THE Australian gridiron fraternity has been dealt a major blow with International Federation of American Football (IFAF) postponing its World Championships – initially scheduled for July next year – until 2023.
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Wollongong was set to play host to the tournament in July but IFAF president Richard MacLean said uncertainty around whether top nations would compete necessitated the postponement.
“After the congress in Panama, when it was announced Australia would host the tournament we felt confident it could go ahead,” MacLean told AFI Review.
“But once many countries started crunching the numbers after getting back home, it became apparent that finding the funding on such a short notice would be tough, if not impossible.
“It was a difficult decision but once one country stated that they had doubts about the viability of their participation, then others began voicing their concerns.
“We decided then, after a great deal of deliberation, that we needed to slow things down, to give countries some breathing room, to enable them to plan properly. An event like this requires government funding which can take up to two years to arrange.
“Although we had the best of intentions in trying to organise a world championship tournament four years after the last one, unfortunately the events that have transpired in the interim have made planning and organising impossible.”
The IFAF confirmed Australia will host the tournament in 2023, but whether it will return to Wollongong remains up in the air.
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
