Australian rules football in New Zealand

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Australian rules football in New Zealand
Congalton mark against india international cup 2008.jpg
New Zealand captain Andrew Congalton takes a strong mark in front of an Indian opponent at the 2008 International Cup
Governing body New Zealand AFL
National team New Zealand
First played 1871, Wellington
Registered players 600 (adult)
Clubs 19
Competitions
Club
Auckland AFL
Canterbury AFL
Wellington AFL
Waikato AFL
Otago AFL
Audience records
Single match 11,666 - 2000 Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn Football Club. Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Australian rules football in New Zealand is currently a minority sport in a nation where rugby union is the national sport and predominant football code. Australian rules has a history in New Zealand dating back to the late 1860s, however modern competition was commenced in 1974 and is played during the summer to avoid clashing with the rugby season.

The game is primarily organised in four provinces - Auckland (Auckland Australian Football League), Canterbury, New Zealand (Canterbury Australian Football League), Wellington (Wellington AFL) and Waikato (Waikato AFL). A new Otago league is currently in formation.

A number of New Zealanders have played the game at the highest level, the now fully professional Australian Football League. Players developed in New Zealand have played semi-professionally in Australian state leagues.

New Zealand's national senior team were international champions in 2005, however still behind Australia having never beaten an Australian club at any level.

Contents

[edit] History of Australian rules football in New Zealand

[edit] Beginnings

Before Europeans arrived in New Zealand, the Māori were playing a ball game called ki-o-rahi which greatly resembled Australian Rules Football and rugby[citation needed].

[edit] Initial Foray

The Christchurch Football club, founded in 1863[1] played football according to its own rules[2], one of which was to bounce the ball every 4 yards, very much similar to the modern game of Australian Football. The club adopted rugby rules in 1876.[1][3]

Australian Football was introduced to New Zealand around 1868. The Nelson Football Club was formed this year and played a hybrid version of Victorian and Association (soccer) rules in its first two seasons[4][5][6]. By the 1860s there was regular trade between New Zealand ports and Melbourne, and the Victorian (or Melbourne) rules would have been known by some of the immigrants[7] . The Nelson Club were the first club in New Zealand to adopt Rugby rules in 1870[8].

The Wellington Football Club was formed on 12 May 1871[9]. The club initially adopted Melbourne rules, but soon switched to Rugby rules "principally for the reason that the clubs in adjoining provinces play under those rules, and as the club contemplate playing a match with the Nelson club before long the necessity of such a course is apparent." The last match played under Melbourne rules was on 24 June 1871[10]. This was not the end of the matter, however, with the club for a short period in 1875 adding the Melbourne rule of bouncing the ball. The club soon after reverted to full Rugby rules [11].

The Dunedin Football Club, formed in 1872, initially played under its own rules. Shortly thereafter a second club in Dunedin, the Union Club, was formed and is thought to have adopted Victorian rules. Poor weather meant that few games were played in both the 1873 and 1874 seasons. The Dunedin Club adopted Association (soccer) rules in 1875, while the Union club retained Victorian rules[12]. The clubs were able to compromise, and the first match between the clubs that year was played under Victorian rules on 19 June 1875[13]. The return match was played under Association rules a few weeks later. In 1876 a hybrid match was played between the two clubs. The first half was played according to rugby rules, and the second half according to Victorian Rules.[14]. By 1877 both clubs had adopted Rugby rules [12].

"At the annual meeting of the Union Club in 1877 it was decided by 17 votes to five to adopt the Rugby Union Laws, the club in all its matches with the D.F.C. previous to that date having stipulated for one spell of every game being under Victorian rules."[15]

The first games of football in Auckland were played in 1870 with the rules being a mix of Victorian and Association. In 1873 the Auckland Football Club adopted Rugby rules following a visit by two members of the Wellington Club [6]. At the 1874 AGM of the Auckland Football Club discussion continued around rules, with motions put to either adopt the Victorian Rules of 1866, or form a committee to consider other rules. These motions were defeated in favour of continuing with Rugby rules.[16]

An Auckland team undertook the first inter-provincial Rugby tour in late 1875. This sparked additional interest in Rugby in regions such as Canterbury and Dunedin where several codes were being played. Ultimately the success of this led to further representative tours, and proved to be a catalyst for Rugby to become the dominant code in the main regions [6][12].

[edit] Brief Revivals

The Reform Football Club was formed in Wellington in 1879 to "play under the Victorian rules"[17]. In the same article several clubs are also reported to have been formed in Dunedin and one in Nelson. The Reform club's first practice match was held in the Hon. J. Sheehan's paddock, Hobson St, on 5 April 1879 in front of a "considerable number of spectators"[17]. The Reform club enjoyed a reasonable amount of press coverage throughout 1879. From 1880 there is very little mention of the club, and how long it was in existence is unknown.[18]

The 1888-1889 New Zealand Native football team matches saw a Māori team visit Victoria, as part of a year long tour of the UK and Australia, to play a program of Victorian Rules games. The team plays 8 games, winning three and losing five. It defeated South Melbourne Football Club,[19] which at that stage was Victoria’s premier club.

[edit] New Century

After being virtually non existent since the 1880s, interest in Australian football was rekindled on the back of a wave of immigration from Australia in the first decade of the 20th century. In 1903 the ‘New Zealand Association of Australian Football’ was formed in Christchurch by a committee of expat Victorians.[20]. The league had 4 clubs (City Wanderers, Sydenham, Woolston, and Imperial with a fifth, Carlton, formed a year later). By 1904 a number of leagues were being established throughout the country. In Wellington a league of five clubs was formed (City, Newtown, Petone, Wanderers and Federal) [21], and Auckland had three clubs in the new league (Auckland Imperial, Victoria, and Austral football clubs).[22]. Other centres also had clubs form in 1904 including Dunedin (Australian Pioneer Football Club[23]), Kaitangata (Wanderers[24]), Waihi and Waikino.

Additional clubs were to join the Auckland league in the following years, including the Eden Football Club, who won back-to-back Auckland Australian Football League premierships in 1907 & 1908.[25]

In 1905, two New Zealand representatives (one from the North Island and one from the South) attended the Australasian Football Conference where the Australasian Football Council was formed.[26]

In 1908, New Zealand defeated both New South Wales and Queensland at the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival an event held in Melbourne, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, to celebrate 50 years of Australian Football.[26]

[edit] Hiatus

Already in decline, the outbreak of World War I and the popularity of rugby union signalled a hiatus in the game in New Zealand. No clubs survived after the war.

New Zealand was no longer represented and without any overseas delegates, the council reverted to the Australian Football Council.

Nevertheless, some efforts were made to rekindle interest in the code during these years.

In 1961, the Melbourne Football Club toured New Zealand during its off season, becoming the first VFL/AFL club to do so.[27]

[edit] Modern Competition

In 1974 senior competitions began in Christchurch (The Canterbury Australian Rules Football Association)[28], Auckland (Auckland Australian Football League)[29] and Wellington.

In 1995, the competition had grown sufficiently strong to field a national team, the Falcons.

The Arafura Games gave the side the first opportunity to compete at an international level. In 1995, 1997 and 1999, New Zealand took the silver medal in Australian Football at the event in Darwin, Northern Territory, running second to Papua New Guinea.

In 1997, the New Zealand Australian Football Development Foundation (NZAFDF) was formed.

1998 saw the debut of New Zealand born Trent Croad into the Australian Football League, the beginnings of what is a successful career at elite level.

In 1999, NZAFDF incorporated as governing body and was renamed New Zealand AFL.

[edit] Exhibition Matches

The years of 1991, 1998, 2000 and 2001 saw official Australian Football League exhibition matches staged in New Zealand so that the AFL could gauge local support.

[edit] International Success

Richard Bradley takes a spectacular mark against India in the 2008 International Cup

In the inaugural Australian Football International Cup in 2002, New Zealand finished 3rd.

In 2003, local Aussie Rules convert Nick Evans debuted for the famous All Blacks rugby union side against England.[30]

2005 was a huge year for Australian Football in New Zealand. The national team, the Falcons defeated Papua New Guinea to win the International Cup and were later invited to send a team to the Australian Country Championships.

Since 2004, there were talks of a New Zealand Australian Football League franchise or club relocation as a possible expansion plan for the league. New Zealand fields teams in several Australian competitions in other football codes including Super 14 rugby, the National Rugby League and A-League.

The country became considered as a 7th Australian state by the Australian Football League's international development department.

2006 saw the first ever live regular season Australian rules football matches on television (the AFL) were shown by SKY Network Television[31].

In November 2008, 17 year old Liam Ackland was invited to the AIS/AFL academy.[32]

The Hawthorn Football Club, which had been involved in New Zealand since about 2004 and at one in 2009 had 3 players from New Zealand on its senior list[33], stepped up its involvement in 2009 with development funding to set up a school competition, the "Hawks Cup", for recruiting and talent identification.[34] The sport boomed at junior levels after approved by the New Zealand Secondary Sports Council[35]. Kurt Heatherley of Tauranga accepted an AFL scholarship in 2010[33].

[edit] Participation

Map of New Zealand showing regions where Australian rules football in 2007 was organised in green

The New Zealand AFL currently has around 600 senior players.[36] In 2010, AFL pundits hoped to increase registered secondary school participants with the introduction of in-school programs.[35].

[edit] Leagues & Competitions

[edit] Governing Body

The governing body for Aussie Rules in New Zealand is the New Zealand AFL.

[edit] National team

The national team is the Falcons. The Falcons were Silver medallists in the Arafura Games in 1995 and 1997, runners up in the Australian Football International Cup in 2002, then became International Cup champions in 2005.

[edit] Audience

[edit] AFL Exhibition Matches

Date/Year Location Stadium Teams Crowd
5/10/1991 Auckland Geelong v. St Kilda 8,500
1/03/1998 Wellington Basin Reserve Melbourne v. Sydney 7,820
29/01/2000 Wellington Westpac Stadium Western Bulldogs v. Hawthorn 11,666
2001 Wellington Westpac Stadium Brisbane Lions v. Adelaide 7,500

[edit] Television

[edit] Media

Australian rules receives regular coverage in The New Zealand Herald.

[edit] Notable NZ Players

[edit] NZ Players in the VFL/AFL

Some New Zealanders have found their way into the professional Australian Football League competition.

Currently on an AFL senior list
Player VFL/AFL Years* VFL/AFL Matches* Connections to New Zealand, References
Kurt Heatherley - - Born Tauranga[37] (international rookie)
Karmichael Hunt 2011- 16 Born Auckland[38], father from Cook Islands, mother from Samoa
Cheyne Hutchinson - - Born Hamilton, Parents[39], Part Maori
Shane Savage 2009- 20 Born, Parents[40]
Khan Haretuku 2007 AFL Draft - Parents, Part Maori[41]
Brent Renouf 2008- 58 Born, Parents[40][42]
Adam Campbell 2006–2009 13 Born Christchurch, Parents[43]
Trent Croad 1998–2009 222 Born, Parents[44]
Daniel McAlister 1997–2002 6 Born, part Maori
Danny Dickfos 1996–1999 65 Part Maori[45]
Donald Dickie 1996–2000 55 Born, part Maori
Wayne Schwass 1988–2002 282 Born, part Maori[46]
Warren Jones 1978–1988 123 Born
Peter Bennett 1944–1954 103 Born
Marty McDonnell 1939–1950 92 Born
Thomas O'Halloran 1925–1934 142 Born
Joe Sellwood 1930–1945 181 Born
Harry Haughton 1912-19 113 Born
  • stats up to June 2009

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Christchurch Football Club - Club History
  2. ^ RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL - HISTORY - 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
  3. ^ Mosley, M. (1885), Illustrated Guide to Christchurch and Neighbourhood, J. T. Smith & Co., p. 120
  4. ^ Swan, Arthur C. (1948). History of New Zealand Rugby Football, Vol. 1, 1870-1945.
  5. ^ "Early Rugby in the Manawatu - Talk" Clive Akers, 10 April 2008
  6. ^ a b c Camilla Obel, “Unions, Leagues and Franchises: The Social Organisation of Rugby Union in New Zealand”, University of Canterbury thesis, 2001
  7. ^ Blainey, Geoffrey (2003), A game of our own: the origins of Australian football, Black Inc, p. 142
  8. ^ Turley, A. (2009). Rugby-The Pioneer Years, How Rugby Captured the Heart of a Nation, Auckland, N.Z.: Harper Collins.
  9. ^ Wellington Independent, 12 May 1871
  10. ^ Wellington Independent, 24 June 1871
  11. ^ Evening Post 3 May 1875 & 12 May 1875
  12. ^ a b c Rex W. Thomson, "Provincial Rugby in New Zealand: Otago's Academic Pioneers", Fall 1996
  13. ^ Otago Witness, 26 June 1875
  14. ^ "When 'Rules' ruled Sydney". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 March 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/grandstand/unleashed/stories/s2193369.htm. 
  15. ^ Otago Witness, 6 June 1889, Page 26
  16. ^ Daily Southern Cross, 2 May 1874.
  17. ^ a b Evening Post, 7 April 1879
  18. ^ Papers Past
  19. ^ Ryan, Greg (1993). Forerunners of the All Blacks. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury University Press. p. 144. ISBN 0-908812-30-2. 
  20. ^ Otago Witness, 1 April 1903, Page 50
  21. ^ Evening Post, 3 June 1904 and 22 June 1904
  22. ^ New Zealand Herald, 14 May 1904
  23. ^ Otago Witness, 11 May 1904, page 53
  24. ^ Bruce Herald, 7 June 1904, Page 5
  25. ^ Auckland Australian Football League
  26. ^ a b A False Dawn
  27. ^ Melbourne in AFL first
  28. ^ http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4739-0-0-0&sID=58255
  29. ^ http://www.aafl.co.nz/history.html
  30. ^ All Black almost a Swan fromm news.com.au
  31. ^ World Footy News - Live footy telecasts for New Zealand
  32. ^ International juniors head for AIS and Junior Oceania Cup
  33. ^ a b HANZ-UP! AFL Program hawthornfc.com.au
  34. ^ Hawks cast recruiting net across Tasman from the Herald Sun
  35. ^ a b Rushworth, Anna (29 November 2009). "Aussies luring Kiwi kids into kicking and jumping game". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/australian-rules/news/article.cfm?c_id=20&objectid=10612332. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
  36. ^ AFL International Census 2007
  37. ^ http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20091113132701824
  38. ^ "The Australian". 29 July 2009. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25852253-5012431,00.html. [dead link]
  39. ^ http://gc17.com.au/the-team/player-profiles/cheyne-hutchinson/
  40. ^ a b http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/forget-irish-clubs-turn-to-kiwis/2009/03/12/1236447397700.html
  41. ^ http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20080430154626451
  42. ^ McClure, Geoff (2 July 2008). "Kiwi Brent joins select club". The Age (Melbourne). http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/kiwi-brent-joins-select-club/2008/07/01/1214678038388.html. 
  43. ^ http://www.worldfootynews.com/staticpages/index.php/International_Players_in_Australia
  44. ^ All Blacks tackle Waverley Park
  45. ^ Losing Hayne would be disaster DANIEL LANE for the Sydney Morning Herald 6 June, 2010M
  46. ^ Māori overseas - Retaining Māori culture in Australia - Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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