{"id":823586,"date":"2026-07-25T20:20:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T20:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/823586\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T20:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T20:20:19","slug":"sacramento-suns-shine-a-light-on-aussie-rules-in-the-capital-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/823586\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento Suns shine a light on \u2018Aussie rules\u2019 in the Capital City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Football is recognized around the world as a competitive, team-based sport with players looking to score as many points as possible.<\/p>\n

But the exact kind of football you\u2019re talking about may be open to more interpretation.<\/p>\n

Is the ball round or more egg-shaped? Is it played more with the feet, or with the hands? Can you tackle another player, or is agility and speed preferred?<\/p>\n

One sport that\u2019s been described as a little of \u201call of the above\u201d has been gaining attention in the U.S. for years, including in California\u2019s capital city \u2014 Australian rules football, also known as \u201cAussie rules\u201d or \u201cfooty.\u201d<\/p>\n

And since 2009, the Sacramento Suns<\/a> have been bringing some down-under flair every time they step on the field.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the team<\/p>\n

For veteran Suns player Laur\u00e9 Kwoka, Aussie rules has been a part of her life for 14 years. It\u2019s seen her take multiple leadership positions within the Suns organization, as well as spend four years with the U.S. Women\u2019s National Team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked the freedom of it; I did play rugby at Sac State and I loved it, but I feel like I would get singled out to get tackled a lot,\u201d Kwoka told Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn footy if you\u2019re fast enough, you won\u2019t get tackled\u2026 I just got addicted to it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"Laur\u00e9Laur\u00e9 “Lozza” Kwoka is a veteran Sacramento Suns player, and has played Australian Rules Football for more than a decade.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Sean MacEachern, the team\u2019s \u201cresident Australian,\u201d spoke about the popularity of the sport. \u201cAussie rules football, in Australia it\u2019s the number one sport,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s boisterous; there\u2019s 100,000 people at the stadium, it can be a really fun game \u2014 especially on some of the big holidays.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacEachern played a little footy while at university, but fell into the sport more after coming to California and feeling homesick.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[I] found out there were teams playing in San Francisco and here in Sacramento,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere was a little local Australian community, so it was nice as an expat to have that camaraderie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeanSean “Macca” MacEachern played some Aussie rules in university, but says he picked up the sport after moving from Australia to Sacramento.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

MacEachern is glad to see the Capital City embrace the game. \u201cIt gives you a little bit of pride as an Australian, that we invented something that is suitable for a lot of other people to come and play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And the Sacramento Suns are certainly drawing in a diverse range of players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an archaeologist,\u201d Kwoka said. \u201cWe have some doctors, nurses\u2026 people who just come from different backgrounds, somehow hear about us, and they come out and give it a go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Footy rules<\/p>\n

While the Suns are an amateur organization, they offer a variety of options for playing Aussie rules. The team fields both men\u2019s and women\u2019s sides across different competition levels \u2014 tag, tackle and travel \u2014 as well as a youth clinic program to introduce footy to young competitors.<\/p>\n

Footy is played on an oval-shaped field roughly twice the size of the American gridiron, about 180 yards long and 50 yards wide. Two teams of 18 players try to kick the ball, described by Kwoka as \u201cthe child of an American football and a rugby ball,\u201d through four tall uprights at each end to score.<\/p>\n

\"MattMatt \u201cFreddy\u201d Frederickson (left), Julian \u201cPeacock\u201d David (right) and other Sacramento Suns players practice their handballs on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Airfield Park in Natomas.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Players move the ball down the field using the handball, a form of punch, to pass between each other. There is no offside rule or throwing the ball, and players commit to tackles \u2014 without pads.<\/p>\n

The sport isn\u2019t just fast, it\u2019s also vocal. Suns player Andrew Loewen said players are constantly talking to one another to cut through the on-field chaos.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always try to have our voice up at practice because if we\u2019re not talking in the game, we\u2019re not communicating, and then the other team can get the advantage and get up on you,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\"AndrewAndrew Loewen prepares a handball during a Sacramento Suns practice on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Airfield Park in Natomas.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Kwoka put it more simply. \u201cLED \u2014 when you\u2019re talking it\u2019s loud, early and direct.\u201d<\/p>\n

The constant chatter can also provide a psychological edge. \u201cYou gotta be rowdier and louder than them; it\u2019s a bit of an intimidation factor,\u201d Loewen explained. \u201cIf the other team is more up for it than you, it could be a long day on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honing the fundamentals<\/p>\n

Under the afternoon sun at Airport Field in Natomas, Suns players gathered for a practice. The events are co-ed, with women\u2019s team members joining in drills and scrimmages alongside their male counterparts.<\/p>\n

Players lined up to pass the ball back and forth, ran down the field to catch kicks, and wrapped one another up in tackling drills. The match ended with a few group scrimmages, as the Suns spread out and competed against each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing we need to work on as a team is our fundamentals,\u201d said men\u2019s coach Ramish Bahramand. He started playing footy in his mid-20s, and said the Suns have been known to play with more heart than skill \u2014 which can make tournaments more challenging.<\/p>\n

\"Men'sMen’s team coach Ramish Bahramand leads a Sacramento Suns practice on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Airfield Park in Natomas.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to kick the ball as well as make those hand passes; getting that down it really helps our games,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019re not Australian, obviously, so we\u2019re all learning this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vanessa Goh is a new member of the Suns, having recently made the switch from American flag football. \u201cI saw this ad on Instagram [and] was like, \u2018I should come and try it, and see how it goes,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Goh said there is a lot of similarity between the two sports, from the catching style to the need for good hand-eye coordination. But other parts of Aussie rules have come with more of a learning curve.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tackle portion is a lot more fluid\u2026 kicking on the run is super weird,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not as intuitive as you think, but it\u2019s really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VanessaVanessa Goh (left) passes the ball to Jess Leahy (right) during a Sacramento Suns practice on on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Airfield Park in Natomas.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Goh credited the team with welcoming her into the fold. \u201cEveryone\u2019s super nice, super supportive,\u201d she explained. \u201cEveryone\u2019s like, \u2018don\u2019t be afraid to make a mistake; everyone will help you out and try to make you better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining the team<\/p>\n

For the Suns\u2019 veteran players, bringing in new players like Goh is critical \u2014 especially to keep the women\u2019s team going. \u201cWe need the numbers\u2026 getting women who are not used to contact sports to play is hard,\u201d Kwoka explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said some women players sometimes choose not to return to footy as they get older, or after having a child, as the physical recovery can be more difficult. \u201cThat\u2019s OK; there\u2019s nothing wrong with that, we respect that, and some still come out and support [us],\u201d Kwoka added.<\/p>\n

Others do come back, like women\u2019s coach\/captain Christine Muthusamy-Flok. She joined the Suns after moving to Sacramento from the Bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking for people because I was new to a city, I came out, and they\u2019ve become my second family,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\"ChristineChristine “Flok” Muthusamy-Flok is the women’s team coach\/captain, and described the Sacramento Suns as her second family.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Muthusamy-Flok said the team has seen her and her wife raise multiple children. \u201cThose times away, the times back, seeing me through all of that\u2026 we\u2019re a social club\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

When it comes to keeping the team around long-term, Muthusamy-Flok said she thinks Sacramento has a leg up because of its proximity to other teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have teams that are close to each other so we can grow more locally\u2026 a lot of other teams around the country have themselves to play against,\u201d she said. \u201cI do think Sacramento has its own nice little niche for women to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kwoka passed along some advice to prospective players \u2013 don\u2019t be intimidated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tackle one of my friends, we\u2019ll both get up, give each other a hug \u2014 it\u2019s not as intense and scary as you think it is,\u201d she explained. \u201cYou\u2019ll learn that just tackling someone can kind of be freeing sometimes!\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture and community\u00a0<\/p>\n

That camaraderie between the Suns was unmistakable.<\/p>\n

Cheers and good-natured ribbing as teammates passed the ball or worked on tackling. Between sets the Suns gathered in a circle, raising fists and chanting along to Kwoka\u2019s enthusiastic call, \u201cSuns on me, Suns on three! One, two, three, SUNS!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"StanStan Rucker (left) tangles with Cody McElligott (right) during a tackling drill on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Airfield Park in Natomas.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

The team culture is also highlighted in more unusual ways. \u201cThe one thing about footy is everyone gets their own kind of nickname,\u201d Loewen explained, with the back of his shirt bearing the self-explanatory moniker, \u201cDrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s part of Australian culture; we\u2019re just lazy by default,\u201d MacEachern joked. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a name that\u2019s just a couple syllables, we\u2019ll try and shorten it down to one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicknames flew at the Suns practice \u2014 Rhino looking for a pass from Rabbit; Peacock clearing the way for Socks.<\/p>\n

MacEachern is \u201cMacca,\u201d a traditional Australian name. Kwoka becomes \u201cLozza,\u201d which she explained is a common riff off names like Lauren or Laura. Another player, Marcus Jones, is \u201cYo-Yo,\u201d his catchphrase when getting open, while Mutusamy-Flok is simply \u201cFlok.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Sacramento Suns play a scrimmage match at the end of their practice on on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Airfield Park in Natomas.Sarit Laschinsky\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Whatever their backgrounds, every player has found their place among the Suns \u2014 a bond that is on full display in the team\u2019s song, sung to celebrate every victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the professional level in Australia every team has their own song,\u201d Loewen explained. \u201cThere\u2019s lots of tradition that\u2019s built into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

We are the Suns of the Sactown sky!
One in gold and red that\u2019s who!
We are the mighty Sactown Suns!
And we play to win the flag for you!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fight, fight, fight, \u2018til we hold up the cup!
Run, run, run all the way\u2026 HEY!
We are the Suns of the Sactown sky!
The team that never says die!\u00a0<\/p>\n


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