After several years of hard work and persistence to get Aussie Rules Football rolling in different parts of the country, AFL India has successfully hosted the inaugural Aussie Rules tournament in India, at Kozhikode, a southern Indian coastal city in the state of Kerala. 

The tournament, held in late 2012,  saw five teams compete in a round robin format for the honour of being crowned India’s champions.

A fantastic show of skills and sportsmanship were on display as the players from different sporting and economic backgrounds and a range of different age groups, all aiming to lift the first ever AFL India – OGM Cup, sponsored by Perth based mining company OGM, along with its Indian counterpart RP Group of Companies. 

Eventually it was an all Kozhikode Grand Final, with the Bombers-affiliated North Kozhikode side clinching the trophy.

Essendon Football Club congratulates the North Kozhikode Bombers on their success and looks forward to the day when an Indian player dons the famous red and black guernsey to represent the Essendon Football Club.