International rules football
Encyclopedia
International rules football is a team sport
consisting of a hybrid
of football
codes, which was developed to facilitate international
representative matches between Australian rules football
players and Gaelic football
players.
The first tour, known as the Australian Football World Tour, took place in 1967, with matches played in Ireland
, the United Kingdom
, and the United States
. The following year, games were played between Australia and a touring County Meath
Gaelic football team, Meath being that year's All-Ireland football champions
. Following intermittent international tests between Australia and Ireland, the International Rules Series
between the senior Australian international rules football team and Ireland international rules football team
has been played annually since 1998 (except for the cancelled 2007 edition
), and has generally been a closely matched contest. The sport has raised interest and exposure in developing markets for Gaelic and Australian football and has been considered a development tool by governing bodies of both codes, particularly by the AFL Commission
.
International rules football does not have any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by men's, women's, and junior teams only in tournament
s or once-off Test matches.
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The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with Gaelic football players being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field (Australian rules uses an oval ball and field), while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle
between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark
, from Australian rules football, with a free kick awarded for any ball caught from a kick of over 15 metres.
A player must bounce, solo or touch the ball on the ground once every 10 metres or six steps. A maximum of two bounces per possession are allowed, while players can solo the ball as often as they wish on a possession. Unlike in Gaelic football, the ball may be lifted directly off the ground, without putting a foot underneath it first. Players however cannot scoop the ball off the ground to a team-mate, nor pick up the ball if they are on their knees or on the ground. If a foul is committed, a free kick will be awarded, referees can give the fouled player advantage to play on at their discretion.
The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a crossbar
and goal net as in Gaelic football.
Points are scored as follows:
Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 behinds, the score is written as 1-4-10 (28), meaning one goal (six points) plus 4 overs (4 × 3 = 12 points) plus 10 behinds (10 × 1 = 10 points), for a total score of 28 points.
An international rules match lasts for 72 minutes (divided into four quarters of 18 minutes each). Inter-county Gaelic football matches go on for 70 minutes, divided into two halves, and Australian rules matches consists of four 20 minutes quarters of game time, although with the addition of stoppage time
, most quarters actually last between 25 and 30 minutes.
As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper
, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules (with no keeper).
, who organised a tour in October 1967 to play County Meath after Meath had won that year's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The Galahs defeated County Meath 3-16 to 1-10 at Croke Park, and then defeated County Mayo 2-12 to 2-5. The following year, Beitzel organised a second series, the Australian Football World Tour, in which an Australian representative team played six matches against Gaelic sides London
, Dublin
, Meath
, Kerry
, and New York
. In 1968, Meath visited Australia for a five-match tour, winning all the games by an aggregate score of 26-43 to 3-29. The feature game of the tour was their victorious rematch with the Galahs at Princes Park in Melbourne. Kerry also won all their games when they toured Australia in 1970. Beitzel returned in October 1978 and his team played UCD
, Dublin and Kerry. It wasn’t until after Australian schoolboy teams toured Ireland in 1981 and 1984 and a Dublin Colleges team toured Australia in 1983 that a full-blown international rules series was arranged.
During the 1980s, at times both teams wore sleeveless Aussie Rules jumpers, with the Australians in a sleeveless yellow (gold) Aussie Rules styled jumper and Ireland at times wore a green sleeveless jumper with a white trim. Prime minister Bob Hawke
and wife Hazel
toured Ireland with the Australian team in 1987.
The current senior International Rules Series is played each October, after the completion of the AFL Grand Final and the All-Ireland Football final, which are both played on the last weekend of September.
The Irish team
is selected by the Gaelic Athletic Association
and the Australian team
is selected by the Australian Football League
.
The series alternates host countries each year between Ireland and Australia. Between 1998 and 2006, the average attendance was 48,199. Ireland had won eight matches, while Australia had also won eight, with a further two being drawn. The 2006 series sold out both matches in Ireland and set a record for international sports in Ireland with a crowd of 82,127 at Croke Park.
Following controversies in the 2006 series
, including an Irish player being knocked unconscious in a tackle, the Irish team coach and GAA president again cast doubts on the future of the series. The AFL's chief, however expressed optimism. The two organisations agreed to meet to once again discuss the series.
The International Rules series resumed in October 2008 with Ireland defeating the Australians by five points on aggregate (the series was played in Australia).
has been growing almost exponentially in Ireland since the 1970s; women's footy
has far fewer players, but numbers have grown strongly since the 1990s. In early 2006 representatives of the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and Women's Australian Football Leagues met at a Ladies' Gaelic football festival in Singapore
, and agreed to compete in the hybrid version of the two football codes to coincide with the senior men's series.
In 2005, in addition to the annual senior international series, Australia and Ireland began to play an under-19 and under-17 contest. Australia won the 2006 series. The junior series was largely instituted by both leagues as a means to identify emerging talent. It has since been abandoned.
has sent an amateur All-Australian team to Ireland in both 2005 and 2008. Unlike the professional vs amateur matches between the AFL and GAA, these matches are fully amateur which has typically meant stronger Irish sides. The Australian amateur team wears a different jersey to the AFL representative side, dark green and gold, with a kangaroo emblem.
and the Caribbean
, Europe
, Asia
, and Australia
and New Zealand
between fledgling Australian rules football and Gaelic football clubs.
In 2006, an exhibition match between South Africa
n youth teams and an Indigenous Australian touring side composed of players from the Clontarf Foundation
, led by Sydney
's Adam Goodes
, was held at Potchefstroom
.
Sweden: October 23, 2010 saw the inaugural International Rules Test between Malmö Gaelic Football team (2009 Scandinavian Champions) & Aussie Rules side The Port Malmö Maulers (2009 DAFL Champions)
The game was played in great spirit despite the cold damp conditions at Limhamnsfältet where the GAA boys and Maulers share the pitch.
The Gaelic Footballers of Malmö GAA Club ended up winners on a scoreline of:
Malmö GAA Club 5:6:7 = 55 pts
Port Malmo Maulers 1:5:9 = 30 pts
Team sport
A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...
consisting of a hybrid
Hybrid sports
A hybrid sport is one which combines two or more sports in order to create a new sport, or to allow meaningful competition between players of those sports....
of football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
codes, which was developed to facilitate international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
representative matches between Australian rules football
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...
players and Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
players.
The first tour, known as the Australian Football World Tour, took place in 1967, with matches played in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The following year, games were played between Australia and a touring County Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
Gaelic football team, Meath being that year's All-Ireland football champions
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
. Following intermittent international tests between Australia and Ireland, the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
between the senior Australian international rules football team and Ireland international rules football team
Ireland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
has been played annually since 1998 (except for the cancelled 2007 edition
2007 International Rules Series
The 2007 International Rules Series was to be the 10th series of international rules football to be played between Ireland and Australia since the establishment of the annual International Rules Series tournament and the 16th tour overall and was to be held in Australia...
), and has generally been a closely matched contest. The sport has raised interest and exposure in developing markets for Gaelic and Australian football and has been considered a development tool by governing bodies of both codes, particularly by the AFL Commission
AFL Commission
The AFL Commission is the official governing body of the Australian Football League , the elite national Australian rules football competition....
.
International rules football does not have any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by men's, women's, and junior teams only in tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
s or once-off Test matches.
Rules
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....
, from Australian rules football, with a free kick awarded for any ball caught from a kick of over 15 metres.
A player must bounce, solo or touch the ball on the ground once every 10 metres or six steps. A maximum of two bounces per possession are allowed, while players can solo the ball as often as they wish on a possession. Unlike in Gaelic football, the ball may be lifted directly off the ground, without putting a foot underneath it first. Players however cannot scoop the ball off the ground to a team-mate, nor pick up the ball if they are on their knees or on the ground. If a foul is committed, a free kick will be awarded, referees can give the fouled player advantage to play on at their discretion.
The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a crossbar
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
and goal net as in Gaelic football.
Points are scored as follows:
- In the goal net (a goal): 6 points, umpire waves green flag and raises both index fingers.
- Over the crossbar and between the two large posts (an over): 3 points, umpire waves red flag and raises one arm above his head.
- Between a large post and a small post (a behind): 1 point, umpire waves white flag and raises one index finger.
Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 behinds, the score is written as 1-4-10 (28), meaning one goal (six points) plus 4 overs (4 × 3 = 12 points) plus 10 behinds (10 × 1 = 10 points), for a total score of 28 points.
An international rules match lasts for 72 minutes (divided into four quarters of 18 minutes each). Inter-county Gaelic football matches go on for 70 minutes, divided into two halves, and Australian rules matches consists of four 20 minutes quarters of game time, although with the addition of stoppage time
Time on (Australian rules football)
Time on in Australian Football League is the portion of each quarter allocated for extra play which could not occur due to time being stopped....
, most quarters actually last between 25 and 30 minutes.
As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper
Goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, a goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by intercepting shots at goal...
, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules (with no keeper).
2006 rule changes
A number of rule changes were introduced before the 2006 International Rules Series:- Each quarter was reduced from 20 minutes to 18 minutes
- A player who received a red card is to be sent off and no replacement is allowed; in addition to this a penalty is awarded regardless of where the incident takes place (Previously a replacement was allowed and a penalty was only awarded if the incident happened in the penalty area)
- A yellow card now means a 15 minute sin binPenalty boxThe penalty box is the area in ice hockey, rugby league, rugby union and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the contest...
for the offending player, who will be sent off if he receives a second card
2008 rule changes
- Maximum of 10 interchanges per quarter
- Teams are allowed only four consecutive hand passes (ball must then be kicked)
- Match time reduced from 80 minutes to 72 minutes (18 minutes per quarter)
- Goalkeeper can no longer kick the ball to himself from the kick-out
- Suspensions may carry over to GAA and AFL matches if The Match Review Panel sees fit
- A dangerous "slinging" tackle will be an automatic red card
- A front-on bump (known as a shirtfront in Australian football) endangering the head will result in a red card
- Physical intimidation can result in a yellow card
- One-handed tackles result in a free kick
- An independent referee can cite players for reportable offences from the stands
- Yellow card sin bin reduced to 10 minutes
Men's
The first games were the idea of Australian sports broadcaster and media personality Harry BeitzelHarry Beitzel
Harry Beitzel is an Australian sports broadcaster and media personality best known for his contribution to Australian rules football.-Umpiring career:...
, who organised a tour in October 1967 to play County Meath after Meath had won that year's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The Galahs defeated County Meath 3-16 to 1-10 at Croke Park, and then defeated County Mayo 2-12 to 2-5. The following year, Beitzel organised a second series, the Australian Football World Tour, in which an Australian representative team played six matches against Gaelic sides London
London GAA
The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...
, Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
, Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
, Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
, and New York
New York GAA
The New York County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or New York GAA, is one of the county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in the New York metropolitan area...
. In 1968, Meath visited Australia for a five-match tour, winning all the games by an aggregate score of 26-43 to 3-29. The feature game of the tour was their victorious rematch with the Galahs at Princes Park in Melbourne. Kerry also won all their games when they toured Australia in 1970. Beitzel returned in October 1978 and his team played UCD
UCD GAA
UCD GAA or University College Dublin Gaelic Athletic Association club is a Dublin based Gaelic games club in University College Dublin. The UCD hurling club was founded in 1900 and boasted the motto's "Ad Astra" and "Cothrom Féinne". The first team was an amalgamation of students from UCD and...
, Dublin and Kerry. It wasn’t until after Australian schoolboy teams toured Ireland in 1981 and 1984 and a Dublin Colleges team toured Australia in 1983 that a full-blown international rules series was arranged.
During the 1980s, at times both teams wore sleeveless Aussie Rules jumpers, with the Australians in a sleeveless yellow (gold) Aussie Rules styled jumper and Ireland at times wore a green sleeveless jumper with a white trim. Prime minister Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
and wife Hazel
Hazel Hawke
Hazel Hawke, AO is the former wife of Bob Hawke, Prime Minister of Australia 1983–91. They divorced after he left the prime ministership. She worked in social policy areas, and was an excellent amateur pianist and a patron of the arts...
toured Ireland with the Australian team in 1987.
| Year | Host Country | Results | Stadium | Location | Crowd | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 November 1990 | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Australia 50 d. Ireland 44 | WACA WACA Ground The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.... |
Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... |
7,700 |
| 10 November 1990 | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Ireland 52 d. Australia 31 | Bruce Stadium Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia... |
Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... |
7,000 |
| 2 November 1990 | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Ireland 47 d. Australia 38 | Waverley Park Waverley Park Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of... |
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... |
18,332 |
| 1 November 1987 | Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Australia 59 d. Ireland 55 | Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... |
Dublin | 27,023 |
| 25 October 1987 | Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Australia 72 d. Ireland 47 | Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... |
Dublin | 15,485 |
| 18 October 1987 | Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Ireland 53 d. Australia 51 | Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... |
Dublin | 15,532 |
| 24 October 1986 | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Ireland 55 d. Australia 32 | Football Park | Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... |
10,000 |
| 19 October 1986 | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Ireland 62 d. Australia 46 | Waverley Park Waverley Park Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of... |
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... |
10,883 |
| 10 October 1986 | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Australia 64 d. Ireland 57 | WACA WACA Ground The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.... |
Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... |
24,000 |
| 4 November 1984 | Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Australia 76 d. Ireland 71 | Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... |
Dublin | 32,318 |
| 28 October 1984 | Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Ireland 80 d. Australia 76 | Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... |
Dublin | 12,500 |
| 21 October 1984 | Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Australia 70 d. Ireland 57 | Páirc Uí Chaoimh Páirc Uí Chaoimh Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in the Ballintemple area of Cork in Ireland, where major hurling and Gaelic football matches are played. It is the home of Cork GAA... |
Cork Cork (city) Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban... |
8,000 |
International Rules Series
The Irish team
Ireland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
is selected by the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
and the Australian team
Australia international rules football team
This article concerns the men's team; for information on the Australian women's team, see Australia women's international rules football team....
is selected by 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...
.
The series alternates host countries each year between Ireland and Australia. Between 1998 and 2006, the average attendance was 48,199. Ireland had won eight matches, while Australia had also won eight, with a further two being drawn. The 2006 series sold out both matches in Ireland and set a record for international sports in Ireland with a crowd of 82,127 at Croke Park.
Following controversies in the 2006 series
2006 International Rules series
The 2006 International Rules series is the 9th annual International Rules Series and the 15th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....
, including an Irish player being knocked unconscious in a tackle, the Irish team coach and GAA president again cast doubts on the future of the series. The AFL's chief, however expressed optimism. The two organisations agreed to meet to once again discuss the series.
The International Rules series resumed in October 2008 with Ireland defeating the Australians by five points on aggregate (the series was played in Australia).
Women's
Ladies' Gaelic footballLadies' Gaelic football
Ladies' Gaelic football is a team sport for women, very similar to Gaelic football, and co-ordinated by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association...
has been growing almost exponentially in Ireland since the 1970s; women's footy
Women's Australian rules football
Women's Australian rules football is a fast growing sport played at senior level in Australia, United States, England, New Zealand, Canada and Japan. At junior level, it is also played in Papua New Guinea, Argentina and South Africa...
has far fewer players, but numbers have grown strongly since the 1990s. In early 2006 representatives of the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and Women's Australian Football Leagues met at a Ladies' Gaelic football festival in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and agreed to compete in the hybrid version of the two football codes to coincide with the senior men's series.
| Date | Teams | Stadium | Location | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 October 2006 | Ireland 39 def. Australia 18 | Parnell Park Parnell Park Parnell Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Donnycarney, Dublin, Ireland with a capacity of about 11,500. It is the home of the Dublin GAA hurling, football, camogie and ladies' football teams at all levels of competition... |
Dublin | ||
| 4 November 2006 | Ireland 130 def. Australia 15 | Breffni Park Breffni Park Breffni Park—known for sponsorship reasons as the Kingspan Breffni Park— is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Cavan, Ireland. It is the home of the Cavan Gaelic football team. The ground has an overall capacity of about 32,000 with a 6,000 seated capacity. Breffni is the historic... |
Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland... |
Juniors (under 17s and under 19s)
Among the first schoolboys' international tests was that played in Melbourne in 1983, when a Victorian under-17 team played Ireland. An interesting twist in these compromise matches is that the ball used was the oval shaped Australian football rather than the round ball.In 2005, in addition to the annual senior international series, Australia and Ireland began to play an under-19 and under-17 contest. Australia won the 2006 series. The junior series was largely instituted by both leagues as a means to identify emerging talent. It has since been abandoned.
Amateurs
The Australian Amateur Football CouncilAustralian Amateur Football Council
The Australian Amateur Football Council is the governing body of amateur Australian football in the states of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania in Australia.The council was formed in 1933....
has sent an amateur All-Australian team to Ireland in both 2005 and 2008. Unlike the professional vs amateur matches between the AFL and GAA, these matches are fully amateur which has typically meant stronger Irish sides. The Australian amateur team wears a different jersey to the AFL representative side, dark green and gold, with a kangaroo emblem.
| Date | Teams | Stadium | Location | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Ireland 60 def. Australia (U-23) 55 | Donaghmore-Ashbourne stadium | Ashbourne, County Meath Ashbourne, County Meath Ashbourne, historically called Killeglan or Kildeglan , is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 20 km north of Dublin city centre and is bypassed by the M2 motorway.-History:... |
2,500 | |
| 2008 | 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:... 43 def. NSWGAA 42 |
Mahoney Park | Marrickville, New South Wales Marrickville, New South Wales Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area... |
Masters
International rules also has a masters category with several competitions. There is also a Masters International Rules Series which follows the format of the senior men's series and involves many retired Australian Rules and Gaelic Football players.International rules football around the world
International rules is played in various locations throughout North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
between fledgling Australian rules football and Gaelic football clubs.
In 2006, an exhibition match between South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n youth teams and an Indigenous Australian touring side composed of players from the Clontarf Foundation
Clontarf Foundation
The Clontarf Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to improve the education, discipline, self esteem, life skills and employment prospects of young Aboriginal men and by doing so, equip them to participate more meaningfully in society...
, led by Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
's Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is a professional Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League ....
, was held at Potchefstroom
Potchefstroom, North West
Potchefstroom is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University...
.
Sweden: October 23, 2010 saw the inaugural International Rules Test between Malmö Gaelic Football team (2009 Scandinavian Champions) & Aussie Rules side The Port Malmö Maulers (2009 DAFL Champions)
The game was played in great spirit despite the cold damp conditions at Limhamnsfältet where the GAA boys and Maulers share the pitch.
The Gaelic Footballers of Malmö GAA Club ended up winners on a scoreline of:
Malmö GAA Club 5:6:7 = 55 pts
Port Malmo Maulers 1:5:9 = 30 pts
See also
- Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian 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...
- Composite rules shinty-hurlingComposite rules shinty-hurlingComposite rules shinty-hurling , sometimes known simply as shinty-hurling) is a hybrid sport which was developed to facilitate international matches between shinty players and hurling players....
- Gaelic footballGaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
- International Rules SeriesInternational Rules SeriesThe International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
- Australian international rules football team
- Ireland international rules football teamIreland international rules football teamThe Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
- Jim Stynes Medal
External links
- Brief guide on how to play the game
- International rules pages at the Gaelic Athletic Association website
- International rules pages at the AFL website
- WFN international rules A catalogue of some of the scores of games in the code around the world.
- Laws of the game
- International rules page at Aussie Rules International
- Tarik's International Rules football results and rankings