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The Columbus Cats AFC are an
Australian Rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
team based in the city of
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
. The team is a part of the wider Columbus ARFC Inc. organization which is a nationally recognized
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
. The Cats compete in the
United States Australian Football League The United States Australian Football League (USAFL) is the Sport governing body, governing body for Australian rules football in the United States. It was conceived in 1996 and organized in 1997. It is based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. As of 201 ...
and were Division Two national champions in 2013 and Division Three runner-up in 2012.


History

Australian Rules Football in the United States In the United States, Australian rules football (most commonly referred to simply as "Footy" but sometimes "Aussie Rules" or AFL) is a team sport, team and spectator sport which has grown rapidly across the country since the 1996. The USAFL Nati ...
began in 1997 as the Cincinnati Dockers tackled the Louisville Kings. These clubs would form the foundation of the USAFL. In the mid-2000s, young, athletic Dockers full back Matthew Reiss moved to central Ohio. In 2007, Chester Ridenour returned from a trip to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
with a new-found enthusiasm for Aussie Rules. He subsequently joined the Dockers, who had never seen such a tall, determined player. Somewhere in between his first game and July 2008, Ridenour tricked Reiss into founding a club in their native city. They were a match made in heaven: Ridenour's oft obnoxious enthusiasm and energy meshed well with Reiss's pragmatic sensibilities.
Recruitment Recruitment is #Process, the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for Job (role), jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the process involved in ...
was easy for the newly formed club, as Ridenour initially tapped into his vast sporting network associated with
Thomas Worthington High School Thomas Worthington High School (TWHS) is a public school in Worthington, Ohio. The school was named Worthington High School until 1991, when sister school, Worthington Kilbourne High School, opened. With approximately 1700 students, TWHS is the ...
. The club won its first meeting with the Cincinnati Dockers in 2008 and several players competed on their national championship team that season. The team grew through 2009 and 2010, with the Jackaroos obtaining their first win at the USAFL national championships over the Las Vegas Gamblers in 2010. Former Marine John Fisher took over the coaching
rein Reins are used to direct a horse (or other animal) when riding or driving. They are attached to a bridle's bit or noseband and are made of leather, nylon, or other materials. Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues—also known as r ...
s in 2011. Fisher's style of play, emphasizing hard running and handball, paid dividends. In 2011, the Jackaroos dismantled the
Nashville Kangaroos The Nashville Kangaroos is a United States Australian Football League, USAFL, team, based in Nashville, United States. It was founded in 1997 and is a Founding Club of the USAFL. The club's mascot is a red kangaroo, a happy coincidence as the Nash ...
and the
North Carolina Tigers North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
but key players missing at Nationals in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, meant the team went winless. The following season, Columbus enjoyed its first ever win over the Chicago Swans and performed consistently all year. The 2012 national championships saw the Jackaroos lose to Chicago in highly controversial circumstances in the Division Three grand final. This
miscarriage of justice A miscarriage of justice occurs when an unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Innocent ...
only served to steel the resolve of the playing group and 2013 led to by far the greatest season in central Ohio's Aussie Rules history. The Jackaroos had only dropped one game heading in to Nationals in Austin; this form raised them into Division Two. The Jackaroos vanquished Baltimore/Washington, Minnesota and New York in short order. The
grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
against Los Angeles saw a healthy crowd watch David slay Goliath, as the Jackaroos raised the championship cup for the first time. Many have said it was the greatest victory in Aussie Rules Football history.


See also


References


External links

* {{Ohio Sports Australian rules football clubs in the United States Australian rules football clubs established in 2008 2008 establishments in Ohio Sports clubs and teams in Columbus, Ohio