Lao Elephants ready to charge

Posted Sunday, August 12, 2007, 9:14 PM by Lonely Planet

Only five months old and ready to charge, the Lao Elephants are the first Aussie Rules club to hit the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Kicking around Vientiane's National Stadium every Sunday at 5pm and at the Sandpit on Wednesday's at 8pm, the Elephants are a motley crew of 10 to 15 players from Laos, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Norway and the UK. Sharing a love for this uniquely Australian code of football, a game some have described as 'the bastard child of basketball and rugby', the team is even designing its own jumper.

"...goals include designing the perfect jumper that truly reflects the club's heritage and represents the pride of the nation. Presently the idea is to have a pink background with a grey elephant on the front. This design is unlikely to clash with the jumpers of other clubs," organiser Marty Sharples told worldfootynews.com

The Elephants are planning their debut international match against neighbours the Vietnam Swans later this year. The Swans played host to a few of the Elephants last month with seven Lao players joining the Vietnam team for the Asian Championships.

If you're living in or passing through Vientiane feel free to drop in on a training session (followed by a Beer Lao booze up) or email Marty at martysharples@hotmail.com


Picture caption: Matt Hegarty (Japan honorary Elephants member), Alex 'Ronnie' Barker, Mick 'Aker' Hassett, David's 'Pretty' Kamp, Marty 'Richo' Sharples

Labels: Asia and Pacific, Travelsnitch, Volunteer

Join the Discussion: