Australian rules football in Scotland
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
is currently played by a three-team league in Scotland
, with clubs in Glasgow
, Aberdeen
and Edinburgh
forming the Scottish Australian Rules Football League. The Current Premiers are the Edinburgh Old Town Bloods and the current wooden spooners are the Aberdeen Dingoes
during the early 20th Century, famously referred to in A Game of their Own, where a number of expatriate Australians were based in Scotland either as Ship Workers or Soldiers. Had this league existed, and there is no proof it ever did, then it had died out around the time of the First World War
.
An "Edinburgh Australians' Club" existed in the years between 1870 and the First World War
as large numbers of Australians were studying in Glasgow
and Edinburgh
, including some who had played Australian rules football with clubs in the Victorian Football Association, and at one time four Australian test cricketers. On Saturday 14 April 1888, the Edinburgh Australians, having travelled down to England
to play an Australian Rules game against the University of London
at Balham, lost the match two goals to four. Early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University. Arthur Shrewsbury
, organiser of a tour of Scottish and English rugby players who had toured Australia in 1888
playing under both rugby rules and Australian rules football
, suggested that the Edinburgh Australians team at the University of Edinburgh
should travel down to England to meet the Australian team in a series of demonstration matches in Lancashire and Yorkshire, although this plan did not eventuate.
Champion Australian Rules players who were members of the Edinburgh Australians Club over the next decade or two were Victorian premiership players RH Morrison, AB Timms
and GF Read (Geelong); Colin Campbell and ‘Gus’ Kearney ( Essendon). Other prominent players were J (Jos) Adams (Melbourne, Essendon and Geelong), J Pender, AE Syme (Essendon); FJ Clendinnen and AW Marwood (Melbourne).
In addition there were many prominent Public School players such as WC and CC Macknight, SW Pitcher, WE O’Hara, DA Robinson, DGM Teague, W Scott, LG Pearson, HW Bryant, (son of ‘Jerry’ Bryant the publican who organised one of the first games in Melbourne), CS and CG Ryan (Melbourne Grammar), CG Timms, I Glassford (Geelong College), D Gordon, J & P Russell, AH Rutherford, RC Irvine (Geelong Grammar), GM Munro, R Fetherstone, CL Carter, T Fitchett, HF Lawrence (Wesley), Ramsay Mailer, HE Jackson and DJ Macrae (Scotch College).
Testimony to the existence of the Edinburgh Australians Club are early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University.
and Victoria
in the mid-19th century were greatly involved in the formation of the rules of the game, as well as the formation of a number of early clubs. The very first competition and trophy in 1861 was the instigation of the Royal Caledonian
Society and known as the Caledonian Challenge Cup. One club formed by Scots was the still-existing Essendon Bombers in the elite Australian Football League
in Melbourne
, Australia
.
The now-defunct Glasgow Redbacks
wore black jumpers with a red diagonal stripe across the front, the same as worn by Essendon Football Club. This is said to recognise the Scottish roots of Essendon, which was formed in 1871 by a Scots family who had moved to Melbourne.
Thomas Leather
is the first known Scottish born player to have appeared in the Australian Football League
and Sean Wight
the most recent.
In 2006, Glasgow and Edinburgh considered competing in the BARFL Regional competition, though travel problems saw them continue an expanded SARFL local competition with the Glasgow Redbacks and Middlesbrough Hawks from northern England joining the league. The Hawks left the league in 2007 to join the northern division of Aussie Rules UK
, and the Scottish league had difficulty in operating on more than a social match level in 2008.
The league was relaunched in 2009, with the Glasgow and Edinburgh playing bases consolidated to one club in each city. They were joined by a new club in Aberdeen, named the "Aberdingoes".
The Scottish Puffins have competed at some tournaments as a stand-alone team, but are currently officially represented by the Great Britain Bulldogs. There has been speculation that they may compete as a separate team at the Australian Football International Cup
in future, but this has not been confirmed at any official level.
There are also moves to form further clubs in Stirling, Perth
and Dundee.
in London on 9 October 2005 and then again at the EU Cup in Prague, 2008.
Classification Match
Scotland also competed at the 2008 EU Cup in Prague.
and British Eurosport are the current holders of the British rights to the Australian Football League (AFL). ESPN shows three live games each round of the season including the playoffs and the AFL Grand Final
. Eurosport shows one game a week but the coverage is delayed.
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...
is currently played by a three-team league in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with clubs in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
forming the Scottish Australian Rules Football League. The Current Premiers are the Edinburgh Old Town Bloods and the current wooden spooners are the Aberdeen Dingoes
Early history
There are rumours of a competition near the River ClydeRiver Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
during the early 20th Century, famously referred to in A Game of their Own, where a number of expatriate Australians were based in Scotland either as Ship Workers or Soldiers. Had this league existed, and there is no proof it ever did, then it had died out around the time of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
An "Edinburgh Australians' Club" existed in the years between 1870 and the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as large numbers of Australians were studying in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, including some who had played Australian rules football with clubs in the Victorian Football Association, and at one time four Australian test cricketers. On Saturday 14 April 1888, the Edinburgh Australians, having travelled down to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to play an Australian Rules game against the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
at Balham, lost the match two goals to four. Early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University. Arthur Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury was an English cricketer, and rugby football administrator, who organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888, and who was widely rated as competing with W. G...
, organiser of a tour of Scottish and English rugby players who had toured Australia in 1888
1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The 1888 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was a series of rugby union games played by an unofficial British team against invitational teams in New Zealand and Australia...
playing under both rugby rules and 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...
, suggested that the Edinburgh Australians team at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
should travel down to England to meet the Australian team in a series of demonstration matches in Lancashire and Yorkshire, although this plan did not eventuate.
Champion Australian Rules players who were members of the Edinburgh Australians Club over the next decade or two were Victorian premiership players RH Morrison, AB Timms
Alec Boswell Timms
Alec Boswell Timms was an Australian-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Edinburgh Wanderers and Edinburgh University. Timms played international rugby for Scotland and was selected for the British Isles team on its 1899 tour of Australia.-Personal history:Timms was...
and GF Read (Geelong); Colin Campbell and ‘Gus’ Kearney ( Essendon). Other prominent players were J (Jos) Adams (Melbourne, Essendon and Geelong), J Pender, AE Syme (Essendon); FJ Clendinnen and AW Marwood (Melbourne).
In addition there were many prominent Public School players such as WC and CC Macknight, SW Pitcher, WE O’Hara, DA Robinson, DGM Teague, W Scott, LG Pearson, HW Bryant, (son of ‘Jerry’ Bryant the publican who organised one of the first games in Melbourne), CS and CG Ryan (Melbourne Grammar), CG Timms, I Glassford (Geelong College), D Gordon, J & P Russell, AH Rutherford, RC Irvine (Geelong Grammar), GM Munro, R Fetherstone, CL Carter, T Fitchett, HF Lawrence (Wesley), Ramsay Mailer, HE Jackson and DJ Macrae (Scotch College).
Testimony to the existence of the Edinburgh Australians Club are early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University.
Scottish involvement in early years of Australian rules in Melbourne
Scots living in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and 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 the mid-19th century were greatly involved in the formation of the rules of the game, as well as the formation of a number of early clubs. The very first competition and trophy in 1861 was the instigation of the Royal Caledonian
Caledonians
The Caledonians , or Caledonian Confederacy, is a name given by historians to a group of indigenous peoples of what is now Scotland during the Iron Age and Roman eras. The Romans referred to their territory as Caledonia and initially included them as Britons, but later distinguished as the Picts...
Society and known as the Caledonian Challenge Cup. One club formed by Scots was the still-existing Essendon Bombers in the elite 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...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The now-defunct Glasgow Redbacks
Glasgow Redbacks
-History:The Redbacks formed for the 2006 Scottish Australian Rules Football League season. Its first season saw the club make the finals series in the newly expanded league format and achieve a higher league position than their crosstown and longer established rivals, the Glasgow Sharks...
wore black jumpers with a red diagonal stripe across the front, the same as worn by Essendon Football Club. This is said to recognise the Scottish roots of Essendon, which was formed in 1871 by a Scots family who had moved to Melbourne.
Thomas Leather
Thomas Leather
Thomas William Leather was an Australian first-class cricketer who represented Victoria. He also played Australian rules football with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League ....
is the first known Scottish born player to have appeared in the 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...
and Sean Wight
Sean Wight
John Phillip "Sean" Wight was a Scottish-Australian Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL.He is a member of the Melbourne Football Club Hall of Fame and was named as one of the 150 Heroes of the club during the club's 150th celebrations.The 185 cm tall, 85 kg Wight played for the...
the most recent.
Modern era
During the 1990s the Caledonian Sharks were set up by John Boland, but eventually folded. The first lasting Scottish club of the modern era was known as the Edinburgh Puffins in 2003 with informal matches held, and invitiationals of clubs from the British Australian Rules Football League. The Edinburgh Puffins and modern SARFL came about through the work of Andrew Butler and Richard Prentice, former players with BARFL side, North London Lions. Butler and Prentice began plans for the SARFL in the winter of 2002/2003. Intra city friendlies began in early 2003 and a combined rules match against Edinburgh Gaelic side Dunedin Connolleys. The Puffins made their debut in the 2003 Northern Cup tournament staged in St Helens. The side remained unbeaten against the then St Helens Miners and Wandsworth Demons. Later in 2003, the Puffins staged a home and away series against Oxford University winning both hard fought games. The inaugural SARFL season was held in 2004 with a league consisting of two sides in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow. The Puffins name, originally conceived by inaugural Edinburgh Puffins coach Gavin England was subsequently conferred upon the Scottish national team.In 2006, Glasgow and Edinburgh considered competing in the BARFL Regional competition, though travel problems saw them continue an expanded SARFL local competition with the Glasgow Redbacks and Middlesbrough Hawks from northern England joining the league. The Hawks left the league in 2007 to join the northern division of Aussie Rules UK
Aussie Rules UK
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...
, and the Scottish league had difficulty in operating on more than a social match level in 2008.
The league was relaunched in 2009, with the Glasgow and Edinburgh playing bases consolidated to one club in each city. They were joined by a new club in Aberdeen, named the "Aberdingoes".
The Scottish Puffins have competed at some tournaments as a stand-alone team, but are currently officially represented by the Great Britain Bulldogs. There has been speculation that they may compete as a separate team at the Australian Football International Cup
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup is an international sport competition in Australian rules football...
in future, but this has not been confirmed at any official level.
Current Clubs
The following teams are currently active in Scotland:- Edinburgh Bloods 2003-
- Glasgow SharksGlasgow SharksThe Glasgow Sharks is Australian rules football club in Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The Sharks were formed in late 2003 by Australian Andrew Butler and local rent-boy Mick Tonner, entering the Scottish Australian Rules Football League for the 2004 season...
2004- - Aberdeen Dingoes 2009-
There are also moves to form further clubs in Stirling, Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
and Dundee.
Grand Finals
| Year | Scotland |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Edinburgh Old Town 24.25 (269) d Glasgow 2.4 (16) |
| 2005 | Edinburgh Old Town 12.11 (83) d Glasgow 1.7 (13) |
| 2006 | Edinburgh University Bodysnatchers 11.9 (75) d Edinburgh Old Town Bloods 10.3 (63) |
Scotland in EU Cup
Scotland competed at the inaugural EU CupEU Cup
thumb|Logo of the 2007 EU CupThe EU Cup is an international Australian rules football tournament played between European national teams. Played under 9-a-side Footy rules, the tournament was first held at Chiswick Rugby Club in London, England in 2005 as an extension of the Central European...
in London on 9 October 2005 and then again at the EU Cup in Prague, 2008.
- Scotland [15] 8.7 (70) d. France [30] 3.4 (52)
- Sweden [10] 10.3 (73) d. Scotland [15] 2.4 (31)
- England [22] 6.5 (63) d. Scotland [15] 4.2 (41)
- Netherlands [8] 8.8 (64) d. Scotland [15] 4.5 (44)
Classification Match
- Scotland [15] 3.3 (36) d. Austria [5] 2.1 (18)
Scotland also competed at the 2008 EU Cup in Prague.
Television
ESPN (UK)ESPN (UK)
ESPN is a sports television channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland owned by American sports broadcaster ESPN Inc. The channel launched on 3 August 2009...
and British Eurosport are the current holders of the British rights to the Australian Football League (AFL). ESPN shows three live games each round of the season including the playoffs and the AFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
. Eurosport shows one game a week but the coverage is delayed.
See also
- Sean WightSean WightJohn Phillip "Sean" Wight was a Scottish-Australian Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL.He is a member of the Melbourne Football Club Hall of Fame and was named as one of the 150 Heroes of the club during the club's 150th celebrations.The 185 cm tall, 85 kg Wight played for the...
, Glasgow born player for Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria.... - Alec Boswell TimmsAlec Boswell TimmsAlec Boswell Timms was an Australian-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Edinburgh Wanderers and Edinburgh University. Timms played international rugby for Scotland and was selected for the British Isles team on its 1899 tour of Australia.-Personal history:Timms was...
, Melbourne born player for Geelong Football ClubGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
later became a noted rugby union player for and the British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...