Aussie Rules UK
Encyclopedia
Aussie Rules UK was a United Kingdom
organisation
set up in April 2005 to introduce children in the UK to Australian rules football
via an adaptation of the sport for use in schools. From 2007 until 2009, Aussie Rules UK also ran a senior competition, entitled the Aussie Rules UK National League, although this has now been merged with AFL Britain
.
It was part of Aussie Rules International
.
Aussie Rules UK was based in the offices of Sport England
, the Government agency responsible for providing the strategic lead for sport in England. The Aussie Rules Schools program is an introduction to the sport in UK schools.
Trained Aussie Rules UK coaches visit schools for a day or part of a day to deliver PE lessons using a form of Australian football that can be played by boys and girls of all ages, and offer an alternative to traditional team sports. Alternatively, an inset programme can be delivered to teachers so that they may add Aussie Rules to their curriculum.
Aussie Rules was included as a demonstration sport in the London
Youth Games at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
on Sunday, 3 July 2005. Four teams competed for the right to hold aloft the inaugural 'Aussie Rules Cup.' Aussie Rules was also included in the London Youth Games in July 2006.
local leagues located in northeastern England, southern England and Wales.
. Thanet folded after the 2007 season, but were replaced in 2008 by the Chippenham Redbacks, a new club who were based largely around players from the recently defunct Swindon Devils. The league gained new side the Portsmouth Pirates
for 2009, but lost Brighton. The league is now the AFL Britain Southern Division. In 2011 the league grew again to six teams with the addition of the Guildford Crows Aussie Rules FC
.
, but the Welsh sides struggled initially for player numbers in 2007 and games were held irregularly. 2008 saw the league restructure as an organisation called the Welsh Australian Rules Football League
, independent from Aussie Rules UK.
, Huddersfield Rams
, Leeds Bombers and Liverpool Eagles competing. Some of these clubs still compete in the AFL Britain Central & North West Division, together with former BARFL Social League clubs Manchester Mosquitoes and Nottingham Scorpions and new clubs Wolverhampton Wolverines, Hull Mariners and Sheffield Thunder.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
organisation
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
set up in April 2005 to introduce children in the UK to Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
via an adaptation of the sport for use in schools. From 2007 until 2009, Aussie Rules UK also ran a senior competition, entitled the Aussie Rules UK National League, although this has now been merged with AFL Britain
AFL Britain
The AFL Britain is the governing body for Australian rules football in England, formed in 2008. The organisation is the successor to the British Australian Rules Football League, whose clubs became the AFL London upon creation of the new national body....
.
It was part of Aussie Rules International
Aussie Rules International
Aussie Rules International promotes and develops the sport of Australian rules football internationally. Committed to working with all stakeholders to assist the international growth of the sport, its focus is on:...
.
Schools Program and Junior Development
Two of the stated "major aims" in introducing Aussie Rules Football to the UK were to:- Combat the growing rise of obesityObesityObesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
amongst children in the UK (under the slogan "Get a Kick out of life!") - Reduce the number of underprivileged children who get into trouble with the law ("Kids in Sport are not in Court")
Aussie Rules UK was based in the offices of Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, the Government agency responsible for providing the strategic lead for sport in England. The Aussie Rules Schools program is an introduction to the sport in UK schools.
Trained Aussie Rules UK coaches visit schools for a day or part of a day to deliver PE lessons using a form of Australian football that can be played by boys and girls of all ages, and offer an alternative to traditional team sports. Alternatively, an inset programme can be delivered to teachers so that they may add Aussie Rules to their curriculum.
Carnival Days/Youth Games
Aussie Rules UK also offers Carnival Days, which usually involve a minimum of 4 schools and are the culmination of a program of 4 weeks duration to introduce the sport. It is intended that the skills and interest that might be inculcated are encouraged to continue beyond the initial 4 weeks of the program.Aussie Rules was included as a demonstration sport in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Youth Games at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
on Sunday, 3 July 2005. Four teams competed for the right to hold aloft the inaugural 'Aussie Rules Cup.' Aussie Rules was also included in the London Youth Games in July 2006.
Senior Development
The Aussie Rules UK National League was launched in 2007 featuring three 9-a-side9-a-side Footy
Nine-a-side footy is a sport based on Australian rules football played informally by Aussie Rules clubs but not yet an official sport in its own right....
local leagues located in northeastern England, southern England and Wales.
Northern
The Northern Division began with four teams, the Middlesbrough Hawks, Hartlepool Dockers, Durham Swans and Newcastle Centurions. In 2009, new team Gateshead Miners entered the league, whilst the Durham club changed its name to the Durham Saints. The league has now become the AFL Britain North East Division.Southern
The Southern Division initially featured the Southampton Titans, Bournemouth Demons, Thanet Bombers and two sides affiliated with the London Swans, one as the Brighton Black Swans, and the second keeping the club's original name Sussex Swans and playing in the club's original home of CrawleyCrawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
. Thanet folded after the 2007 season, but were replaced in 2008 by the Chippenham Redbacks, a new club who were based largely around players from the recently defunct Swindon Devils. The league gained new side the Portsmouth Pirates
Portsmouth Pirates
The Portsmouth Pirates are an Australian Rules Football team based in Portsmouth, England.They play in the English Australian Rules Southern Football League under a 9-a-side footy rules format.- History :...
for 2009, but lost Brighton. The league is now the AFL Britain Southern Division. In 2011 the league grew again to six teams with the addition of the Guildford Crows Aussie Rules FC
Guildford Crows Aussie Rules FC
The Guildford Crows Aussie Rules FC are an Australian rules football club based in Guildford, England.-History:The Guildford Crows were formed in 2010...
.
Welsh
The Welsh division began with four sides in south Wales and the Swindon Devils from England's West CountryWest Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
, but the Welsh sides struggled initially for player numbers in 2007 and games were held irregularly. 2008 saw the league restructure as an organisation called the Welsh Australian Rules Football League
Welsh Australian Rules Football League
Australian Rules Football has been played on an organised basis in Wales since 2007, with the league and representative teams run and managed by the Welsh Australian Rules Football League who is the controlling body of the sport in the country...
, independent from Aussie Rules UK.
Central
The Central Division began play in 2009, with the Birmingham BearsBirmingham Bears
Birmingham Bears are an Australian rules football team in the city of Birmingham, England. The Bears were set up in the Winter of 2008/2009 to play in the Aussie Rules UK Walkabout National League in 2009 under a 9-a-side format.- History :...
, Huddersfield Rams
Huddersfield Rams Aussie Rules
Huddersfield Rams are an Australian Rules Football team, based in the West Yorkshire town of Huddersfield, England. They were formed in 2008 by Karl Haigh, who was introduced to the sport when traveling in Australia....
, Leeds Bombers and Liverpool Eagles competing. Some of these clubs still compete in the AFL Britain Central & North West Division, together with former BARFL Social League clubs Manchester Mosquitoes and Nottingham Scorpions and new clubs Wolverhampton Wolverines, Hull Mariners and Sheffield Thunder.