Football in Australia

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An AFL match at Carrara Stadium between Adelaide and Melbourne.
An NRL match featuring the Brisbane Broncos.
Crusaders scrum against the Brumbies in Super Rugby.
Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC at Energy Australia Stadium in the A-League.

Football in Australia refers to several football codes played in the country.

Contents

Terminology [edit]

Football can refer to several different variations of football as there are regional variations in the use of the word football and its derived colloquialism "footy" in Australia. For example, "footy" primarily refers to Australian rules football in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and to Rugby league in New South Wales and Queensland.

There are four major football codes in Australia, these are Australian rules football, rugby league, rugby union and soccer, each with different levels of popularity.[1]

The two most popular Football codes in Australia are Australian rules football and Rugby league.[clarification needed]

Participation [edit]

In 2009 and 2010, 1.2 million Australians over the age of fifteen participated in one football code or another.[2] Australian rules football and outdoor soccer were the most popular football codes played by Australian children in 2009, with 8.6% and 13% participation total.[2] Soccer was the most popular football code by participation rate in Australia amongst males in 2010.[3] The Barassi Line is a rough dividing line between areas where Australia rules is most popular and where rugby union and rugby league are most popular.

Sport Total participation Year Participation % [note 1] Year Ref
Soccer 7.7% 1998/1999 [4]
Australian rules football 615,549 2007 6.2% 1998/1999 [4][5]
Rugby league 1,500,000 2011 14.6% 2011 [6]
Rugby union 5.4% 1998/1999 [4]

Historically, rugby league participation has been high in New South Wales and Queensland. By 1975, there were 375,000 registered players, making it for the first time the third most popular football code nationally based on participation.[7]

Soccer participation was for many years confined to Australian's newly arriving European ethnic groups. The sport would have 320,000 registered players by 2000.[7]

Indigenous participation [edit]

Australian rules football has traditionally been one of the most popular football codes played by Australia's Indigenous community.[8] 11% of Australian Football League players identified themselves as Indigenous Australians in 2011.[9]

In 1944, the first Aboriginal rugby league club was founded in Redfern, New South Wales the Redfern All Blacks. The first All Indigenous Australian National Rugby League team was named in 2009.[8]

One of the early Australian Indigenous players on the rugby union national team was Lloyd McDermott who had two caps in 1962 in tests against New Zealand's All Blacks.[10]

The popularity of soccer began to grow in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the 2000s.[10] One of the first Indigenous Australians to make the national team was John Kundereri Moriarty, who was supposed to tour with the team in 1961 but the national federation was unable to hold the tour as they were facing FIFA sanctions at the time. Other notable indigenous soccer players included Charlie Perkins who played and coached Pan-Hellenic and Harry Williams who was a member of the Australian team at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.[10][11]

Culture and history [edit]

Australian rules is the oldest football code in the country, being first played in 1859. It has at times served a role like a secular religion in Victoria.[12] It was also played on the field of Gallipolli.[13]

Rugby union was being played in Australia by 1874 when the sport was established in Sydney.[14] At the 1908 Summer Olympics, Australia won the first ever Olympic gold medal in rugby union.[7]

Soccer was one of the last football codes to arrive in Australia, only being played by the 1880s[7][14] with the game's early base in Australia found in Sydney.[15] It was also used a cultural gateway to introduce new European arrivals during the 1940s to Australian culture.[7][16] The first international match played by Australia was against New Zealand in 1922.[17] By 2001, Australian soccer players were plying their trade around the globe with 150 of them playing over seas.[7]

Attendance [edit]

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the most attended football code overall in Australia is Australian rules football . Australian rules football currently holds the record for a football code in Australia for the highest individual match attendance (121,696) which was set at the 1970 VFL Grand Final and also league season attendance (7,083,015) which was set for the 2008 AFL season.[citation needed]

Leagues/tournaments Total spectatorship Year Average match attendance Year Ref
A-League 1,536,231 2011/2012 10,819 2011/2012 [18]
Australian Football League 7,139,272 2011 36,425 2011 [19]
National Rugby League 3,465,851 2011 17,243 2011 [20]
Rugby League State of Origin 186,607 2011 62,202 2011 [21]

Attendance Records by States/Territories [edit]

Victoria[22]
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 26 Sep 1970 Carlton v. Collingwood Australian Football MCG 121,696
2 27 Sep 1969 Carlton v. Richmond Australian Football MCG 119,165
3 25 Sep 1971 Hawthorn v. St Kilda Australian Football MCG 118,192
4 29 Sep 1973 Carlton v. Richmond Australian Football MCG 116,956
5 28 Sep 1968 Carlton v. Essendon Australian Football MCG 116,828
6 15 Sep 1956 Melbourne v. Collingwood Australian Football MCG 115,902
7 23 Sep 1974 North Melbourne v. Richmond Australian Football MCG 113,839
8 27 Sep 1980 Collingwood v. Richmond Australian Football MCG 113,461
9 26 Sep 1981 Carlton v. Collingwood Australian Football MCG 112,964
10 29 Sep 1979 Carlton v. Collingwood Australian Football MCG 112,845
New South Wales[23]
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 15 Jul 2000 Australia v. New Zealand Rugby Union Stadium Australia 109,935
2 26 Sep 1999 St George Illawarra v. Melbourne Rugby League Stadium Australia 107,558
3 28 Aug 1999 Australia v. New Zealand Rugby Union Stadium Australia 107,042
4 30 Sep 2000 Cameroon v. Spain Soccer Stadium Australia 104,012
5 27 Aug 2000 Brisbane v. Sydney Rugby League Stadium Australia 94,277
6 1 Sep 2001 Australia v. New Zealand Rugby Union Stadium Australia 90,978
7 30 Sep 2001 Parramatta v. Newcastle Rugby League Stadium Australia 90,414
8 7 Aug 2004 Australia v. New Zealand Rugby Union Stadium Australia 83,418
9 15 Jun 2012 NSW v. QLD Rugby League Stadium Australia 83,110
10 30 Seo 2012 Canterbury v. Melbourne Rugby League Stadium Australia 82,976
South Australia
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 28 Sep 1976 Sturt v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Football Park 66,897
2 2 Oct 1965 Sturt v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Adelaide Oval 62,543
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Queensland
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 20 Sep 1997 Brisbane v. Cronulla Rugby League QE II Stadium 58,914
2 27 Aug 1993 Brisbane v. St George Rugby League QE II Stadium 58,593
3 18 Jun 1993 Brisbane v. Gold Coast Rugby League QE II Stadium 57,212
4 25 Jul 1993 Brisbane v. Canterbury Rugby League QE II Stadium 54,751
5 27 Aug 1995 Brisbane v. Auckland Rugby League QE II Stadium 54,645
6 29 Jul 2006 Australia v. New Zealand Rugby Union Lang Park 52,498
6 Jul 2011 QLD v. NSW Rugby League Lang Park 52,498
23 Jun 2007 QLD v. NSW Rugby League Lang Park 52,498
9 6 Jun 2005 QLD v. NSW Rugby League Lang Park 52,496
10 26 Jun 2006 Australia v. England Rugby Union Lang Park 52,492
Western Australia[24]
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 22 Sep 1979 South Fremantle v. East Fremantle Australian Football Subiaco Oval 52,781
2 27 Sep 1975 South Fremantle v. West Perth Australian Football Subiaco Oval 52,322
3 27 Sep 1969 West Perth v. East Fremantle Australian Football Subiaco Oval 51,385
4 2 Oct 1971 West Perth v. East Fremantle Australian Football Subiaco Oval 50,975
5 18 Sep 1982 Swan Districts v. Claremont Australian Football Subiaco Oval 50,883
6 3 Oct 1981 South Fremantle v. Claremont Australian Football Subiaco Oval 50,517
7 17 Sep 1983 Swan Districts v. Claremont Australian Football Subiaco Oval 47,760
8 29 Sep 1973 West Perth v. Subiaco Australian Football Subiaco Oval 46,885
9 1 Oct 1966 Perth v. East Perth Australian Football Subiaco Oval 46,763
10 30 Sep 1972 East Perth v. Claremont Australian Football Subiaco Oval 46,055
Australian Capital Territory
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 22 May 2004 ACT v. Canterbury Rugby Union Canberra Stadium 28,753
2 16 Apr 2005 ACT v. NSW Rugby Union Canberra Stadium 27,040
3 17 Sep 2010 Canberra v. Wests Rugby League Canberra Stadium 26,476
4 26 May 2001 ACT v. Durban Rugby Union Canberra Stadium 26,271
5 9 May 2003 ACT v. Canterbury Rugby Union Canberra Stadium 25,279
6 21 Aug 1994 Canberra v. Wests Rugby League Canberra Stadium 25,253
8 18 Apr 2003 ACT v. NSW Rugby Union Canberra Stadium 25,122
7 6 Aug 1993 Canberra v. Brisbane Rugby League Canberra Stadium 24,801
9 13 Sep 2000 Australia v. Germany Soccer Canberra Stadium 24,800
10 13 Sep 2000 Czech Republic v. United States Soccer Canberra Stadium 24,800
Tasmania
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 22 Sep 1979 Glenorchy v. Clarence Australian Football North Hobart Oval 24,968
2 12 Sep 1970 New Norfolk v. Clarence Australian Football North Hobart Oval 24,413
3 11 Jun 1966 Tasmania v. Victoria Australian Football North Hobart Oval 23,764
4 18 Jun 1966 Victoria v. Western Australia Australian Football North Hobart Oval 23,368
5 18 Jun 2006 Hawthorn v. Richmond Australian Football York Park 20,971
6 12 Sep 1964 New Norfolk v. Sandy Bay Australian Football North Hobart Oval 20,775
7 25 Sep 1971 Sandy Bay v. Clarence Australian Football North Hobart Oval 20,364
8 25 Sep 1981 New Norfolk v. Clarence Australian Football North Hobart Oval 20,193
9 9 Jun 1966 Tasmania v. Victoria Australian Football North Hobart Oval 20,047
10 8 Aug 2009 Hawthorn v. St Kilda Australian Football York Park 20,011
Northern Territory
№ Date Team/s Sport Venue Crowd
1 7 Feb 2003 All-Stars v. Carlton Australian Football Marrara Stadium 17,500
2 12 Feb 1994 All-Stars v. Collingwood Australian Football Marrara Stadium 15,000
3 12 Aug 2006 Footscray v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Marrara Stadium 14,100
4 14 Aug 2004 Footscray v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Marrara Stadium 13,271
5 11 Feb 2007 All-Stars v. Essendon Australian Football Marrara Stadium 13,119
6 18 Jun 2005 Footscray v. Carlton Australian Football Marrara Stadium 13,037
7 28 May 2011 Richmond v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Marrara Stadium 11,506
8 16 Jun 2007 Footscray v. Fremantle Australian Football Marrara Stadium 11,449
9 28 Jun 2008 Footscray v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Marrara Stadium 11,373
10 13 Jun 2009 Footscray v. Port Adelaide Australian Football Marrara Stadium 11,306

Professional football codes in Australia [edit]

Football code Common names Overview Main Governing Body National Competition Australian Clubs
Australian rules football, footy, Aussie rules, AFL Australian rules football in Australia AFL Commission Australian Football League 18
Rugby league league, football, footy, rugby league, rugby Rugby league in Australia Australian Rugby League National Rugby League 15 (+1 in NZ)
Association football soccer, football Association football in Australia Football Federation Australia A-League 10 (+1 in NZ)
Rugby union rugby, union, rugger, football, footy Rugby union in Australia Australian Rugby Union Super Rugby 5 (+5 in both NZ, SA)

Minority and amateur codes [edit]

The following football codes are generally not referred to as "football" in Australia.

National teams [edit]

National football teams include Socceroos) and the Australia National Rugby Union Team (i.e. the Wallabies) – particularly FIFA World Cup / AFC Asian Cup / Olympic Football qualification and finals tournaments and Tri Nations matches respectively. The Australian Rugby League Team (i.e. the Kangaroos) also compete in various Ashes, ANZAC, Four Nations and World Cup rugby league test matches.

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ For 1998/1999 data, the number used is the ABS corrected participation rate.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Football in Australia". Australia.gov.au. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2013. 
  2. ^ a b "4102.0 – Australian Social Trends, Jun 2011". Abs.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-08-01. 
  3. ^ "4156.0 – Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2011". Abs.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-08-01. 
  4. ^ a b c National Centre for Culture and Recreation Statistics, Australian Bureau of Statistics (July 2002). Sport Data on Participation and Attendance: How do Results from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Sweeney Research Compare?. Adelaide: Australian Sport Commission. p. 10. 
  5. ^ "More chase Sherrin than before". realfooty.com.au. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
  6. ^ "2011 Rugby League State of the Game Report". RugbyLeague.com.au. Retrieved 2011-08-31. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f John Bloomfield (1 July 2003). Australia's Sporting Success: The Inside Story. UNSW Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-86840-582-7. Retrieved 2 August 2012. 
  8. ^ a b Larissa Behrendt (1 March 2012). Indigenous Australia for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 347. ISBN 978-1-118-30844-8. Retrieved 2 August 2012. 
  9. ^ Larissa Behrendt (1 March 2012). Indigenous Australia for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 342. ISBN 978-1-118-30844-8. Retrieved 2 August 2012. 
  10. ^ a b c Larissa Behrendt (1 March 2012). Indigenous Australia for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 348. ISBN 978-1-118-30844-8. Retrieved 2 August 2012. 
  11. ^ Baum, Greg (24 May 2006). "Socceroos Dreaming". The Age. Retrieved 2 August 2008. 
  12. ^ Ian Craven (29 April 1994). Australian Popular Culture. Cambridge University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-521-46667-7. Retrieved 1 August 2012. 
  13. ^ Ian Craven (29 April 1994). Australian Popular Culture. Cambridge University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-521-46667-7. Retrieved 1 August 2012. 
  14. ^ a b James Jupp (11 May 2004). The English in Australia. Cambridge University Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-521-54295-1. Retrieved 1 August 2012. 
  15. ^ Ross Solly (1 November 2004). Shoot Out: Passion and Politics of Soccer's Fight for Survival in Australia. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-74031-093-2. Retrieved 1 August 2012. 
  16. ^ Anastasios Tamis (30 May 2005). The Greeks in Australia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 103–. ISBN 978-0-521-54743-7. Retrieved 1 August 2012. 
  17. ^ Paul Dimeo (1 September 2001). Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora. Psychology Press. pp. 147–. ISBN 978-0-7146-8170-2. Retrieved 1 August 2012. 
  18. ^ "Statistics » Attendance » 2011–12". Ultimate A-League. Retrieved 2012-06-06. 
  19. ^ "2011 AFL Crowds and Match Attendances". Footywire.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
  20. ^ "Rugby League Tables / Attendances". Stats.rleague.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
  21. ^ "Rugby League Tables / State Of Origin". Stats.rleague.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
  22. ^ Unknown, Unknown (1 January 2012). "Highest MCG Attendances All-Time". MCG.org.au. Retrieved 22 October 2012. 
  23. ^ Unknown, Unknown (1 January 2012). "ANZ Stadium: creating history every day". ANZstadium.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2012. 
  24. ^ Unknown, Unknown (1 January 2012). "WAFL results". WAFL.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2012. 
Australian football code crowds
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