IN ITS latest advertising campaign the Australian Football League claims to have the "Strongest, Hardest, Highest, Fastest Game on Earth". The AFL could well claim the same for its website.

afl.com.au has been awarded the best site style for a federation or league at the SportsBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites 2009 awards in London.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou said the League was thrilled afl.com.au had been recognised internationally.

“The AFL’s partnership with Telstra delivers a fantastic online experience to everyone who supports our game.

“The passion of our fans drives our game to be the number one sport in Australia and our website, afl.com.au, strives to reflect the dynamic nature of Australian football,” Mr Demetriou said.

“Each individual club site is tailored to the fans of our 16 teams, while the AFL site is constantly evolving and changing, like our game on the field.”

BigPond is the official online and mobile rights holder of the AFL – a long term partnership that has spanned more than eight years and included building and maintaining the official website.

Telstra Media Group Managing Director, Justin Milne, said the award recognises BigPond's expertise in digital sport.
 
"We're very pleased that an independent panel has selected the AFL website as winner of best website style for a federation or league.

"Since partnering with the AFL in 2001, our dedicated BigPond Sports team has not only delivered an award winning online site, but also extended the reach of the AFL through our innovation in delivering AFL content on Telstra Next G™ mobile phones,” Mr Milne said.

BigPond hosts the official AFL website, both online and on Telstra mobile phones. Recent innovations include a 24/7 Footy TV Channel, a twice daily AFL Today video news bulletin during the week and interactive fantasy football through Toyota AFL Dream Team, available both on Telstra Next G™ mobiles and online.

Under the new media agreement, Telstra has access to official live scores and stats, full match replays available 12 hours from the final siren, in-quarter and post-quarter highlights packages, extended match highlights packages, video downloads and special features such as Toyota AFL Dream Team, trivia, tipping, a ladder predictor and content from the clubs both online and on mobile phones.

Telstra and the AFL have been official partners since October 2001. This partnership was renewed in October 2006 with a five year new media deal.