Australian rules football in New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
in New South Wales
has been played since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the state, traditionally lags in popularity as a winter sport behind the rugby football
codes.
Despite having been played continuously in most areas of the state, Australian rules football has been virtually unknown in Sydney and northern New South Wales until the last two decades and these areas are generally considered to be behind the Barassi Line
. However, it has been popular in the Riverina
region (the part of NSW closest to Australian rules' birthplace in Victoria) for over a century.
The code's recent growth in popularity in Sydney
(where the majority of the state's population lives) has been inextricably tied to the success of the Sydney Swans
which moved to Sydney in 1982 and remain the state's only Australian Football League
(AFL) club. Since 1996, when it first made the Grand Final and its popularity peaked, the club has generated a small amount of media hype and public interest as well as participation for the sport. Due to successive finals appearances this interest has been sustained for all two seasons and again peaked in 2005 and 2006 with two successive Grand Final appearances and the first premiership since the club's relocation. Even at the height of its popularity, attributed by many to the image of the Swans, Aussie Rules has failed to generate a following among the Sydney working classes where rugby league
is most popular and competes heavily with rugby union
for support in the middle
and upper class
es and faces increasing competition with the participation and attendance growth of Association football in New South Wales
.
Australian regional rivalries
have played a large role in the Swans success in a national sporting competition. Ironically, however, these rivalries, particularly the cultural rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne also significantly hamper the sport's growth in New South Wales.
In 2008 the AFL stated their intention to establish a second team in Sydney by 2012, to be an expansion team
based in the western suburbs. However an Australian Senate
enquiry in to the Tasmanian AFL Bid
concluded that Sydney had "insurmountable cultural barriers" to the establishment of a second AFL team.
In Sydney, parts of northern New South Wales and to the majority of the state's population, the sport is almost always referred to as "AFL", but also often by a number of pejorative
s including "aerial ping pong" and profanities
.
In the Riverina region, it is often referred to simply as "Aussie rules", "Footy", or "Football".
was between the Waratah rugby club and the Carlton Football Club
in 1877, two days after a rugby game between the two clubs and 14 years after rugby was first played in the state.
Waratah and some others claimed that the Australian rules resulted in a more exciting game, but the rugby authorities repeatedly rejected suggestions to switch codes or even play intercolonial matches under alternating rules against Victoria
. In response, the proponents of the Australian game formed the NSW Football Association in 1880 and in 1881 the first Australian rules game between NSW and Victoria was played in Sydney. The NSWFA was small, with only a few clubs, including Waratah who switched code in 1882, and competition did not begin in earnest until 1889, when clubs competed for the Flanagan Cup. Having trouble gaining access to enclosed grounds, and therefore gate receipts, the association also had trouble with antagonism between its clubs, and it collapsed in 1893.
The NSW Football League was born on 12 February 1903 at a meeting held in the YMCA Hall in George St. The NSWFL promoted the game in schools and the Victorian Football League
(VFL) held premiership matches in Sydney in an effort to establish the code. In 1908, largely through the switch of codes by the talented Dally Messenger
, rugby league
established itself into the culture of Sydney, and although Australian football remained popular, the NSWFL was again denied access to enclosed grounds and the new professional code further drew players from the NSWFL. By 1911, Australian rules had achieved more support than rugby union, according to The Referee, but only because the main rival was now rugby league.
The Australian National Football carnival of 1933 was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Several matches drew large crowds, particularly those involving New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and West Australia.
Following the successful interstate football carnival, in 1933 a proposal by the New South Wales Rugby League
to amalgamate Australian football and rugby league was investigated and a report, with a set of proposed rules, known as Universal football
, was prepared by the secretary of the NSWRL, Harold R. Miller and sent to the Australian National Football Council. A trial game was held in secret, but the plans were never instituted.
Three of the original NSWFL clubs are still in existence and currently play in the Sydney AFL
— North Shore, East Sydney (now UNSW-ES
) and Balmain, but the league never grew to a substantial size or obtained significant support.
The first professional VFL/AFL players from Sydney and the Sydney AFL did not begin to emerge until the 1980s. Russell Morris
was one of the early players to make the grade, followed by Sanford Wheeler
, Greg Stafford
, Nick Davis
and Lenny Hayes
. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in AFL players coming from the Sydney region, and in 2007, a total of 11 AFL players identified themselves as coming from this region.
region of New South Wales in Wagga Wagga in 1881 with a match between sides from Wagga Wagga
and Albury
.
Subsequently, a local competition formed in 1884 around Wagga Wagga. The league went through many incarnations including the Murrumbidgee District Football Association (1897), Wagga United Football Association (1898–1921), Riverina Mainline Competition (1922–24), Rock and District Association (1925–1926), Wagga and District Association (1926), Wagga Football Association (1928–1957).
In these early days, the league produced champion players including Haydn Bunton, Sr.
.
The South Western District Football League commenced in 1894 and the Farrer Football League
commenced in 1957.
During the 1970s, the region produced many great footballers including the famous Daniher family, Terry Daniher
, Neale Daniher
, Anthony Daniher
and Chris Daniher
.
In 1982, at the instigation of the Victorian Country Football League
(who had jurisdiction over the area at the time), the South Western District Football League, the Farrer Football League
and the Central Riverina Football League were all combined into the Riverina Football League
and the Riverina District Football League. The district league reverted to the Farrer Football League
in 1985.
In 1995, these two leagues came under one umbrella of the Murrumbidgee Valley Australian Football Association.
Further south towards the Murray River, the Ovens & Murray Football League
including teams from Albury formed as the Ovens & Murray Football Association in the early 1900s. Clubs also formed in the smaller towns around 1900 and played ad hoc fixtures against each other, as well as organising formal competitions during the 1900s and 1910s in southern Riverina such as the Coreen & District Football League
(formed as the Coreen Football Association), the Hume Football League
and the Albury & District Football League. At the conclusion of the 2007 season the Coreen league was disbanded with most of its clubs joining the Hume league for the 2008 season.
In the modern era, the Riverina has produced a wealth of players for the VFL, including champion players including Wayne Carey
, Paul Kelly
, Dennis Carroll
, John Longmire
, Leo Barry
, Shane Crawford
and Brett Kirk
.
and Brent Staker
. http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/a_brief_history_of_football_in_broken_hill.htm
in 1883 when the Wallsend Football Club
was formed by miners from Ballarat.
In 1888, the Black Diamond Cup, Australia's oldest existing and active sporting trophy, was first awarded to the champion team in the region.
Five clubs were established in the Newcastle area: Newcastle City, Plattsburg, Northumberland, Lambton, and Singleton.
In 1883, a touring South Melbourne Football Club
defeated a combined Northern District team by only one goal.
In 1888, a touring Fitzroy Football Club
defeated Wallsend by 10 goals to 5.
The following year, Wallsend defeated Fitzroy.
area as late as 1978. The North Coast Australian Football League was formed in 1982 and has grown rapidly. The area has recently produced AFL players including Sam Gilbert
.
. It became the first club based outside of Victoria and represented the VFL
's first serious attempt to broaden the game's appeal, culminating in its extension into a national competition, the AFL.
On 31 July 1985, for what was thought to be $6.3 million, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten
"bought" the Swans. In reality it was $2.9 million in cash with funding and other payments spread over five years. Edelsten resigned as chairman within less than twelve months. By 1988 the licence was sold back to the VFL for ten dollars. Losses were in the millions. A group of financial backers including Mike Willessee, Basil Sellers, Peter Weinert and Craig Kimberley purchased the licence and bankrolled the club until 1993, when the AFL stepped in.
With substantial monetary and management support from the AFL, the club survived, and with player draft concessions in the early 1990s, has fielded a competitive team throughout the past decade.
In 1996 the Swans lost the grand final to North Melbourne
, which had been their first appearance in a grand final since 1945. The game was played in front of 93,102 at the MCG
.
Since 1996, the Swans have made the finals in each season except 2000, 2002 and 2009.
The culmination of the recent success is the 2005 premiership against the West Coast Eagles played in front of 91,898 at the MCG, taking the flag to Sydney for the first time and breaking a 72 year drought for the club from when it was based in South Melbourne It also broke the longest premiership drought in the history of the competition.
Despite the final success of the Swans, the former Melbourne based club struggled for many years to gain support of the Sydney public.
codes, particularly under new CEO Andrew Demetriou
.
A second team in Sydney is a key strategy of the AFL. North Melbourne
, who have been suggested as likely candidates for relocation, played several home games in Sydney in 1998. However poor crowds led to the Kangaroos abandoning this practice. The Western Bulldogs
have been also suggested as a candidate for relocation.
In 2005, the AFL went on a Sydney-centric recruitment drive, offering a NSW scholarships program and young apprentice scheme.
By 2007, at least two of the NSW/ACT scholarship recipients had been officially promoted to AFL rookie list
s, qualifying them for selection in the senior squad in the event of long term injury to listed players.
In 2008 the AFL stated their intention to establish a second team in Sydney, to be based in the western suburbs, as part of the expansion of the competition.
for Aussie Rules in NSW is AFL NSW/ACT
.
, born in Albury
, was the first player born in New South Wales to win the Brownlow Medal
and the Sandover Medal
, in 1931 and 1938 respectively. Shane Crawford
became the second player from New South Wales to the win the Brownlow in 1999. Wayne Carey
, who grew up in Wagga Wagga, is considered one of the greatest players of all-time.
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...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
has been played since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the state, traditionally lags in popularity as a winter sport behind the rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
codes.
Despite having been played continuously in most areas of the state, Australian rules football has been virtually unknown in Sydney and northern New South Wales until the last two decades and these areas are generally considered to be behind the Barassi Line
Barassi Line
The Barassi Line was first suggested by Professor Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture to refer to a dividing line in Australia that divides areas where Australian rules is the dominant winter code of football from those where rugby football codes are most popular...
. However, it has been popular in the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
region (the part of NSW closest to Australian rules' birthplace in Victoria) for over a century.
The code's recent growth in popularity in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(where the majority of the state's population lives) has been inextricably tied to the success of the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
which moved to Sydney in 1982 and remain the state's only Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL) club. Since 1996, when it first made the Grand Final and its popularity peaked, the club has generated a small amount of media hype and public interest as well as participation for the sport. Due to successive finals appearances this interest has been sustained for all two seasons and again peaked in 2005 and 2006 with two successive Grand Final appearances and the first premiership since the club's relocation. Even at the height of its popularity, attributed by many to the image of the Swans, Aussie Rules has failed to generate a following among the Sydney working classes where rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
is most popular and competes heavily with rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for support in the middle
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
and upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
es and faces increasing competition with the participation and attendance growth of Association football in New South Wales
Association football in New South Wales
Association football in New South Wales describes the sport of association football being played and watched by people in the state of New South Wales in Australia....
.
Australian regional rivalries
Australian regional rivalries
Australian regional rivalries refers to the rivalries between Australian cities or regions.-Sydney - Melbourne rivalry:There has been a long standing rivalry between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest cities in Australia...
have played a large role in the Swans success in a national sporting competition. Ironically, however, these rivalries, particularly the cultural rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne also significantly hamper the sport's growth in New South Wales.
In 2008 the AFL stated their intention to establish a second team in Sydney by 2012, to be an expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
based in the western suburbs. However an Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
enquiry in to the Tasmanian AFL Bid
Tasmanian AFL Bid
The bid to establish an Australian Football League team in the state of Tasmania has been ongoing, with fluctuating levels of support, since the then-Victorian Football League began its national expansion in the 1980s and 1990s....
concluded that Sydney had "insurmountable cultural barriers" to the establishment of a second AFL team.
In Sydney, parts of northern New South Wales and to the majority of the state's population, the sport is almost always referred to as "AFL", but also often by a number of pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
s including "aerial ping pong" and profanities
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
.
In the Riverina region, it is often referred to simply as "Aussie rules", "Footy", or "Football".
Sydney
The first recorded game of Australian rules football in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
was between the Waratah rugby club and the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in 1877, two days after a rugby game between the two clubs and 14 years after rugby was first played in the state.
Waratah and some others claimed that the Australian rules resulted in a more exciting game, but the rugby authorities repeatedly rejected suggestions to switch codes or even play intercolonial matches under alternating rules against Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. In response, the proponents of the Australian game formed the NSW Football Association in 1880 and in 1881 the first Australian rules game between NSW and Victoria was played in Sydney. The NSWFA was small, with only a few clubs, including Waratah who switched code in 1882, and competition did not begin in earnest until 1889, when clubs competed for the Flanagan Cup. Having trouble gaining access to enclosed grounds, and therefore gate receipts, the association also had trouble with antagonism between its clubs, and it collapsed in 1893.
The NSW Football League was born on 12 February 1903 at a meeting held in the YMCA Hall in George St. The NSWFL promoted the game in schools and the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL) held premiership matches in Sydney in an effort to establish the code. In 1908, largely through the switch of codes by the talented Dally Messenger
Dally Messenger
Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer, recognised as one of the greatest ever players in either code. Messenger, or 'The Master' as he was dubbed, represented his country in both rugby football codes, playing two rugby union tests and seven...
, rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
established itself into the culture of Sydney, and although Australian football remained popular, the NSWFL was again denied access to enclosed grounds and the new professional code further drew players from the NSWFL. By 1911, Australian rules had achieved more support than rugby union, according to The Referee, but only because the main rival was now rugby league.
The Australian National Football carnival of 1933 was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Several matches drew large crowds, particularly those involving New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and West Australia.
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
to amalgamate Australian football and rugby league was investigated and a report, with a set of proposed rules, known as Universal football
Universal football
Universal football was a proposed hybrid sport of Australian rules football and rugby league, trialled at the Sydney Showground in 1933. The game has not been played since that time....
, was prepared by the secretary of the NSWRL, Harold R. Miller and sent to the Australian National Football Council. A trial game was held in secret, but the plans were never instituted.
Three of the original NSWFL clubs are still in existence and currently play in the Sydney AFL
Sydney AFL
The "AFL Sydney" is an Australian rules football League, based in metropolitan Sydney, Australia.The AFL Sydney competition comprises 21 clubs playing across 5 senior divisions with 2 under 18 competitions.-History:...
— North Shore, East Sydney (now UNSW-ES
UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs is an Australian rules football club competing in the Sydney AFL league. The club is based out of the Sydney eastern suburbs in New South Wales and is affiliated with the University of New South Wales.-History:...
) and Balmain, but the league never grew to a substantial size or obtained significant support.
The first professional VFL/AFL players from Sydney and the Sydney AFL did not begin to emerge until the 1980s. Russell Morris
Russell Morris (footballer)
Russell Morris is a former Australian rules footballer.Morris was recruited from the North Shore Bombers in New South Wales. As a child he grew up supporting the Richmond Football Club in the VFL....
was one of the early players to make the grade, followed by Sanford Wheeler
Sanford Wheeler
Sanford Wheeler is a former Australian rules football player for the Sydney Swans....
, Greg Stafford
Greg Stafford (footballer)
Gregory "Greg" Stafford is a retired Australian professional Australian rules football player who played for the Sydney Swans and the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Sydney career:...
, Nick Davis
Nick Davis (footballer)
Nick Davis is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the AFL.- Collingwood:...
and Lenny Hayes
Lenny Hayes
Lenny Hayes is a professional Australian rules footballer playing with St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League.Hayes is a former captain of St Kilda and continues to be an onfield leader in the Saints' midfield....
. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in AFL players coming from the Sydney region, and in 2007, a total of 11 AFL players identified themselves as coming from this region.
Riverina
Australian Football was introduced to the RiverinaRiverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
region of New South Wales in Wagga Wagga in 1881 with a match between sides from Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
and Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
.
Subsequently, a local competition formed in 1884 around Wagga Wagga. The league went through many incarnations including the Murrumbidgee District Football Association (1897), Wagga United Football Association (1898–1921), Riverina Mainline Competition (1922–24), Rock and District Association (1925–1926), Wagga and District Association (1926), Wagga Football Association (1928–1957).
In these early days, the league produced champion players including Haydn Bunton, Sr.
Haydn Bunton, Sr.
Haydn William Bunton was an Australian rules football player and coach. He is regarded by some historians and observers of Australian rules as its greatest-ever player.-Playing career:...
.
The South Western District Football League commenced in 1894 and the Farrer Football League
Farrer Football League
The Farrer Football Netball League is a semi-professional Australian rules football and netball competition containing eight clubs based in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The league features three grades in the Australian rules football competition, these being seniors, reserves...
commenced in 1957.
During the 1970s, the region produced many great footballers including the famous Daniher family, Terry Daniher
Terry Daniher
Terrence "Terry" John Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the South Melbourne and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League . Terry was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon, Collingwood, St Kilda and Carlton Football Clubs. Terry's brothers, Neale,...
, Neale Daniher
Neale Daniher
Neale Francis Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League . Neale was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon and Fremantle Football Clubs and the Coach of the Victorian State Team and the Melbourne Football Club...
, Anthony Daniher
Anthony Daniher
Anthony Joseph Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the South Melbourne/Sydney and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League . Anthony's brothers, Terry, Neale and Chris, also played for Essendon in the AFL...
and Chris Daniher
Chris Daniher
Christopher "Chris" James Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League . His brothers Terry, Neale and Anthony also played for Essendon in the AFL...
.
In 1982, at the instigation of the Victorian Country Football League
Victorian Country Football League
The Victorian Country Football League is the governing body for Australian rules football in Victoria outside of metropolitan Melbourne on behalf of AFL Victoria...
(who had jurisdiction over the area at the time), the South Western District Football League, the Farrer Football League
Farrer Football League
The Farrer Football Netball League is a semi-professional Australian rules football and netball competition containing eight clubs based in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The league features three grades in the Australian rules football competition, these being seniors, reserves...
and the Central Riverina Football League were all combined into the Riverina Football League
Riverina Football League
The Riverina Football Netball League is a semi-professional Australian rules football and netball competition containing nine clubs based in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The league features three grades in the Australian rules football competition, these being seniors,...
and the Riverina District Football League. The district league reverted to the Farrer Football League
Farrer Football League
The Farrer Football Netball League is a semi-professional Australian rules football and netball competition containing eight clubs based in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The league features three grades in the Australian rules football competition, these being seniors, reserves...
in 1985.
In 1995, these two leagues came under one umbrella of the Murrumbidgee Valley Australian Football Association.
Further south towards the Murray River, the Ovens & Murray Football League
Ovens & Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football League, often referred to locally as the O&M, is a semi-professional Australian rules football league based around ten clubs in north-eastern Victoria and the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, and affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League...
including teams from Albury formed as the Ovens & Murray Football Association in the early 1900s. Clubs also formed in the smaller towns around 1900 and played ad hoc fixtures against each other, as well as organising formal competitions during the 1900s and 1910s in southern Riverina such as the Coreen & District Football League
Coreen & District Football League
The Coreen & District Football League was an Australian rules football competition in the Coreen district of the Riverina in New South Wales. The league was disbanded at the end of the 2007 season after 98 years of competition...
(formed as the Coreen Football Association), the Hume Football League
Hume Football League
The Hume Football League is an Australian rules football competition in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, with clubs coming from a number of farming communities. Some players also come from the city of Albury, which is at the south of the area covered by the league...
and the Albury & District Football League. At the conclusion of the 2007 season the Coreen league was disbanded with most of its clubs joining the Hume league for the 2008 season.
In the modern era, the Riverina has produced a wealth of players for the VFL, including champion players including Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne and Adelaide Football Clubs in the Australian Football League ....
, Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (footballer)
Paul Kelly is a former Australian rules footballer, winner of the Brownlow Medal and captain of the Sydney Swans for ten seasons. He was and still is known to Swans fans everywhere as "Captain Courageous"....
, Dennis Carroll
Dennis Carroll
Dennis Carroll is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Sydney Football Club in the Victoria Football League ....
, John Longmire
John Longmire
John Longmire is the current coach of the Sydney Swans. As a player, he represented the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League from 1988 to 1999.-Early years:...
, Leo Barry
Leo Barry
Leo Barry is a retired Australian rules footballer in the AFL with the Sydney Swans.Originally from Deniliquin, New South Wales, he attended St Ignatius' College, Riverview before being drafted as a zone selection in the 1994 National Draft and making his debut in the final round of the 1995...
, Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...
and Brett Kirk
Brett Kirk
Brett Kirk is a former Australian rules football player of the Sydney Swans, and is known colloquially as "Kirky", "Captain Kirk", during the 2005 AFL Finals Series, "Captain Blood" and by teammates as "Hippy". Kirk is a hard working and onfield leader who has played in a premiership with the...
.
Western New South Wales
Australian football was first played in Broken Hill in 1885 between Day Dream and Silverton. Informal competition began in 1888 between 4 clubs. The Barrier Ranges Football Association formed in 1890, which later became the Broken Hill Football League. In recent years, the area has produced such players as Dean SolomonDean Solomon
Dean Solomon is retired Australian rules footballer. He played for the Fremantle Dockers and the Essendon Bombers in his 13 year, 209 games and a premiership career.-Early career:...
and Brent Staker
Brent Staker
Brent Staker is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL, who plays for the Brisbane Lions.-Early life:Staker grew up in Broken Hill in remote country New South Wales....
. http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/a_brief_history_of_football_in_broken_hill.htm
Newcastle
Australian football was introduced to Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
in 1883 when the Wallsend Football Club
Wallsend Football Club
Wallsend Football Club is a football club in Australia.- Colours :The original club colours consisted of red shirts with a golden sash, white shorts and red and white socks. This strip was worn by the Wallsend Rovers, the original club name in 1887. The presence of red and white has been...
was formed by miners from Ballarat.
In 1888, the Black Diamond Cup, Australia's oldest existing and active sporting trophy, was first awarded to the champion team in the region.
Five clubs were established in the Newcastle area: Newcastle City, Plattsburg, Northumberland, Lambton, and Singleton.
In 1883, a touring South Melbourne Football Club
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
defeated a combined Northern District team by only one goal.
In 1888, a touring Fitzroy Football Club
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
defeated Wallsend by 10 goals to 5.
The following year, Wallsend defeated Fitzroy.
North Coast
The game was first played in the Coffs HarbourCoffs Harbour, New South Wales
-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...
area as late as 1978. The North Coast Australian Football League was formed in 1982 and has grown rapidly. The area has recently produced AFL players including Sam Gilbert
Sam Gilbert
Sam Gilbert is a professional Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Early life:Gilbert is a rugby league convert who didn’t start playing AFL until he was 16 years old...
.
Sydney Swans & National Competition
The debt ridden South Melbourne Football Club moved to Sydney in 1982 and was renamed the Sydney SwansSydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
. It became the first club based outside of Victoria and represented the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
's first serious attempt to broaden the game's appeal, culminating in its extension into a national competition, the AFL.
On 31 July 1985, for what was thought to be $6.3 million, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten
Geoffrey Edelsten
Geoffrey Walter Edelsten is an Australian medical entrepreneur. He was the first private owner of a major Australian football team when he bought the Sydney Swans Football Club in 1985. Edelsten was formerly a general practitioner, but was deregistered in New South Wales in 1988 and also in...
"bought" the Swans. In reality it was $2.9 million in cash with funding and other payments spread over five years. Edelsten resigned as chairman within less than twelve months. By 1988 the licence was sold back to the VFL for ten dollars. Losses were in the millions. A group of financial backers including Mike Willessee, Basil Sellers, Peter Weinert and Craig Kimberley purchased the licence and bankrolled the club until 1993, when the AFL stepped in.
With substantial monetary and management support from the AFL, the club survived, and with player draft concessions in the early 1990s, has fielded a competitive team throughout the past decade.
In 1996 the Swans lost the grand final to North Melbourne
Kangaroos Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
, which had been their first appearance in a grand final since 1945. The game was played in front of 93,102 at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
.
Since 1996, the Swans have made the finals in each season except 2000, 2002 and 2009.
The culmination of the recent success is the 2005 premiership against the West Coast Eagles played in front of 91,898 at the MCG, taking the flag to Sydney for the first time and breaking a 72 year drought for the club from when it was based in South Melbourne It also broke the longest premiership drought in the history of the competition.
Despite the final success of the Swans, the former Melbourne based club struggled for many years to gain support of the Sydney public.
Modern era
The Australian Football League has expressed intentions to invest in junior development in the growing Sydney market, particularly in Sydney's west and compete head on with the established rugby footballRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
codes, particularly under new CEO Andrew Demetriou
Andrew Demetriou
Andrew Demetriou is the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League and a former Australian rules footballer. He is the youngest son of Greek-Cypriot immigrants and, before becoming a VFL player, he worked in the dental import industry...
.
A second team in Sydney is a key strategy of the AFL. North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
, who have been suggested as likely candidates for relocation, played several home games in Sydney in 1998. However poor crowds led to the Kangaroos abandoning this practice. The Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
have been also suggested as a candidate for relocation.
In 2005, the AFL went on a Sydney-centric recruitment drive, offering a NSW scholarships program and young apprentice scheme.
By 2007, at least two of the NSW/ACT scholarship recipients had been officially promoted to AFL rookie list
Rookie list
The Rookie List is a means for Australian Football League clubs to maintain additional players outside of the 38-man primary or senior list. Rookie listed players are not eligibile to play in AFL home and away or finals matches unless they are elevated to the senior list, either to replace a...
s, qualifying them for selection in the senior squad in the event of long term injury to listed players.
In 2008 the AFL stated their intention to establish a second team in Sydney, to be based in the western suburbs, as part of the expansion of the competition.
Governing Body
The governing bodySport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for Aussie Rules in NSW is AFL NSW/ACT
AFL NSW/ACT
AFL NSW/ACT is the governing body of Australian rules football in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.The body is officially affiliated with the Australian Football League.-External links:*...
.
Participation
In 2007, there were 7,225 senior players in NSW/ACT and in 2006 a total of around 95,100 participants. Although this makes Aussie Rules Footy one of the fastest growing sports in the state, the overall participation per capita is only about 1%, the lowest in Australia. http://afl.com.au/cp2/c2/webi/article/205058bu.pdf. The Australian Bureau of Statistics "Children's Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities, Australia, Apr 2009" estimated 18,000 AFL participants in NSW and 1,400 AFL participants in the ACT.(table 22)Attendance Record
- 72,393 (2003). AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
Sydney SwansSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
v. CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. (Telstra StadiumTelstra StadiumStadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
, SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
).
Major Australian Rules Events in New South Wales
- Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
Premiership Season (Sydney Swans) - Annual Exhibition Match (North Sydney Oval) Sydney Swans vs Essendon
Notable players from New South Wales
A number of notable players have been born in New South Wales or played the majority of their careers in New South Wales. Haydn Bunton, Sr.Haydn Bunton, Sr.
Haydn William Bunton was an Australian rules football player and coach. He is regarded by some historians and observers of Australian rules as its greatest-ever player.-Playing career:...
, born in Albury
Albury
-Places:*Albury, New South Wales, Australia** Electoral district of Albury is an electoral district in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, based around the area.*Albury, Hertfordshire, England*Albury, Oxfordshire, England*Albury, Surrey, England...
, was the first player born in New South Wales to win the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
and the Sandover Medal
Sandover Medal
The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League...
, in 1931 and 1938 respectively. Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...
became the second player from New South Wales to the win the Brownlow in 1999. Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne and Adelaide Football Clubs in the Australian Football League ....
, who grew up in Wagga Wagga, is considered one of the greatest players of all-time.
Representative Side
The NSW/ACT representative team have played State of Origin test matches against all other Australian states, as well as being part of a combined "Allies" side. They still play at U18 level.- See Also Interstate matches in Australian rules footballInterstate matches in Australian rules footballAustralian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
Principal venues
- Sydney Cricket GroundSydney Cricket GroundThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
- Telstra StadiumTelstra StadiumStadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
, Sydney - North Sydney OvalNorth Sydney Oval-Development:* The first cricket pitch was laid on 6 December 1867, making it one of the oldest cricket grounds in Australia.* The first structure built, in 1879, was a simple pavilion overlooking the cricket ground...
- Bruce Purser Reserve
- Ern Holmes Oval
- Henson Park
- Picken Oval
- Village Green
- Drummoyne Oval
- Gore Hill Oval
- North Dalton Park
- Olds Park
- Sydney University No.1 Oval
External links
- The Hidden Story of Australian Rules in Sydney
- NSW Footy History
- Australian Rules Almost Held Sydney
- NSW Team of the Century from Full Points Footy
- Sydney Australian Football Foundation - non profit organisation assisting development of the code in Sydney