By Chris McAsey

The Jharkhand Crows have made history at the 10th Annual Championship of Australian Rules Football in India with a clean sweep of all three titles. Jharkhand’s historic 2025 triple crown included the senior men’s and junior boys national championships, along with the first ever women’s zonal championship.

It wasn’t a walk in the park for the Crows in the men’s division, requiring a hard-fought Semi-Final win against Odisha Swans (45 – 20) before a tight and tough Grand Final win over West Bengal Tigers (58 – 42).

Action from the Bihar Bulldogs and Odisha Swans clash in the men’s division.

The Tigers led by two goals at quarter time in the Grand Final before the Crows’ high-quality skills and teamwork combined to take the game away.

In the juniors Grand Final, Jharkhand managed to overcome powerhouse state Maharashta (65 – 38), while the women finished on top of a round robin competition against Odisha and West Bengal.

While the triple crown was a remarkable achievement for Jharkhand, the 10th Annual Championship was also a triumph for footy in India and organisers the Australian Rules Football Association of India (ARFAI).

Eleven Indian states were represented at the Championship – from Tamil Nadu in the south to Uttar Pradesh in the north, Maharashtra to the west, and Jharkhand in the east.

A record number of teams, players and matches, wide media coverage and official recognition were driven by ARFAI’s efforts, along with an army of volunteers. Matches were played on an immaculate surface at Centurion University Oval in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The Odisha Swans women’s team go through their pre-game drills.

ARFAI Secretary General and Head of International Relations, Sudip Chakraborty said there was a feeling of pride among both participants and organisers at the special milestone tournament.

‘ARFAI wanted to make sure this was the biggest tournament in every way,’ he said. ‘We had over 350 players involved over the four days of the carnival.’

Sudip said recognition of the tournament was also boosted by Odisha state’s Sports Minister inaugurating the event.

‘This was the first time an Indian Sports Minister at any level has attended the nationals and also shared his experience in the media,’ he said.

‘It was a fantastic confidence booster particularly for all the volunteers that help organise the tournament.’

Odisha Sports and Education Minister, Mr. Suryabanshi Nayak inaugurated the 10th Annual India National Championship.

The tournament was live streamed on AFL India’s YouTube channel, SPortVot and Centurion University’s YouTube page, while spectators from the university also added to the atmosphere around the ground.

Jharkhand’s men’s and junior’s trophies made it back-to-back championships for the state, after winning both titles in 2024. Which begs the question: what makes Jharkhand so good?

Sudip said that eastern India has a history of producing talent in physical sports such as rugby, hockey and now footy. He said geographical factors also come into play in Jharkhand.

‘Five districts in and around the state capital Ranchi play footy in Jharkhand for example, whereas 10-12 districts play the sport in neighbouring Odisha and West Bengal.’

The victorious Jharkhand Crows men’s team.

‘Jharkhand gets a slight advantage through better team bonding and more joint team practices due to their limited geographical spread.’

Jharkhand’s teams also have several players who have represented India internationally and are passing their experience on to younger players.

‘Some of the women’s team have been playing footy together for the past five or six years,’ Sudip said. ‘The captain Almomani Tigga is a star athlete and has been pushing for a women’s competition for a long time.’

Jharkhand women’s captain Almomani Tigga (centre) with men’s captain Mahesh Tirkey (right) and junior boys captain (left).

Jharkhand junior and women’s coach Ravi Samuel Minj also deserves a special mention for leading the juniors to seven national championships,  along with the first women’s zonal win this year.

Other highlights of the Championships included an international friendly between India A and a team of Nigerian students from Centurion University, the Bihar Bulldogs junior team making semi-finals for the first time and an incredible bicycle kick goal by Jewel Sharma from West Bengal Tigers.

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Sudip said the ARFAI organising committee was grateful for the support of sponsors and supporters who helped to make the tournament a success.

‘We had an amazing amount of support from sponsors and volunteers across Centurion University, Thamarrurr Youth Indigenous Corporation and the AFL through AFL Asia,’ he said.

‘ARFAI is also grateful to all the officials and volunteers across the national organising committee who gave their time so generously.’

India National Championships 2025 – Awards List

Best Mark: Junior – Ankit Kumar, Bihar Bulldogs; Senior – Gurudev Nayak, Odisha Swans

Best Goal: Juniorr – Shivam Kumar, Bihar Bulldogs; Senior – Midlaj AH, Kerala Bombers

Best Defender: Junior – Miraj Sk. – West Bengal Tigers; Senior – Oman Maskal – Jharkhand Crows

Player of the Tournament: Junior  – Jagannath Lohar, Jharkhand Crows; Senoir – Shiba Marndi

Claridge Fair Play Award: Junior – Odisha Swans; Senior. Kerala Bombers

 

Landmark 12 months for footy in India

The tournament marks a landmark 12 months in the journey of Australian rules football in India. Since the first national championship in 2012 played on a dusty-sand ground in Kerala with three states participating, the game has continued to grow steadily, despite setbacks during the Covid pandemic.

In December 2024, the Indian Tigers delivered a milestone performance at the inaugural AFL Asia Cup in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, securing their first-ever semi-final appearance in an international Australian rules football competition.

India reached the Semi-finals for the first time at an Australian football competion at the Asia Cup held last December in Ho Chi Minh City.

ARFAI Programs

ARFAI currently co-ordinates footy development activities in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

There are more than 8500 kids kicking a footy across the nation on a regular basis within projects ranging from sports development to social and educational opportunities.

ARFAI has received the Australian Sports Outreach Programme (ASOP) grant from the Australian Sport Commission (ASC) to develop footy in communities in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

ARFAI’s latest initiative is the junior development program, IndiKick, drawing inspiration from Auskick in Australia to introduce the sport to 8-14 yr old kids in the country.