line of defense. Carlton could also be compared to Charlton, both teams are always down the bottom.
Collingwood Magpies: Newcastle United
Plenty of teams with the black and white to choose from in soccer. Collingwood have Buckley who they think is the greatest player ever, Newcastle had Shearer who was worshipped by his fans more than Buckley was by the Collingwood fans. Both teams do have a black and white army of fans.
Essendon Bombers: Bayern Munich
Maybe Essendon should have been compared to Bolton, there are the Bolton Wanderers and at Essendon they wonder why they have Bolton. Both Essendon and Bayern Munich have plenty of titles, and their histories are filled with great players and periods of domination in their leagues. Both teams are also watching the final games of one of their greatest players, Hird and Oliver Kahn won't be playing much longer. Both clubs have their share of famous supporters, with Boris Becker and Pope Benedict cheering on Bayern Munich while the Bombers have big names of their own like Nick Giannopoulos. The one area that both teams have in common that many others do not is the immense presence of a legend of the game, Sheedy seems to have been at Essendon for half a century while Bayern Munich have actually been associated with Franz Beckenbauer since the early 1960s.
Fremantle Dockers: Porto
Both clubs are out of the media spotlight on the west coast of their continents. Porto had a huge 1987 when they won the European Cup and it could be 2007 when Fremantle have their best ever season and a cup at the end of it is a possibility. Porto have been a very good team for recruiting players from many other countries, the Dockers have a team that relies on stars from many states. Porto have struggled when they didn't have a good striker, and they had success when players like Jardel were scoring, the Dockers couldn't find a good full forward in their early years but now with Pavlich playing there they are a much better team.
Geelong Cats: Nancy-Lorraine
Geelong might have the heaviest players, by average, but toughness has not been something they have had a reputation for. Club Nancy have players called Pascal, Kim, Rachid and Gennaro, so they are not putting fear into their opponents either. Michel Platini was a superstar for Nancy while Gary Ablett was even better for Geelong. A French League team made sense for Geelong, and there was also Toulouse to choose or Sedan might have been apt as well. Some might have even thought that Bordeaux would have some things in common with Geelong.
Hawthorn Hawks: Nürnberg
Both teams have a Josh Kennedy. They both also had a time in the past when they dominated their leagues. Hawthorn had the 1980s, Nürnberg fans have to go back a lot further for their best years.
Kangaroos: Grasshopper
A relatively unknown team that usually doesn't use a place as part of their team name, both of these clubs have that in common. You won't be reading North Melbourne or Zurich when these clubs are mentioned. Both of the club mascots can also jump, although in some places a kangaroo or a grasshopper is considered a pest.
Melbourne Demons: Chelsea
The Demons were in trouble a few years ago, Joe Gutnick helped them out and it wasn't too long after they didn't merge that the Demons were contesting the AFL Grand Final. Chelsea were not in good shape when Roman Abramovich came along with his bank account, his money not only bought happiness but a lot of star players and a championship. The Demons were in the 2000 AFL Grand Final, Chelsea were in the 2000 FA Cup. Chelsea had players called Speedie and Wise, while the Demons have players who are speedy and wise. Each team has famous supporters, Melbourne has Wilbur Wilde while Chelsea includes Bryan Adams among its fans.
Port Adelaide Power: Inter Milan
Both clubs are successful but they are not up to the level of their city rival. The Power share a stadium with the Crows while the San Siro is not only the home for Inter but also AC Milan too.
Richmond Tigers: Ajax Amsterdam
Both clubs do a good job of spotting talent, and developing it, but sometimes the players do leave for other teams. But when Ottens or McKee moved on the Tigers got useful draft picks while Ajax sell players like Kluivert and Seedorf for big money on the transfer market. Maybe Coach Wallace looked at Ajax and how they find some of the youngest players to develop and he thought the Tigers could benefit from a similar program. In the stands, both clubs have a lot of loud support from their many fans.
St Kilda Saints: Lyon
If the Saints do win a Grand Final in the upcoming seasons then they might want to name their team after their coach. But if Ross was in France he could already coach a team with his name. Both clubs have not had a lot of stability with their coaches in recent years, Ross Lyon was brought to the Saints to change that and to use his experience with a winning team to take the Saints to the next level. Club Lyon have had more success in their league but their latest coach was also brought in due to a history of winning, Houllier kept the success coming as he led Lyon to another title.
Sydney Swans: Real Madrid
If a team has the resources to bring in ready-made stars then they might as well do it. The Swans have been successful at taking star players from other clubs and then getting more out of them. Real Madrid have spent money at an unbelievable rate, and they have bought the best players from around the world. The Swans have two consecutive AFL Grand Finals, with one win, as a reward for their player recruitment while Real Madrid have not been as successful in recent seasons, although they did win their league 3 seasons ago. One big difference is in the history of the clubs, Sydney have only been a dominant club in the last decade while Real Madrid have nearly a century of success.
West Coast Eagles: Barcelona
Ronaldinho might be the best in his sport, and Judd might be his AFL equivalent. Both clubs have plenty of wins and plenty of star players recorded in their history books. Jakovich, Matera, Sumich, McIntosh and Kemp are past heroes for the Eagles while Barcelona have had stars like Stoitchkov, Ronaldo, Lineker, Cruyff and Goikoetxea. Both clubs are willing to make a former star player their coach/manager and the Eagles won with Worsfold as coach and Barcelona had success with Johan Cruyff in command.
Western Bulldogs: Chievo Verona
They are little teams who have had a lot of success in the last couple of years, although they haven't quite got to the big games yet. Chievo had a rapid rise from the lower divisions of Italian soccer and were a contending team in Serie A for a few years. The Bulldogs were a team stuck down the bottom of the ladder and with numerous problems but have turned it around and are now a big contender. Fans of other clubs in both sports often hope that the underdog side of Chievo Verona or the Western Bulldogs can get the victory.
Next time: The NFL teams.
The Crows played games at Princes Park and AC Milan have also played there. But there are more similarities than that. Each team has a huge following in their leagues and is usually in contention. Financially, both clubs have an advantage over most other clubs in their leagues. The Crows can spend big on facilities, coaching and anything else that can get them an edge while Milan are always ready to bring in a big star from another team.
Brisbane Lions: Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham spent up big to land Jürgen Klinsmann, and it was worth it. The Lions also had to open the bank to bring in Lynch and he brought them three premierships. The Lions brought in Matthews to coach and that resulted in big wins, Venables was appointed coach of Tottenham and he delivered the FA Cup. Tottenham is a club in the North of London, Brisbane is a club in the North of Australia. Paul Gascoigne brought a lot of things to Tottenham, in comparison to him Jason Akermanis was a very quiet person. Both were great players for their clubs but didn't finish their careers there.
Carlton Blues: Juventus
One team did something wrong and only lost a couple of draft picks, they thought that was harsh. The other team may have done something wrong and they were kicked into a lower league. Carlton can be thankful they didn't receive a similar punishment to Juve, imagine Carlton playing at Frankston or Werribee. Both teams were powerhouses in the past, and even though Juventus were demoted they would seem to be in better shape than Carlton are, and are more likely to be winning trophies sooner. Juventus had Zoff at the back, considered one of the best ever at his position, while Carlton had Silvagni in their last line of defense. Carlton could also be compared to Charlton, both teams are always down the bottom.
Collingwood Magpies: Newcastle United
Plenty of teams with the black and white to choose from in soccer. Collingwood have Buckley who they think is the greatest player ever, Newcastle had Shearer who was worshipped by his fans more than Buckley was by the Collingwood fans. Both teams do have a black and white army of fans.
Essendon Bombers: Bayern Munich
Maybe Essendon should have been compared to Bolton, there are the Bolton Wanderers and at Essendon they wonder why they have Bolton. Both Essendon and Bayern Munich have plenty of titles, and their histories are filled with great players and periods of domination in their leagues. Both teams are also watching the final games of one of their greatest players, Hird and Oliver Kahn won't be playing much longer. Both clubs have their share of famous supporters, with Boris Becker and Pope Benedict cheering on Bayern Munich while the Bombers have big names of their own like Nick Giannopoulos. The one area that both teams have in common that many others do not is the immense presence of a legend of the game, Sheedy seems to have been at Essendon for half a century while Bayern Munich have actually been associated with Franz Beckenbauer since the early 1960s.
Fremantle Dockers: Porto
Both clubs are out of the media spotlight on the west coast of their continents. Porto had a huge 1987 when they won the European Cup and it could be 2007 when Fremantle have their best ever season and a cup at the end of it is a possibility. Porto have been a very good team for recruiting players from many other countries, the Dockers have a team that relies on stars from many states. Porto have struggled when they didn't have a good striker, and they had success when players like Jardel were scoring, the Dockers couldn't find a good full forward in their early years but now with Pavlich playing there they are a much better team.
Geelong Cats: Nancy-Lorraine
Geelong might have the heaviest players, by average, but toughness has not been something they have had a reputation for. Club Nancy have players called Pascal, Kim, Rachid and Gennaro, so they are not putting fear into their opponents either. Michel Platini was a superstar for Nancy while Gary Ablett was even better for Geelong. A French League team made sense for Geelong, and there was also Toulouse to choose or Sedan might have been apt as well. Some might have even thought that Bordeaux would have some things in common with Geelong.
Hawthorn Hawks: Nürnberg
Both teams have a Josh Kennedy. They both also had a time in the past when they dominated their leagues. Hawthorn had the 1980s, Nürnberg fans have to go back a lot further for their best years.
Kangaroos: Grasshopper
A relatively unknown team that usually doesn't use a place as part of their team name, both of these clubs have that in common. You won't be reading North Melbourne or Zurich when these clubs are mentioned. Both of the club mascots can also jump, although in some places a kangaroo or a grasshopper is considered a pest.
Melbourne Demons: Chelsea
The Demons were in trouble a few years ago, Joe Gutnick helped them out and it wasn't too long after they didn't merge that the Demons were contesting the AFL Grand Final. Chelsea were not in good shape when Roman Abramovich came along with his bank account, his money not only bought happiness but a lot of star players and a championship. The Demons were in the 2000 AFL Grand Final, Chelsea were in the 2000 FA Cup. Chelsea had players called Speedie and Wise, while the Demons have players who are speedy and wise. Each team has famous supporters, Melbourne has Wilbur Wilde while Chelsea includes Bryan Adams among its fans.
Port Adelaide Power: Inter Milan
Both clubs are successful but they are not up to the level of their city rival. The Power share a stadium with the Crows while the San Siro is not only the home for Inter but also AC Milan too.
Richmond Tigers: Ajax Amsterdam
Both clubs do a good job of spotting talent, and developing it, but sometimes the players do leave for other teams. But when Ottens or McKee moved on the Tigers got useful draft picks while Ajax sell players like Kluivert and Seedorf for big money on the transfer market. Maybe Coach Wallace looked at Ajax and how they find some of the youngest players to develop and he thought the Tigers could benefit from a similar program. In the stands, both clubs have a lot of loud support from their many fans.
St Kilda Saints: Lyon
If the Saints do win a Grand Final in the upcoming seasons then they might want to name their team after their coach. But if Ross was in France he could already coach a team with his name. Both clubs have not had a lot of stability with their coaches in recent years, Ross Lyon was brought to the Saints to change that and to use his experience with a winning team to take the Saints to the next level. Club Lyon have had more success in their league but their latest coach was also brought in due to a history of winning, Houllier kept the success coming as he led Lyon to another title.
Sydney Swans: Real Madrid
If a team has the resources to bring in ready-made stars then they might as well do it. The Swans have been successful at taking star players from other clubs and then getting more out of them. Real Madrid have spent money at an unbelievable rate, and they have bought the best players from around the world. The Swans have two consecutive AFL Grand Finals, with one win, as a reward for their player recruitment while Real Madrid have not been as successful in recent seasons, although they did win their league 3 seasons ago. One big difference is in the history of the clubs, Sydney have only been a dominant club in the last decade while Real Madrid have nearly a century of success.
West Coast Eagles: Barcelona
Ronaldinho might be the best in his sport, and Judd might be his AFL equivalent. Both clubs have plenty of wins and plenty of star players recorded in their history books. Jakovich, Matera, Sumich, McIntosh and Kemp are past heroes for the Eagles while Barcelona have had stars like Stoitchkov, Ronaldo, Lineker, Cruyff and Goikoetxea. Both clubs are willing to make a former star player their coach/manager and the Eagles won with Worsfold as coach and Barcelona had success with Johan Cruyff in command.
Western Bulldogs: Chievo Verona
They are little teams who have had a lot of success in the last couple of years, although they haven't quite got to the big games yet. Chievo had a rapid rise from the lower divisions of Italian soccer and were a contending team in Serie A for a few years. The Bulldogs were a team stuck down the bottom of the ladder and with numerous problems but have turned it around and are now a big contender. Fans of other clubs in both sports often hope that the underdog side of Chievo Verona or the Western Bulldogs can get the victory.
Next time: The NFL teams.
