SHAYNA: ANYONE WHO THINKS NFL PLAY IS ROUGH PROBABLY HASN’T WATCHED ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S FAVORITE GAMES, FOOTY.
ANTHONY: PLAYERS HAVE TO BE ATHLETIC, HAVE TO THINK FAST AND, IN OUR OPINION, MUST HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A SCREW LOOSE.
THE ARC OF THIS LOVE STORY BEGINS WITH CONFUSION.
♪ >> HE WAS CARRYING THIS E WEIRD -- THIS WEIRD EGG-SHAPED BALL.
ANTHONY: FOLLOWED SWIFTLY BY GETTING KNOCKED HEAD OVER HEELS.
SHE HAD GIVEN HER HEART TO FOOTY . A LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT STORY SHARED BY MANY.
>> AFTER A COUPLE KICKS WITH THE GUYS,.
I WAS HOOKED >> THE FIRST TIME I SAW SOMEONE TAKE A HIGH ARIA MARK OF ANOTHER PERSON, I THOUGHT, THIS GAME IS FOR ME.
ANTHONY: AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL, ALSO KNOWN AS FOOTY, A BRUTAL MIX OF SOCCER, RUGBY, AND AMERICAN FOOTBALL.
BILL ROBERT OF SALEM NEW HAMPSHIRE GOT BOOKED WATCHING FOOTY ON ESPN.
THAT HE DISCOVERED THE BOSTON DEMONS.
>> I DID NOT KNOW ANYONE PLAYED FOOTY IN THIS COUNTRY, LET ALONE MY BACKYARD.
ANTHONY: ROBERT WAS SO SMITTEN, HE FELT LIKE SHOWING IT TO THE WORLD.
>> RUSTY SMITH OVER JOHN LORIN!
ANTHONY: WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT HE DOES WITH HIS CABLE SHOW, STATESIDE FOOTY.
BOSTON DEMONS GAMES CAN BE SEEN IN 11 STATES AND ACROSS THE WEB . >> I AM TRYING TO GET THE GAME IN FRONT OF AS MANY EYES AS POSSIBLE, TO THOSE WHO HAVE A
PREDILECTION TO LIKE THIS SORT OF GAME.
ANTHONY: AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IS PLAYED ON AN OVAL FIELD.
THE OBJECT, TO SCORE POINTS BY KICKING THE BALL THROUGH GOAL POSTS.
>> IT IS LIKE KEEPAWAY, BUT WITH MORE STRATEGY.
ANTHONY: TOMMY, STATIONED AT AN AIR FORCE BASE IN THE NOR DEMONS, ONE OF 40 FOOTY TEAMS IN THE U.S. LEAGUE.
>> IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE, IF YOU DON’T PLAY FROM A YOUNG AGE, THE BALL SKILLS AND HAND EYE COORDINATION ARE TOUGH.
I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH SOME OF THE GUYS.
ANTHONY: FOOTY IS A FULL CONTACT SPORT.
NO PADS, N HELMETSO, NO PROBLEM SAYS LADY DEMON KATIE.
>> IT’S FUN.
I LIKE TO TACKLE.
[LAUGHTER] ANTHONY: TODAY’S PRACTICE ON THE BOSTON COMMON MIXES THE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAM.
THE WOMEN PLAY AND I SEPARATELY, BUT THEY PLAY -- PLAY IN A SEPARATE LEAGUE, BUT THEY PLAY BY THE SAME RULES.
THEY STARTED WITH A TOUCH FOOTBALL VERSION OF FOOTY, THEN THEY WANTED MORE.
>> I WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH JUST TAGGING PEOPLE.
[LAUGHTER] ANTHONY: THE TACKLING IS NOT TOO TOUGH, SHE SAYS, ONCE YOU WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND IT.
>> NO ONE IS TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER, AT LEAST NOT THE FEMALES.
IT IS KIND OF LIKE A BIG HUG.
ANTHONY: THE QUESTION REMAINS, IS AMERICA READY TO FALL FOR FOOTY?
>> WE WANT TO GET THE GAME OUT THERE BECAUSE WE LOVE IT, AND WE KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD LOVE IT TOO IF THEY JUST KNEW ABOUT IT.
SHAYNA: I DON’T KNOW, THAT TACKLING LOOKED PRETTY TOUGH.
WHO IS PLAYING FOOTY ON THE DEMONS?
ANTHONY: THERE ARE TRADES MEN AND WOMEN, STUDENTS, TEACHERS, PROFESSIONALS, IN FACT SO MANY DOCS THAT SOMETIMES THEY JOKINGLY REFER TO THEMSELVES AS THE PH-DEMONS.
SHAYNA: [LAUGHTER] SHE BECAME THE TEAM’S OWNER RELUCTANTLY.
BUT NOW, SHE’S DETERMINED TO BE THE TEAM’S SAVIOR.
>> THERE IS NO WAY WE ARE GOING TO LET FOOTBALL DIE HERE I