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When the ABC last year reported on the development in Iceland of the world's northern-most league, it caught the eye of enthusiasts from around the world.
Richard Bell from the South East London Giants said it sparked a lot of conversation at his club.
"We sent a speculative email saying, 'hey guys, we've seen the report on ABC, we're keen to give you a game and let's take it from there'," he said.
"So from a speculative email, it's grown legs, a few other clubs have got involved, registered an interest and everybody's locked heads and we've organised a date and now everybody's getting out there to take it on."
Teams from Sweden, the UK, the US and Canada will travel to Iceland, along with several women's teams.
'I don't think people realise how quickly the game is growing'
Richard Bell said the Giants were excited about the opportunity to play in the Nordic country.
"It's a place where not many people on any of our squads have ever been to," he said.
"So it's a chance to go see a beautiful country, it's a chance to go get to know some other clubs, get to know how they're playing the game around the world and it's a good chance to go help try and grow the game."
He said he was pleased to see the growth of the game in the UK and globally.
"It's met with a lot of intrigue because I don't think people realise how quickly the game is growing," he said.
"It's actually met with quite a lot of enthusiasm for people wanting to get into the game but obviously getting them down to training is a different story."
'This sport is crazy, but it's so entertaining'
Fellow player, James Shea, said there was something about the spirit and intensity of the game which attracted him to it.
"The first time I saw Aussie Rules football was in the 80s or 90s when it used to be shown over here," he said.
"It was on in the middle of the night on Channel Four and I remember watching it and thinking this sport's crazy, but it was so entertaining."
"We're really excited about the tournament. Not only is it the first competitive run-out for us this year, but it's always an experience playing any sport overseas.
"Everyone in the UK knows how warm the Icelandic hospitality is so we're really keen to get out there.
"But let's just hope the snow holds off."
The South East Giants are set to face some tough competition though.
The host nation's AFL president, Fridgeir Asgeirsson, said Icelanders were suited to the sport.
"I think it suits our mentality you know. We have long hard winters here and then during the summer, we can go and run ourselves into the ground."
Topics: australian-football-league, sport, iceland, united-kingdom
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