The Barassi Line is an imaginary line that runs from Arnhem Land down through Birdsville, Canberra, and through southern New South Wales; the Riverina is south of the Barassi Line. Despite Australia's otherwise homogeneous nature, Australian rules football is played to the west and south of the line, and on the other side rugby league and rugby union are the most important codes of football played. Arnhem Land is an area of 97,000 km² in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, Australia. ... Location of Birdsville in Queensland (red) Birdsville () is a small town located in Western Queensland, Australia. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... The Riverina is a prosperous agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. ... 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... Rugby league is a popular team sport played in Australia. ... Rugby union is a popular team sport played in Australia, with its history dating back to 1864. ...

The term 'Barassi Line' was first coined by Professor Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture^[1], one of a series of lectures named after Ron Barassi senior, who played a handful of Australian rules football games for Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) before enlisting to fight in World War Two and subsequently dying from shrapnel wounds. The Melbourne Football Club (MFC), nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

The Barassi Line itself was named after Ron Barassi junior, the former Barassi's son. At the time, the VFL consisted of 11 clubs in Melbourne and one in regional Victoria, and Barassi jnr was former star player for Melbourne and Carlton and a premiership-winning coach with Carlton and North Melbourne. Barassi jnr believed in spreading the Australian rules football code around the nation with an evangelical zeal, and had foreseen a time when Australian rules football clubs from around Australia, including up to four from New South Wales and Queensland, would play in a national football league with only a handful of them based in Melbourne. Ronald Dale Barassi, Jr (born 27 February 1936) was an Australian rules football player and coach. ... The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central... 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 Carlton Football Club is the sixth oldest Australian rules football club and the third oldest club in the Australian Football League. ... The Kangaroos Football Club, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. ... 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  $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006)  - Population  6,817,100 (1st)  - Density  8. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  4,070,400 (3rd)  - Density  2. ...

This prediction was ridiculed by many then but to a large extent it came true by 1997, with six of sixteen clubs in the former Victorian, now Australian Football League (AFL) based outside of Victoria, two of them behind the Barassi Line. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... 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. ...

Since the term was first used, the Barassi Line appears to have blurred somewhat, with AFL clubs in Brisbane and Sydney both enjoying well-entrenched support, while rugby and and rugby league also enjoy a comparable level of support in Perth and Melbourne. Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of 1. ... 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 Perth skyline viewed from the Swan River This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ...

See also

• 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, suffering heavily from sporting politics and currently lags in popularity behind rugby league, rugby union and soccer. ...

References

1. ^ Referenced in Hutchinson, Garrie (1983). The Great Australian Book of Football Stories. Melbourne: Currey O'Neil.