It was during the summer of 2008 that I initially came across these wild men and women playing Aussie Rules footy here in Toronto and across Ontario. The players are a mix of Aussie ex-pats and some crazy Canucks. From the first I was inspired by their play. I love photographing these games for the non-stop action, physical intensity and the undeniable passion the athletes have for their game that clearly shows on their faces. They give it their all for their teammates and a ice cold beer afterwards. The level of athletic achievement is outstanding and this is some of the best "footy" played outside of Australia. The men and women of the OAFL have discovered the true meaning of sportsmanship. I truly hope that I have been able to capture some of that spirit in the photographs on these pages.



Oi! Oi! EH@ is truly a labour of love. I took somewhere around 52,000 photographs, covered 80 games over all 17 weeks of the 2009 season in parks in Ottawa, Guelph, Hamilton and Toronto. I would like to acknowledge the help and support I received from all the teams of the OAFL and many of the players who have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome no matter how intrusive I was taking photographs. I would also like to thank all the players who took time to answer my question of why they love their great sport; many of their responses can be found in the pages of this book.