Australian rules football in Australia
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
originated
in Melbourne
in 1858. It has continuously in every state and territory of Australia since 1915 and is particularly popular in Victoria, South Australia
, Western Australia
and Tasmania
, where it is the most watched sport, and Northern Territory
where it is the most played sport. The Barassi Line
has been used in reference to the contrasting lack of popularity of the sport in the populous states of Queensland and New South Wales. However in recent years the sport's popularity has grown nationally and it has grown in importance to Australian culture as a whole.
The only national professional competition is the Australian Football League
, which grew out out of the former Victorian Football League (not to be confused with the present-day Victorian Football League
, changing its name in 1990 after expanding into other states. The AFL now governs the code nationally. Australia is currently the only nation in the world where Australian rules football is played professionally.
(AFL) premiership matches, a record for the competition. A further 307,181 attended NAB Cup pre-season matches and 117,552 attended Regional Challenge pre-season practice matches around the country.
As well as the AFL attendances, strong state competitions also drew crowds. Although crowds for local leagues have droppedin recent years, they continue to draw support, particularly for finals matches. The South Australian SANFL
drew an attendance of 303,354 in 2005, the Western Australian WAFL
drew an official attendance of 202,797 in 2004.
As of 2010, the AFL is one of only five professional sports leagues with an average attendance of over 30,000 per game, ranking 3rd behind the NFL and the Bundesliga
, in recent years, the AFL Grand Final has reached the top five programs across the five biggest cities in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Australian rules football has achieved a #1 rating in the sports category in both 2004 and 2005.
statistics show a 42% increase in the total number of participants over the 4 year period between 2001-2005.
Amongst children aged 5 to 14 years, football is the third most popular organised sport for children to participate in (beyond soccer and swimming). An estimated 284,200 children aged 5 to 14 participated in football in the 12 months prior to interview in 2003 (13.6% of all children).
protocols.
rules in 1995 at all levels and is now considered a world leader in the field.
The most powerful organisation and competition within the game is the elite professional Australian Football League
(AFL). The AFL is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission
as being the National Sporting Organisation for Australian rules football. There are also seven state/territory-based organisations in Australia, most of which are affiliated to the AFL. Most of these hold annual semi-professional club competitions while the others oversee more than one league. Local semi-professional or amateur organizations and competitions are affiliated to their state leagues.
featuring Victoria
and a "Dream Team
". However, the state leagues continue to compete in inter-league matches.
championships for players aged 18 years or younger and includes teams from each Australian state or Territory. The competition is monitored by AFL recruiters and frequently seen as the second biggest pathway for junior players to the fully professional Australian Football League
. The competition is currently sponsored by the National Australia Bank
. The competition receives an increasing amount of coverage in the media, however still lags behind the TAC Cup in terms of interest in Victoria.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
originated
Origins of Australian rules football
The origins of Australian rules football are obscure and still the subject of much debate.The earliest accounts of "foot-ball" games in Australia date back to July 1829 and the earliest accounts of clubs formed to play football date to the late 1850s. Football in the early years was played by a...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1858. It has continuously in every state and territory of Australia since 1915 and is particularly popular in Victoria, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, where it is the most watched sport, and Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
where it is the most played sport. The Barassi Line
Barassi Line
The Barassi Line was first suggested by Professor Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture to refer to a dividing line in Australia that divides areas where Australian rules is the dominant winter code of football from those where rugby football codes are most popular...
has been used in reference to the contrasting lack of popularity of the sport in the populous states of Queensland and New South Wales. However in recent years the sport's popularity has grown nationally and it has grown in importance to Australian culture as a whole.
The only national professional competition is the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, which grew out out of the former Victorian Football League (not to be confused with the present-day Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
, changing its name in 1990 after expanding into other states. The AFL now governs the code nationally. Australia is currently the only nation in the world where Australian rules football is played professionally.
Australian rules football in Australian popular culture
Attendance
Football is the most highly attended spectator sport in Australia. Government figures show that more than 2.5 million people (16.8% of the population) attended games in 1999. In 2005, a cumulative 6,283,788 people attended Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL) premiership matches, a record for the competition. A further 307,181 attended NAB Cup pre-season matches and 117,552 attended Regional Challenge pre-season practice matches around the country.
As well as the AFL attendances, strong state competitions also drew crowds. Although crowds for local leagues have droppedin recent years, they continue to draw support, particularly for finals matches. The South Australian SANFL
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
drew an attendance of 303,354 in 2005, the Western Australian WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
drew an official attendance of 202,797 in 2004.
As of 2010, the AFL is one of only five professional sports leagues with an average attendance of over 30,000 per game, ranking 3rd behind the NFL and the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
Television
According to OzTAMOzTAM
OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
, in recent years, the AFL Grand Final has reached the top five programs across the five biggest cities in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Australian rules football has achieved a #1 rating in the sports category in both 2004 and 2005.
Participation
A total of 615,549 registered participants are playing Australian football in 2007, placing it ahead of cricket (471,329 total participants) and soccer (389,000 total participants). Participation rose 5.97% between 2006–07 and 7.84% between 2005-06. 6.7 per cent of all participants are from non-English speaking origin. The Australian Sports CommissionAustralian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
statistics show a 42% increase in the total number of participants over the 4 year period between 2001-2005.
Amongst children aged 5 to 14 years, football is the third most popular organised sport for children to participate in (beyond soccer and swimming). An estimated 284,200 children aged 5 to 14 participated in football in the 12 months prior to interview in 2003 (13.6% of all children).
Drug abuse
Performance enhancing drug abuse is also rare according to official studies despite some high profile recent cases and criticisms from the media and government of the AFL's own anti-doping code which allows players to test positive twice to recreational drugs and still continue to play and remain anonymous. This relaxed approach does not comply with the World Anti-Doping AgencyWorld Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
protocols.
Racism
Despite the sport's high multicultural participation, racism has been and continues to be an issue in Australian football at all levels. The governing body, the AFL introduced racial vilificationRacial vilification
Racial vilification is the term in the legislation of Australia that refers to a public act that encourages or incites others to hate people because of their race, nationality, country of origin, colour or ethnic origin...
rules in 1995 at all levels and is now considered a world leader in the field.
Structure and competitions
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL). The AFL is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
as being the National Sporting Organisation for Australian rules football. There are also seven state/territory-based organisations in Australia, most of which are affiliated to the AFL. Most of these hold annual semi-professional club competitions while the others oversee more than one league. Local semi-professional or amateur organizations and competitions are affiliated to their state leagues.
| Region | Overview | Governing body | Major competition(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory... |
Overview Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory has a history dating back to the formation of the territory in the 1910s.Traditionally, Canberra was considered to be one of the points which define the Barassi Line, however the popularity of Australian rules football suffered... |
AFL NSW/ACT AFL NSW/ACT AFL NSW/ACT is the governing body of Australian rules football in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.The body is officially affiliated with the Australian Football League.-External links:*... |
North East Australian Football League North East Australian Football League The North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia... AFL Canberra AFL Canberra AFL Canberra is the governing body for Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory.In November 2010 the five AFL Canberra Premier Division clubs merged with the Premier Division clubs of the Queensland Australian Football League to form the North East Australian Football League... |
 New South WalesNew South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... |
Overview Australian rules football in New South Wales Australian rules football in New South Wales has been played since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the state, traditionally lags in popularity as a winter sport behind the rugby football codes.... |
North East Australian Football League North East Australian Football League The North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia... Sydney AFL Sydney AFL The "AFL Sydney" is an Australian rules football League, based in metropolitan Sydney, Australia.The AFL Sydney competition comprises 21 clubs playing across 5 senior divisions with 2 under 18 competitions.-History:... |
|
 Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... |
Overview Australian rules football in the Northern Territory Australian rules football in the Northern Territory has a history dating back to the 1910s and is the most popular sport in the territory, particularly with indigenous Australian communities in Darwin, Alice Springs and the Tiwi Islands.... |
AFL Northern Territory AFL Northern Territory AFL Northern Territory is the governing body for Australian rules football in the Northern Territory, Australia. It supervises multiple leagues, but is mainly concerned with the co-ordination of the Northern Territory Football League... |
North East Australian Football League North East Australian Football League The North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia... Northern Territory Football League Northern Territory Football League The Northern Territory Football League is an 8 team Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.The premier grade is the largest Australian rules football league in the Northern Territory... |
 QueenslandQueensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... |
Overview Australian rules football in Queensland Australian rules football in Queensland has a history which dates back to the 1860s. By the 1880s it was the most prominent football code in the state, but was overtaken by rugby league by 1908... |
AFL Queensland AFL Queensland AFL Queensland is the governing body of Australian rules football in Queensland. It was formed in 2000 after the previous governing body for the sport in Queensland, the Queensland Australian Football League , went into voluntary liquidation... |
North East Australian Football League North East Australian Football League The North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia... Queensland Australian Football League Queensland Australian Football League The Queensland Australian Football League was an Australian rules football competition for clubs from South East Queensland.Up until 2010, the QAFL was the premier semi-professional competition in Queensland, with salary cap rules and regulations in place.It was previously known as the Queensland... |
 South AustraliaSouth Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... |
Overview Australian rules football in South Australia Australian rules football in South Australia has a history dating back to 1843, and it has long been the most popular sport in the state.-History:see South Australian National Football League for a more detailed history of the SANFL competition... |
South Australian Football Commission South Australian Football Commission The South Australian Football Commission is the sports governing body of Australian rules football in South Australia.The organisation was formed in 1991 when the South Australian National Football League altered its constitution to effectively allow the body to manage revenues from the licences of... |
South Australian National Football League South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia.... |
 TasmaniaTasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart... |
Overview Australian rules football in Tasmania Australian rules football in Tasmania known as Football officially and locally has a history dating back to the 1860s, with the state having the distinction of being the first place outside of Victoria to play the sport.... |
AFL Tasmania AFL Tasmania AFL Tasmania is the governing body for Australian rules football in Tasmania.The organisation is responsible for game development in the state. The organisation recently became affiliated with the Australian Football League and was formerly known as Football Tasmania.The body is responsible for... |
Tasmanian Football League Tasmanian Football League Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian... |
 Victoria |
Overview Australian rules football in Victoria, Australia Australian rules football in Victoria, Australia dates back to the origins of both the sport and the colony in the 1850s.Victoria remains the sport's spiritual home.... |
AFL Victoria | Victorian Football League Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association... |
 Western AustraliaWestern Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
Overview Australian rules football in Western Australia Australian rules football in Western Australia is the most popular sport in the state.-Early Beginnings:Organised football in the Perth/Fremantle region of Western Australia dates back to 1881. Back then though rugby union was the dominant football code... |
West Australian Football Commission West Australian Football Commission The West Australian Football Commission is the governing body of Australian rules football in the state of Western Australia.It was formed in 1989 as an independent body to the West Australian Football League for governance and development of the game in the state.The WAFC operates Subiaco Oval,... |
West Australian Football League West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League... |
Senior
The last senior national carnival was held in 1988 and the last match between interstate senior sides was held in 1999. Senior interstate competition is no longer contested by players from the Australian Football League. A one-off exhibition matchAFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football....
featuring Victoria
Victoria Australian rules football team
The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....
and a "Dream Team
Dream Team Australian rules football team
The Dream Team was an AFL representative team created to take part in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match against a Victorian representative team....
". However, the state leagues continue to compete in inter-league matches.
Under 18
The AFL National Under 18 Championships are the annual national Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
championships for players aged 18 years or younger and includes teams from each Australian state or Territory. The competition is monitored by AFL recruiters and frequently seen as the second biggest pathway for junior players to the fully professional Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. The competition is currently sponsored by the National Australia Bank
National Australia Bank
National Australia Bank is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation and customers. NAB is ranked 17th largest bank in the world measured by market capitalisation...
. The competition receives an increasing amount of coverage in the media, however still lags behind the TAC Cup in terms of interest in Victoria.
See also
- Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
- Australian Institute of SportAustralian Institute of SportThe Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
- List of Australian rules football clubs in Australia