The history of Australian rules football began in Melbourne in 1858, with a call by Tom Wills to develop a local code of football and the formation of the Melbourne Football Club. What is considered to be the first match of Australian rules football was played at the Richmond Paddock on 31 July and the oldest surviving set of laws were drawn up the next year on 17 May 1859. It is not clear to what extent the early game was influenced by the football played in English public schools, but there are similarities have been observed between some of them and the Australian game. The code also has features in common with the Aboriginal game Marn Grook and Gaelic football. Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 3. ... Thomas Wentworth Wills was an Australian sportsman who is credited along with Henry Harrison as one of the inventors of Australian rules football. ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Melbourne Football Club (MFC), nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ... Australian Rules and Aussie Rules redirect here. ... Yarra Park has become the premier sporting precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and numerous sporting fields and ovals, including the associated sporting complexes of Melbourne Park and Olympic Park. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... A public school, in current English, Welsh and Northern Ireland usage, is a (usually) prestigious independent school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state. ... Australian Aborigines are the indigenous peoples of Australia. ... Marn Grook is the name of an Australian Aborginal ball game which is thought by some to be the basis on which the modern game of Australian Rules Football is based. ... GAA teams Offaly and Louth in action Gaelic football (Irish: peil ghaelach), commonly referred to as football, Gaelic or gah, is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ...

The Victorian Football Association was formed in 1877 and the game, then known as "Victorian Rules" or "Australasian Rules", spread to other colonies in Australia. By federation in 1901, it was particularly strong in the "southern states", with the Victorian Football League, South Australian National Football League and West Australian Football League operating as seperate competitions. The code struggled in New South Wales and Queensland and in other countries for much of the 20th century, however its popularity in these areas is now increasing. In the 1990s, the VFL expanded to become the Australian Football League, now a national body and the premier league in Australia as well as the de facto world governing body. See also Australian Football League. ... The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed a federation. ... VFL/AFL is the term used to refer to the competition established in 1897, which was originally known as the Victorian Football League. ... The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) is the premier league for Australian rules football in the state of South Australia. ... The West Australian Football League (WAFL) (pronounced waffle) is the premier state based Australian rules football league in Western Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo Gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus Anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus Viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Emblems: Faunal - Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus); Floral - Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum); Bird - Brolga (Grus rubicunda); Aquatic - Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos); Gem - Sapphire; Colour - Maroon Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... A governing body is a corporate form of management. ...

Origins of the game

Tom Wills began to devise Australian rules in Melbourne in 1858. (Although H.C.A. Harrison, Wills' cousin, was also named, much later, as an official father of the game his role does not, now, seem to have been significant at this very early stage.) A letter by Wills was published in Bell's Life in Victoria & Sporting Chronicle on 10 July 1858, [1] calling for a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. An experimental match, played by Wills and others, at the Richmond Paddock (later known as Yarra Park next to the MCG) on 31 July, 1858, was probably the first game of Australian football. However, few details of the match have survived. Thomas Wentworth Wills was an Australian sportsman who is credited along with Henry Harrison as one of the inventors of Australian rules football. ... Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 3. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Yarra Park has become the premier sporting precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and numerous sporting fields and ovals, including the associated sporting complexes of Melbourne Park and Olympic Park. ... For other meanings, see MCG (disambiguation). ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

On 7 August 1858, two significant events in the development of the game occurred. The Melbourne Football Club was founded, one of the world's first football clubs in any code, and a famous match between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College began, umpired by Wills. A second day of play took place on 21 August and a third, and final, day on 4 September. The two schools have competed annually ever since. However, the rules used by the two teams in 1858 could not have had much in common with the eventual form of Australian football since Wills had not yet begun to write them. August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Melbourne Football Club (MFC), nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ... The title of the worlds oldest football club, or the oldest club in a particular country, is often disputed, or is claimed by several different clubs, across several codes of football. ... Melbourne Grammar School is an independent school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, founded in 1858. ... For other schools named Scotch College, see Scotch College. ...

A game at the Richmond Paddock in the 1860s. A pavilion at the MCG is on the left in the background. (A wood engraving made by Robert Bruce on July 27, 1866.)

The Melbourne Football Club rules of 1859 are the oldest surviving set of laws for Australian football. They were drawn up at the Parade Hotel, East Melbourne, on 17 May, by Wills, W. J. Hammersley, J. B. Thompson and Thomas Smith (some sources include H. C. A. Harrison). The 1859 rules did not include some elements that soon became important to the game, such as the requirement to bounce the ball while running, and Melbourne's game was not immediately adopted by neighbouring clubs. Before each match the rules had to be agreed by the two teams involved. By 1866, however, several other clubs had agreed to play by an updated version of Melbourne's rules. Download high resolution version (1000x698, 198 KB)An Australian rules football match at the Richmond Paddock, Melbourne, in about 1866. ... Download high resolution version (1000x698, 198 KB)An Australian rules football match at the Richmond Paddock, Melbourne, in about 1866. ... // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... For other meanings, see MCG (disambiguation). ... Wood engraving is, simply, the craft, or technique, of engraving, using the medium of wood. ... East Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ...

Influences from English football codes

The influence of British public school and university football codes, while undetermined, was clearly substantial. Wills had been educated at Rugby School in England (where Rugby football had been codified since 1845). Wills had also, like W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson, been to the University of Cambridge. The Cambridge Rules, drawn up in 1848, included some elements which are important in Australian football, such as the mark. Thomas Smith was Irish and had attended Trinity College, Dublin, where the Rugby School rules were popular at a very early stage. These men would have been familiar with other public school and university games. They may also have been inspired by surviving forms of Medieval football and other traditional sports, played among the thousands of immigrants who poured into Victoria from the UK, Ireland and many other countries during the gold rushes of the 1850s. The term public school has different (and in some cases contradictory) meanings due to regional differences. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... A view of Rugby School from The Close, the playing field where according to legend Rugby was invented Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, is one of the oldest public schools in the United Kingdom and is perhaps one of the top co-educational boarding schools in... A Rugby player Rugby football refers to sports descended from a common form of football developed at Rugby School. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University, or just Cambridge), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The Cambridge Rules, were a code of football drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848 by H. de Winton and J. C. Thring. ... The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... The name mediæval football is used for a wide variety of localised games which were invented and played during the Middle Ages in Europe. ... // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution...

Influences from Marn Grook

Main article: Marn Grook

It is often said that the founders were partly inspired by the ball games of the local Aboriginal people in western Victoria. Aborigines allegedly played a sport called Marn Grook that used a ball made out of possum hide, and is said to have featured jumping to catch the ball, called mumarki (meaning to catch), which resembles the high marking ("speccies") in Australian football. There is considerable debate over the connection between the two. Wills did have a deep knowledge of Aboriginal culture and Harrison had grown up in an area near present day Moyston, Victoria where he may have seen Marn Grook. Marn Grook is the name of an Australian Aborginal ball game which is thought by some to be the basis on which the modern game of Australian Rules Football is based. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ... Marn Grook is the name of an Australian Aborginal ball game which is thought by some to be the basis on which the modern game of Australian Rules Football is based. ... Superfamilies and Families Phalangeroidea Burramyidae Phalangeridae Petauroida Pseudocheiridae Petauridae Tarsipedidae Acrobatidae A possum is any of about 63 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea and Sulawesi. ...

Similarities to Gaelic football

While it is clear even to casual observers that Australian rules football is similar to Gaelic football, the exact relationship is unclear, as the Irish game was not codified by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) until 1887. The historian B. W. O'Dwyer points out that Australian football has always been differentiated from rugby football by having no limitation on ball or player movement (in the absence of an offside rule), the need to bounce the ball (or toe-kick it, known as a solo in Gaelic football) while running, punching the ball (hand-passing) rather than throwing it, and other traditions. As O'Dwyer says: GAA teams Offaly and Louth in action Gaelic football (Irish: peil ghaelach), commonly referred to as football, Gaelic or gah, is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ... A stylised Celtic cross serves as the traditional logo of the GAA. The Gaelic Athletic Association (The GAA) (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael) is an organisation which is mostly focussed on promoting Irish sports, such as hurling and camogie, Gaelic football and handball, and rounders. ... A Rugby player Rugby football refers to sports descended from a common form of football developed at Rugby School. ...

These are all elements of Irish football. There were several variations of Irish football in existence, normally without the benefit of rulebooks, but the central tradition in Ireland was in the direction of the relatively new game [i.e. rugby]...adapted and shaped within the perimeters of the ancient Irish game of hurling... [These rules] later became embedded in Gaelic football. Their presence in Victorian football may be accounted for in terms of a formative influence being exerted by men familiar with and no doubt playing the Irish game. It is not that they were introduced into the game from that motive [i.e. emulating Irish games]; it was rather a case of particular needs being met... [B. W. O'Dwyer, March 1989, "The Shaping of Victorian Rules Football", Victorian Historical Journal, v.60, no.1.]

After 1887, the two games developed in isolation from each other. A number of players, most notably Jim Stynes have successfully made the transition from Gaelic football to Australian rules. (See also: Gaelic football converts to Australian football.) The counties of Ireland, coloured by dominant sport. ... Jim Stynes (born April 23, 1966) is an Irish Australian rules football player. ... While Australian rules football is a major spectator sport only in Australia (except for occasional exhibition games staged in other countries), in the late 1980s small amateur competitions were attempted in countries such as New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, France, the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Papua New Guinea...

History of clubs and competitions

Historic clubs

'See Oldest Australian rules football Clubs

The modern day Australian Football League (AFL) includes many teams that date back to the beginnings of the game. Apart from the Melbourne Football Club (1858), other early clubs still in existence in the AFL include: Geelong (1859), Carlton (1864), North Melbourne (aka Hotham, now Kangaroos) (1869), Port Adelaide (1870), Essendon and St Kilda (1873), South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans) (1874), Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs) (1877). This is a chronological list of Australian rules football clubs since their formation. ... The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League with a rich history. ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues for their dark (navy) blue playing colours, is one of the oldest and most successful Australian rules football clubs. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The North Melbourne Football Club, trading as the Kangaroos, and informally known as the Shinboners or the Kangaroos Football Club plays Australian rules football in the Australian Football League. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Power, is an Australian Rules Football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Western Bulldogs, formerly known as the Footscray Football Club or The Bulldogs is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based at the Whitten Oval in western suburban Melbourne, Australia, drawing its supporter base from this traditionally poor, industrial, and less leafy part of Melbourne. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Other historic clubs, such as the Castlemaine Football Club (1859), Melbourne University Football Club (1859) also continue to exist in lesser leagues. The Castlemaine Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. ... Melbourne University Football Club – often known simply as University – is an Australian rules football club, which played in the games most elite competition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Victorian Football League (or VFL, the forerunner of the AFL). ...

The first league

In 1877, the Victorian Football Association (VFA), the game's first league, was formed by 14 clubs: Albert Park, Ballarat, Barwon, Beechworth, Carlton, Castlemaine, East Melbourne, Essendon, Geelong, Hotham (later North Melbourne, now Kangaroos), Inglewood, Melbourne, Rochester and St Kilda. Six of these clubs were from the Victorian country. At the time, Essendon was regarded as a semi-junior club rather than a full member, and was allowed concessions such as fielding teams of 25 players, instead of the standard 20. See also Australian Football League. ...

Leagues outside Victoria

Gradually the game – known at first as "Melbourne Rules", "Victorian Rules" or sometimes as "Australasian Rules" – began to spread from Victoria into other Australian colonies in the 1860s, beginning with Tasmania (1864), Queensland (1866) and South Australia (1873). The game began to be played in New South Wales in 1877, in Western Australia in 1881 and the Australian Capital Territory in 1911. By 1916, the game was first played in the Northern Territory, establishing a permanent presence in all Australian states and mainland territories. Tasmanian State of Origin guernsey. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Australian Rules football is a rapidly growing team and popular spectator sport played in the Australian state of Queensland. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... South Australia State of Origin guernsey. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Australian rules football is a popular team and spectator sport played in the Australian state of New South Wales, Australia. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... West Australian State of Origin guernsey. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Australian Rules football is a popular team and spectator sport played in the Australian state of the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Australian Rules Football is a popular team and spectator sport played in the Australian state of the Northern Territory, Australia. ... The Australian States and Territories comprise the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ...

In Newcastle, New South Wales the Black Diamond league was founded by Victorian goldminers and the Black Diamond Challenge Cup remains Australia's oldest sporting trophy. A view of Newcastle from Stockton Newcastle is Australias sixth largest city and the second largest in the state of New South Wales. ... Few realise that Australian Football was played in Newcastle way back in 1883 and owes its origins, in part, to the Duguid Brothers: Jim, John and George, former gold miners from the large mines of Ballarat in Victoria. ...

The first intercolonial match, between Victoria and SA, was held in 1879. Australian rules football matches between teams representing the eight Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. ...

The precursors of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and the West Australian Football League (WAFL) were strong, separate competitions by the 1890s. The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) is the premier league for Australian rules football in the state of South Australia. ... The West Australian Football League (WAFL) (pronounced waffle) is the premier state based Australian rules football league in Western Australia. ...

Factors such as interstate rivalry and the denial of access to grounds in Sydney caused the code to struggle in New South Wales and Queensland.

Formation of the VFL

A rift in the VFA led to the formation of the Victorian Football League (VFL), which commenced play in 1897 as an eight-team breakaway of the stronger clubs in the VFA competition: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. The first season concluded with Essendon finishing as the premiers (winners). VFL/AFL is the term used to refer to the competition established in 1897, which was originally known as the Victorian Football League. ... 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. ... 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. ...

Another five VFA clubs joined the VFL later: Richmond and University joined the VFL in 1908, although University withdrew in 1915. Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne joined in 1925, by which time VFL had become the most prominent league in the game. The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League. ... Melbourne University Football Club – often known simply as University – is an Australian Rules Football club, which played in the games most elite competition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Victorian Football League (or VFL, the forerunner of the AFL). ... The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). ...

Interstate competition

Main article: Interstate matches in Australian rules football

For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition – and the inability of players to compete internationally – meant that matches between state representative teams were regarded with great importance. Because VFL clubs increasingly recruited the best players in other states, Victoria dominated these games. However, State of Origin rules were introduced in 1977, and in the first such game, at Subiaco Oval in Perth, Western Australia defeated Victoria, 23.13 (151) to 8.9 (57), a huge reversal of the results in most previous games. Western Australia and South Australia began to win many of their games against Victoria. However, during the 1990s, following the emergence of the Australian Football League, state of origin games declined in importance especially after an increasing number of withdrawals by AFL players, who were under increasing pressure from clubs concerned by the risk of injuries. Australian football State of Origin matches ceased in 1999. The second-tier state and territorial leagues still contest interstate matches. Australian rules football matches between teams representing the eight Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. ... State of Origin is the name used in Australia for rugby league and Australian rules football matches, in which players are selected for the State in which they first played. ... Subiaco Oval (, ) is the major sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. ... Perth is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Western Australia, and is the fourth largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 1. ...

A national league

In 1982, in a move which heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs, South Melbourne Football Club, relocated to the Rugby League stronghold of Sydney and became known as the Sydney Swans. In the late 1980s, strong interstate interest in the VFL led to a more national competition; two more non-Victorian clubs, the West Coast Eagles and the Brisbane Bears began playing in 1987. Sydney Swans logo The Sydney Swans are an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney. ... Rugby league is a team sport, played by two teams of 13 players. ... The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and since its opening it has become an international symbol of Sydney Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia. ... The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... The West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian Rules Football club that is a member of the Australian Football League. ... The Brisbane Bears Football Club was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League. ...

The league changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) following the 1989 season. In 1991, it gained its first South Australian team, Adelaide. West Coast's local derby rival Fremantle was admitted in 1995. Fitzroy merged with Brisbane after 1996 due to financial difficulties to form the Brisbane Lions and the proud old SANFL club, Port Adelaide joined in 1997 as the Port Adelaide Power, immediately becoming fierce local rivals to Adelaide. The AFL, currently with 16 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and the most powerful body in the world of Australian rules football. The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ... The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Adelaide, South Australia. ... In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby (pronounced dar-bee in UK English, and durr-bee by most Americans) is used to mean a sporting fixture between two (generally local) rivals, particularly in (Association) Football. ... Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers and known unofficially as the Fremantle Dockers and informally as Freo, is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League. ... The Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) are an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane, Queensland. ... The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Power, is an Australian Rules Football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. ... Port Adelaide Football Club logo Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club, nicknamed The Power in the Australian Football League (AFL), and nicknamed The Magpies in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). ...

Today's state leagues

For much of the 20th century the SANFL and the WAFL were considered peers of the VFL. Although the VFL was generally accepted as the strongest league, clubs from all three leagues frequently played each other on an even footing in challenge matches and occasional nationwide club competitions. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

With the introduction of the AFL, the SANFL, WAFL and other state leagues rapidly declined to a secondary status. Apart from these there are many semi-professional and amateur leagues around Australia, where they play a very important role in the community, and particularly so in rural areas.

The VFA, still in existence a century after the original schism, merged with the former VFL reserves competition in 1998. The new entity adopted the VFL name.

Australian football internationally

Main article: Australian football around the world

Action from an Aussie Rules game in Nauru at the Linkbelt Oval

Almost as soon as the game was becoming established in Australia, it had spread to New Zealand in 1876. South Africa followed in the 1880s, with the help of Australian goldminers; they were augmented by soldiers during the Second Boer War. While Australian rules football is a major spectator sport only in Australia (except for occasional exhibition games staged in other countries), in the late 1980s small amateur competitions were attempted in countries such as New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, France, the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Papua New Guinea... Image File history File links Linkbelt1999-Finalspiel. ... Image File history File links Linkbelt1999-Finalspiel. ... Linkbelt Oval is a stadium on the island Nauru in Aiwo. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State, South African Republic Commanders Frederick Roberts later Lord Kitchener Christiaan Rudolf de Wet and Paul Kruger Casualties Military dead:22,000 Civilian dead:N/A Total dead:22,000 Military dead:6,500 Civilian dead:24,000 Total dead:30,500 The Second Boer...

As the game spread, it became known as Australasian Football.

In 1908, New Zealand (where proximity to Australia saw a formidable league of 115 clubs grow) defeated both New South Wales and Queensland at the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival, an event held to celebrate 50 years of Australian Football. The game was also introduced to England, Scotland and Japan. Australian rules football is a sport played in England as well as Australia. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ...

The profound effects of World War I caused the gradual demise in the game in countries outside Australia, including New Zealand. The sport returned to the title of Australian Football. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Military dead: 4 million The First World War, also known as The Great War, The War to End All Wars, and World War I (abbreviated WWI) was...

The first nation outside of Australia to take the sport up seriously was the former Australian territory of Nauru, which began playing in the 1930s. The game is now the national sport of the country.

Another former territory, Papua New Guinea began playing in the 1950s. For a time at least, it was the most popular sport in the country, and still remains popular.

New Zealand resumed a local competition in 1974.

The first ever international match involving Australia was played in 1977 at under 17 level between Australia and Papua New Guinea in Adelaide, with Australia taking the honours [2]. Since then, Australia have been peerless in the sport and seldom compete at international level.

In the late 1980s, as distance became less of an obstacle, amateur teams were established in Japan (1987) and England, Denmark and Canada (1989). Australian rules football is a sport played in England as well as Australia. ...

In the 1990s, amateur competition has grown in countries such as Sweden (1993), Germany (1995), USA (1996), Argentina, Spain and Samoa (1997), South Africa (1998), as well as a number of solely expatriate teams, mainly based in South East Asia. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Since 2000, fledgeling competitions have been established in countries such as Ireland (2000), Tonga (2002), Scotland, France and China (2005), Pakistan, Indonesia (2006), Catalonia, Norway and East Timor. Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Catalan, Spanish, Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th in Spain  32 114 km²  6,3% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 2nd in Spain  6 995 206  15,9%  217,82/km² GDP Total (2004) GDP: €157,124 billion GDP per /capita: $26,550...

Many of these were initially established by Australian expatriates but collecting growing numbers of native players. In other countries, it grew out of AFL exhibition matches, cult television following or Internet communication. North American fans formed an organization, AFANA, specifically to work for improved media coverage of Australian football. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... AFANA is the organization that formed out of the campaign to save TV coverage of Australian Rules Football on USA and Canadian TV in 1996. ...

Since the 1990s, the AFL and other development bodies have contributed to the development the game overseas. There are now youth development programs in several of these countries; since 1998, the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament, endorsed by the AFL as part of its International Policy, has hosted several of junior teams from other countries. The Barassi Youth Tournament is an international Australian Rules Football tournament for junior players. ...

The Arafura Games, held in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia is a Multi-sport event for South East Asia and East Asian island nations, northern Australia and the Pacific Islands which has Australian football as a permanent competition sport, rather than a demonstration sport. Papua New Guinea won the gold medal and retained it in subsequent games. Other teams that have competed at Australian Rules in the games include Japan, Nauru and a Northern Territory indigenous team. The Arafura Games is a Multi-sport event usually held every two years in the Australian city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory. ... Darwin is the territorial capital and most populous city of Australias Northern Territory. ... Emblems: Sturts Desert Rose (floral) Motto: None Slogan or Nickname: The Territory, The NT, The Top End Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Const. ... A multi-sport event is a competition in which athletes compete in a number of different sports. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... The Pacific Ocean has an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands; the exact number has not been precisely determined. ... A demonstration sport is a sport which is played in order to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also on other sporting events. ... Gold Medal is an album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004. ... Indigenous Australians are the first inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands, continuing their presence during European settlement. ...

The International Australian Football Council (IAFC) was formed after the 1995 Arafura Games. Following internal divisions in the IAFC, another organization, Aussie Rules International was set up in London. The AFL did not recognise the IAFC as anything more than a promotional body, and is itself considered the keeper of the code. Hence the AFL is primarily responsible for funding and governance and provides around A$500,000 annually for international development, especially junior programs. The code is not large enough outside Australia for an international governing body made up of national bodies. The International Australian Football Council (IAFC) was a body that was established in the aftermath of the 1995 Arafura Games, held in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. ... Aussie Rules International Logo // Mission The role of Aussie Rules International is to promote and develop the sport of Australian Rules Football internationally. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... The Australian dollar (currency code AUD) has been, since 1966, the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. ... A sport governing body comes in several forms. ...

Inspired by successful Arafura Games competitions, the inaugural Australian Football International Cup was held in Melbourne in 2002, an initiative of the IAFC and the AFL. With the closure of the IAFC subsequent cups are staged by the AFL. The 2002 cup was contested by 11 teams from around the world made up exclusively of non-Australians. Ireland won the 2002 cup, defeating Papua New Guinea in the final. (See also: Australian football leagues outside Australia.) The Australian Football International Cup is an international Australian Rules Football competition hosted by the Australian Football League. ... This is a list of Australian rules football leagues outside of Australia. ...

Today, Australian football is a major spectator sport in Australia and Nauru, although occasional exhibition games are staged in other countries. Some local grand final and carnival type events in Papua New Guinea, Nauru, England and the United States have occasionally drawn attendances that number in the thousands. Australian Rules Football has been introduced to a wide range of places around Australian and around the world since the codes inception in 1848. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004...

On July 3, 2006 the AFL announced that it had formed an International Development Committee to support overseas (non-Australian) football leagues. The AFL also hope to develop the game in other countries to the point where Australian football is played at an international level by top-quality sides from around the world. The AFL plans to host the International Cup regularly every four years, beginning in 2008, the 150th anniversary of the code.^[1] AFL has a number of references: Football leagues Australian Football League — professional competition in Australian Rules Football. ...

International rules football

Main article: International rules football

Since 1967, there have been many matches between Australian and Irish teams, under various sets of hybrid, compromise rules. In 1984, the first official representative matches of International Rules football were played, and these are now played annually each October. Official tournament logo International rules football is a hybrid code of football which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules footballers and Gaelic footballers. ... Official tournament logo International rules football is a hybrid code of football which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules footballers and Gaelic footballers. ...

In 1999, a record Australian International Rules crowd of 65,000 at the MCG attended a game that saw Ireland defeat Australia but Australia win the series. In 2002, a record Irish International Rules crowd of 71,532 at Croke Park, Dublin witnessed a draw which also saw Australia win the series. Mcg could refer to: Microgram (mcg or µg) Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) Muslim Consumer Group (MCG) Micronized Coffee Grounds (MCG) Magnetocardiography (MCG) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Croke Park (Irish: Páirc an Chrócaigh) in Dublin, Ireland is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Irelands biggest sporting organisation. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

The rules are a compromise between the two codes, using the round ball and the rectangular field of Gaelic football. The fierce tackling of the Australian code is allowed.