Australian rules football in New South Wales
Two ruckmen contest the bounce in a suburban western Sydney AFL game between the East Coast Eagles AFC and Campbelltown Kangaroos AFC
Governing body	AFL NSW/ACT
Representative team	New South Wales
First played	1877, Sydney
Registered players	59,742 (total) 7,225 (adult)
Competitions
Club
- Sydney AFL
Audience records
Single match	72,393 (2003). AFL Sydney Swans v. Collingwood. (Telstra Stadium, Sydney)

Australian rules football in New South Wales has been played since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the state, suffering heavily from sporting politics and currently lags in popularity behind rugby league, rugby union and soccer. However, it has been popular in the Riverina region for many years and is growing in popularity in Sydney, partly due to the recent success of the Sydney Swans which moved to Sydney in 1982. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (427x640, 130 KB) Summary Contesting the bounce, Australian Rules Football photo by Mike Funnell (mfunnell) 08JUL2006, East Coast Eagles vs Campbelltown, in western Sydney. ... Two ruckmen contest the bounce in a Sydney AFL game between the East Coast Eagles AFC and Campbelltown Kangaroos AFC The Sydney AFL is an Australian rules football League, based in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. ... East Coast Eagles is an Australian Rules Football club competing in the Sydney AFL league and based out of the Sydney suburb of Baulkam Hills, New South Wales. ... Campbelltown Kangaroos is an Australian Rules Football club competing in the Sydney AFL league and based out of the Sydney suburb of Campbelltown, New South Wales. ... AFL NSW/ACT is the governing body for the sport of Australian Rules Football in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ... Two ruckmen contest the bounce in a Sydney AFL game between the East Coast Eagles AFC and Campbelltown Kangaroos AFC The Sydney AFL is an Australian rules football League, based in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies after the black and white striped guernseys worn by the players, is an Australian rules football club, playing in the elite Australian Football League. ... This page is for Telstra Stadium, Sydney. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_South_Wales. ... High marking is a key skill and spectator attribute of Aussie Rules Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Aussie Rules Football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of football... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $305,437 (1st)  - Product per capita  $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006)  - Population  6,817,100 (1st)  - Density  8. ... // The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... Rugby league football (often shortened to rugby league) is a full-contact team sport played with a prolate spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ... A rugby union scrum. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... The Riverina is a prosperous agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ... The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ...

History

One of the key inventors of the game of Australian Football was a New South Welshman, Tom Wills, who was born near Gundagai and lived there for a few years before moving to Victoria, Australia, where he helped devise the game. For other uses, see Inventor (disambiguation). ... Thomas Wentworth Wills was an Australian sportsman who is credited along with Henry Harrison as one of the inventors of Australian rules football. ... Gundagai is a town located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong and Yambla Mountain ranges, 390 km south-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ...

The First Leagues

Sydney

The first recorded game of Australian rules football in Sydney was between the Waratahs rugby club and the Carlton Football Club in 1877, two days after a rugby game between the two clubs and 14 years after rugby was first played in the state. The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ... The Carlton Football Club is the sixth oldest Australian rules football club and the third oldest club in the Australian Football League. ...

Waratahs and some others claimed that the Australian rules resulted in a more exciting game, but the rugby authorities repeatedly rejected suggestions to switch codes or even play intercolonial matches under alternating rules against Victoria. In response, the proponents of the Australian game formed the NSW Football Association in 1880 and in 1881 the first Australian rules game between NSW and Victoria was played in Sydney. The NSWFA was small, with only a few clubs, including the Waratahs who switched code in 1882, and competition did not begin in earnest until 1889, when clubs competed for the Flanagan Cup. Having trouble gaining access to enclosed grounds, and therefore gate receipts, the association also had trouble with antagonism between its clubs, and it collapsed in 1893.^[1] Capital Melbourne Government Constitutional monarchy Governor David de Kretser Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 37  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $222,022 (2nd)  - Product per capita  $44,443/person (5th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  5,110,500 (2nd)  - Density  22. ...

The NSW Football League was born on February 12, 1903 at a meeting held in the YMCA Hall in George St. The NSWFL promoted the game in schools and the Victorian Football League (VFL) held premiership matches in Sydney in an effort to establish the code. In 1908, largely through the switch of codes by the talented Dally Messenger, rugby league established itself into the culture of Sydney, and although Australian Football remained popular, the NSWFL was again denied access to enclosed grounds and the new professional code further drew players from the NSWFL. By 1911, Australian rules had achieved more support than rugby union, according to The Referee, but only because the main rival was now rugby league.^[2] This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... Herbert Henry Dally Messenger (born April 12, 1883 in Balmain, New South Wales, died November 24, 1959) was an Australian rugby league footballer, recognised as one of that games greatest ever players. ... Rugby league football (often shortened to rugby league) is a full-contact team sport played with a prolate spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ...

The 1933 Australian Football Carnival, at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The now-defunct carnivals included teams from most states, including NSW.
(Photographer: Sam Hood.)

In 1933, a proposal by the VFL and the New South Wales Rugby League to amalgamate Australian football and Rugby League was carried out and a report and set of proposed rules, known as Universal Rules was prepared by the secretary of the NSWRL, Harold R. Miller. A trial game was held in secret, but the plans were never instituted. Image File history File links 1933_state_carnival. ... Image File history File links 1933_state_carnival. ... Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. ... The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) (, ) is a cricket stadium in Sydney. ... The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in New South Wales. ...

Three of the original NSWFL clubs are still in existence and currently play in the Sydney AFL – North Shore, East Sydney (now UNSW-ES) and Balmain, but the league never grew to a substantial size or obtained significant support. Two ruckmen contest the bounce in a Sydney AFL game between the East Coast Eagles AFC and Campbelltown Kangaroos AFC The Sydney AFL is an Australian rules football League, based in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. ... North Shore Bombers is an Australian Rules Football club competing in the Sydney AFL league and based out of the Sydney suburb of Balgowlah, New South Wales. ... UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs is an Australian rules football club competing in the Sydney AFL league and based out of the Sydney eastern suburbs in New South Wales and is affiliated with the University of New South Wales. ... Category: ...

Riverina

Australian Football was introduced to the Riverina region of New South Wales in Wagga Wagga in 1881 with a match between sides from Wagga Wagga and Albury. Subsequently, a local competition formed in 1884 around Wagga Wagga. The league went through many incarnations including the Murrumbidgee District Football Association (1897), Wagga United Football Association (1898–1921), Riverina Mainline Competition (1922–24), Rock and District Association (1925–1926), Wagga and District Association (1926), Wagga Football Association (1928–1957). The Riverina is a prosperous agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. ... Wagga Wagga (pronounced wogga wogga, informally called Wagga) is a city in New South Wales, Australia. ... Albury is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the Northern side of the Murray River. ...

The South Western District Football League commenced in 1894 and the Farrer Football League commenced in 1957. The Farrer Football League commenced in 1930 and in that format remained in existence until 1981 a total of 51 years. ...

In 1982, at the instigation of the Victorian Country Football League (who had jurisdiction over the area at the time), the South Western District Football League, the Farrer Football League and the Central Riverina Football League were all combined into the Riverina Football League and the Riverina District Football League. The district league reverted to the Farrer Football League in 1985. The Victorian Country Football League (often abbreviated to VCFL) is the governing body for Australian Rules Football in Victoria outside of metropolitan Melbourne on behalf of Football Victoria. ... The Farrer Football League commenced in 1930 and in that format remained in existence until 1981 a total of 51 years. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Farrer Football League commenced in 1930 and in that format remained in existence until 1981 a total of 51 years. ...

In 1995, these two leagues came under one umbrella of the Murrumbidgee Valley Australian Football Association. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Further south towards the Murray River, the Ovens & Murray Football League including teams from Albury formed as the Ovens & Murray Football Association in the early 1900s. Clubs also formed in the smaller towns around 1900 and played ad hoc fixtures against each other, as well as organising formal competitions during the 1900s and 1910s in southern Riverina such as the Coreen & District Football League (formed as the Coreen Football Associaton), the Hume Football League and the Albury & District Football League. The Ovens and Murray Football League, often locally referred to as simply the O&M, is an Australian Rules Football league based around ten clubs in the north-eastern Victoria, Australia and southern New South Wales, Australia, and is affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League. ... The Coreen & District Football League is an Australian rules football competition in the Coreen area of the Murray River in New South Wales. ... The Hume Football League is an Australian rules football competition in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, with clubs coming from a number of farming communities. ...

Western New South Wales

Australian Football was first played in Broken Hill in 1885 between Day Dream and Silverton. Informal competition began in 1888 between 4 clubs. The Barrier Ranges Football Association formed in 1890, which later became the Broken Hill Football League. In recent years, the area has produced such players as Dean Solomon and Brent Staker. [1] Broken Hill is an isolated mining city and Local Government Area in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 21,000. ... The Broken Hill Football League (BHFL) is an Australian rules football competition based in the Broken Hill region of New South Wales, Australia. ... Dean Solomon (born January 9, 1980) is an Australian rules footballer. ... Brent Staker (born May 23, 1984) is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL, who plays for the West Coast Eagles. ...

Newcastle

Australian Football was introduced to Newcastle, New South Wales in 1883 when the Wallsend Football Club was formed by miners from Ballarat. In 1888, the Black Diamond Cup, Australia's oldest sporting trophy began. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Ballarat is a city in regional Victoria, Australia, approximately 120 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, with a population of 84,000 people. ...

Five clubs were established in the Newcastle area: Newcastle City, Plattsburg, Northumberland, Lambton, and Singleton.

In 1883, a touring South Melbourne Football Club defeated a Combined Northern District team by only one goal. The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ...

In 1888, a touring Fitzroy Football Club defeated Wallsend by 10 goals to 5. The following year, Wallsend defeated Fitzroy. The Fitzroy Football Club, latterly known as the Lions, was formed in 1883 and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897. ...

North Coast

The game was first played in the Coffs Harbour area as late as 1978. The North Coast Australian Football League was formed in 1982 and has grown rapidly. For the state electoral district, see Electoral district of Coffs Harbour. ...

Sydney Swans & National Competition

The debt ridden South Melbourne Football Club moved to Sydney in 1982 and was renamed the Sydney Swans. It became the first club based outside of Victoria and represented the VFL's first serious attempt to broaden the game's appeal, culminating in its extension into a national competition, the AFL. The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ...

On 31 July 1985, for what was thought to be $6.3 million, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten "bought" the Swans. In reality it was $2.9 million in cash with funding and other payments spread over five years. Edelsten resigned as chairman within less than twelve months. By 1988 the licence was sold back to the VFL for ten dollars. Losses were in the millions. A group of financial backers including Mike Willessee, Basil Sellers, Peter Weinert and Craig Kimberley purchased the licence and bankrolled the club until 1993, when the AFL stepped in. July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... Geoffrey Edelsten was an entreprenuerial medical practitioner based in Sydney, Australia. ... Mike Willessee is a television presenter who found fame and fortune in Australian television. ...

With substantial monetary and management support from the AFL, the club survived, and with player draft concessions in the early 1990s, has fielded a competitive team throughout the past decade.

In 1996 the Swans lost the grand final to North Melbourne, which had been their first appearance in a grand final since 1945. The game was played in front of 93,102 at the MCG. The Kangaroos Football Club, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. ... “MCG” redirects here. ...

Since 1996, the Swans have made the finals in each season except 2000 and 2002.

The culmination of the recent success is the 2005 premiership against the West Coast Eagles played in front of 91,898 at the MCG, taking the flag to Sydney for the first time and breaking a 72 year drought for the club from when it was based in South Melbourne It also broke the longest premiership drought in the history of the competition.

Despite the final success of the Swans, the former Melbourne based club struggled for many years to gain support of the Sydney public.

Modern era

The Australian Football League has expressed intentions to invest in junior development in the growing Sydney market, particularly in Sydney's west and compete head on with the established rugby football codes, particularly under new CEO Andrew Demetriou. A BCRFC match at Boston College Rugby football, often just referred to as rugby, refers to sports descended from a common form of football developed at Rugby School in England. ... Andrew Demetriou (born April 14, 1961) is the CEO of the Australian Football League and a former Australian rules footballer of Greek-Cypriot heritage. ...

A second team in Sydney is a key strategy of the AFL, and has been trialled unsuccessfully with a relocation attempt by the Kangaroos Football Club in 1998. Poor crowds led to the Kangaroos leaving the Sydney market. The Western Bulldogs have been suggested as another candidate for relocation, although a new licence is a remote possibility. The Kangaroos Football Club, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. ... The Western Bulldogs, formerly known, and occasionally still referred to, as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based at the Whitten Oval in Footscray, an inner western suburb of Melbourne. ...

Governing Body

The governing body for Aussie Rules in NSW is AFL NSW/ACT. A sport governing body comes in several forms. ... AFL NSW/ACT is the governing body for the sport of Australian Rules Football in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. ...

Participation

In 2004, there were 7,225 senior players in NSW/ACT and in 2006 a total of around 84,000 participants. Although this makes Aussie Rules Footy one of the fastest growing sports in the state, the overall participation per capita is only about 1%, the lowest in Australia. [2]

Audience

Attendance Record

• 72,393 (2003). AFL Sydney Swans v. Collingwood. (Telstra Stadium, Sydney)

2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies after the black and white striped guernseys worn by the players, is an Australian rules football club, playing in the elite Australian Football League. ... This page is for Telstra Stadium, Sydney. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ...

Major Australian Rules Events in New South Wales

• Australian Football League Premiership Season (Sydney Swans)
• Annual Exhibition Match (North Sydney Oval) Sydney Swans vs Essendon

This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ...

Great New South Welsh Footballers

Over the years, New South Wales has produced many champion players for leagues such as the Australian Football League, including Haydn Bunton Senior, Terry Daniher, Wayne Carey, Paul Kelly, Dennis Carroll, Troy Luff, John Longmire. This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... Haydn Bunton Senior (1911-1955) was an Australian rules football player regarded by some observers as the games greatest ever player. ... Nicknamed T.D he was the first of four brothers to play for Essendon. ... Wayne Carey (born May 27, 1971), is regarded as one of the greatest Australian rules football players of all time. ... Paul Kelly born in Wagga Wagga was in his younger day as a Rugby League footballer playing for wagga brothers who turned to Australian Rules footballer at age 15, who went on to play for the Sydney Swans between 1990 and 2002. ... Dennis Carroll (born ?, 19)is a former Australian rules footballer for the Sydney Swans in the VFL/AFL. From Ganmain, a town outside of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Carroll came from a football family. ... Troy Luff is a former Australian rules football player for the Sydney Swans of the AFL. Luff, from Nelson Bay was best known for his stand-out performances in the 1996 AFL Finals series, culminating in a near best on ground effort in the 1996 AFL Grand Final with 2... John Longmire (born December 31, 1970) played for Australian Rules Football for the Kangaroos Football Club of the Australian Football League. ...

Perhaps the first real Sydney recruit in the modern era was Greg Stafford, who forged a solid AFL career with both the Swans and Richmond Tigers. Gregory Greg Stafford (born August 27, 1974), is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Sydney Swans and the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. ...

Notable NSW Players in the AFL

Lewis Roberts-Thomson (born 8 September 1983) is a Sydney-born Australian Football League player with the Sydney Swans, originally drafted from the North Shore side. ... Leo Barry (born May 19, 1977) is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL with the Sydney Swans. ... Lenny Hayes (born 14 January 1980) is an Australian rules footballer. ... Nick Davis (born March 30, 1980) is a native NSW Australian Rules Football player with the Sydney Swans of the AFL. // Early career - Collingwood Raised in Sydney, Davis was drafted by Collingwood, the club where his father Craig played 102 of his 163 VFL/AFL games, with a father-son... Shane Crawford (born September 9, 1974) is a player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League. ... Dean Solomon (born January 9, 1980) is an Australian rules footballer. ... Mark McVeigh (born January 26, 1981) is an Australian rules footballer. ... Daniel Cross (born March 30, 1983) is an Australian Rules midfielder who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs. ... Brent Staker (born May 23, 1984) is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL, who plays for the West Coast Eagles. ... Kieren Jack (born 28 June 1987) is an Australian Rules footballer for the Sydney Swans Football Club. ... Justin Gregory Koschitzke (born 20 September 1982) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... Adam Schneider (born 12 May 1984) is a New South Wales-born Australian Football League player with the Sydney Swans. ... Brett Kirk (born 25 October 1976) In England came to Australia when he was 6 and grew up in Dubbo, NSW is a south country NSW Australian football player with the Sydney Swans of the AFL, and is known colloquially as Kirky, Captain Kirk or during the 2005 Finals Series... Paul Bevan (born 27 September 1984) is an Australian Rules Football player with the local Sydney Swans of the AFL. Having grown up in Sydney, playing for Western Suburbs and the NSW/ACT under-18s team, he was elevated from the Swans rookie list in 2004. ... Jarrad McVeigh (born 7 April 1985) is a New South Wales-born AFL player with the Sydney Swans. ... Richard Richie Vandenberg (born 14 January 1977) is the captain of the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League. ... Henry Playfair is an Australian Rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... Cameron Mooney (Born September 26, 1979) is an Australian rules football player, currently playing for Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). ... Ben Mathews (born 29 November 1978) is an Australian Football League player with the Sydney Swans, originally recruited from the Corowa-Rutherglen region of New South Wales. ... Dylan Addison (born October 7, 1987) is an Australian rules football player who was drafted by the Western Bulldogs in the 2005 AFL Draft, 2nd round, number 27 overall. ...

Representative Side

The NSW/ACT representative team have played State of Origin test matches against all other Australian states, as well as being part of a combined "Allies" side. They still play at U19 level. State of Origin is the name used in Australia for sporting events or other competitions which involve teams from different States or Territories. ...

See Also Interstate matches in Australian rules football

Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. ...

Principal venues

• Sydney Cricket Ground
• Telstra Stadium, Sydney
• North Sydney Oval

The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) (, ) is a cricket stadium in Sydney. ... This page is for Telstra Stadium, Sydney. ... North Sydney Oval is a multi-use sporting facility primarily used for Rugby League (as home ground of the North Sydney Bears) and Rugby Union but is also utilised for Cricket, Australian Rules Football and Soccer. ...

External links

• The Hidden Story of Australian Rules in Sydney
• NSW Footy History
• Australian Rules Almost Held Sydney
• NSW Team of the Century from Full Points Footy
• Sydney Australian Football Foundation - non profit organisation assisting development of the code in Sydney

Leagues & Clubs