Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
in the Australian Capital Territory
has a history dating back to the formation of the territory in the 1910s.
Traditionally, Canberra was considered to be one of the points which define the Barassi Line
, however the popularity of Australian rules football suffered substantially when teams from the national competitions were introduced in both rugby union
and rugby league
. Due to its proximity to Sydney
, Canberra is a state with support for multiple football
codes, including rugby union
, rugby league
, soccer and Australian rules football
.
Despite Canberra not having a locally based team in the AFL
(and never having officially bid for one), the AFL does schedule occasional matches in the city. It remains a popular sport and as well as a strong local competition, national competition games are played there by neutral AFL sides.
1911 saw the first recorded match of Australian Rules in Canberra
between the Royal Military College
and employees of the Home Affairs Department
.
Three teams (Canberra, Duntroon and Federals) contested matches at the Acton Racecourse (now covered by Lake Burley Griffin
) and at Blanfordia (now Manuka Oval
).
In 1924, the first regular league was formed in the ACT, named the Federal Territory Australian Rules Football League.
New clubs gradually entered the league, when in 1927 it became known as the Canberra Australian National Football League (CANFL).
In 1931, the Canberra Australian National Junior League was formed.
Gate takings increased by 40% in 1975, and the CANFL changed to ACTAFL.
Australian rules football was a very popular sport in the territory until the expansion of the then-Australian Rugby League
club competition, to incorporate a local team, the Canberra Raiders
in 1982. The team was highly successful and effectively made rugby league
the most popular sport in the territory.
In 1990, the AFL scheduled an International Rules match for Canberra Stadium
, which saw an attendance of 7,000.
The introduction of a successful locally based rugby union
side, the ACT Brumbies in 1996 (and a slide in Raiders on-field performance) saw rugby union overtake rugby league as the most popular sport. Some believe that a successful local team in the national competition would re-establish Australian Rules as a popular sport, however the small population is not seen as generating sustainable high crowds and sponsorship required for an Australian Football League
team.
The Fitzroy Football Club
expressed interest to the AFL in playing home games in Canberra. Accordingly, the AFL scheduled the first match to be played in Canberra for Round 9, 1996 match between the Fitzroy and the West Coast Eagles
. Like the earlier International Rules, the match was played at the rectangular Bruce Stadium rather than Manuka Oval. Despite a frost
, the match attracted a large amount of interest and a crowd of just under 12,000 attended and the Eagles defeated the struggling Lions by 28 points.
In 1998 the AFL (NSW/ACT) Commission took over operations of the ACTAFL.
Since 1998, Canberra has hosted the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament
.
In 2001, the Australian Football League
club, the Kangaroos
signed a deal with the ACT government to play some home matches at Manuka Oval
. The team has drawn reasonable crowds averaging around 10,000 at Manuka Oval. However, in 2007 the Kangaroos received a more lucrative offer, to play some home games at Carrara Stadium
on the Gold Coast, Queensland
, and signed a deal to that effect. In August 2006, the AFL announced that the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs
would each play home games at Manuka, to fill the void left by the Kangaroos.
, including Alex Jesaulenko
, Adrian Barich
, Shaun Smith, Brett Allison
, James Hird
and Aaron Hamill
.
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 the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
has a history dating back to the formation of the territory in the 1910s.
Traditionally, Canberra was considered to be one of the points which define 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 the popularity of Australian rules football suffered substantially when teams from the national competitions were introduced in both 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...
and 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...
. Due to its proximity to 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...
, Canberra is a state with support for multiple football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
codes, including 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...
, 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...
, soccer 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...
.
Despite Canberra not having a locally based team in the AFL
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 never having officially bid for one), the AFL does schedule occasional matches in the city. It remains a popular sport and as well as a strong local competition, national competition games are played there by neutral AFL sides.
History
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
between the Royal Military College
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
and employees of the Home Affairs Department
Home Affairs Department
The Home Affairs Department is a executive agency in the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China responsible for interior affairs in the region...
.
Three teams (Canberra, Duntroon and Federals) contested matches at the Acton Racecourse (now covered by Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
) and at Blanfordia (now Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
).
In 1924, the first regular league was formed in the ACT, named the Federal Territory Australian Rules Football League.
New clubs gradually entered the league, when in 1927 it became known as the Canberra Australian National Football League (CANFL).
In 1931, the Canberra Australian National Junior League was formed.
Gate takings increased by 40% in 1975, and the CANFL changed to ACTAFL.
Australian rules football was a very popular sport in the territory until the expansion of the then-Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
club competition, to incorporate a local team, the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
in 1982. The team was highly successful and effectively made 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...
the most popular sport in the territory.
In 1990, the AFL scheduled an International Rules match for Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
, which saw an attendance of 7,000.
The introduction of a successful locally based 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...
side, the ACT Brumbies in 1996 (and a slide in Raiders on-field performance) saw rugby union overtake rugby league as the most popular sport. Some believe that a successful local team in the national competition would re-establish Australian Rules as a popular sport, however the small population is not seen as generating sustainable high crowds and sponsorship required for an 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...
team.
The 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...
expressed interest to the AFL in playing home games in Canberra. Accordingly, the AFL scheduled the first match to be played in Canberra for Round 9, 1996 match between the Fitzroy and the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
. Like the earlier International Rules, the match was played at the rectangular Bruce Stadium rather than Manuka Oval. Despite a frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
, the match attracted a large amount of interest and a crowd of just under 12,000 attended and the Eagles defeated the struggling Lions by 28 points.
In 1998 the AFL (NSW/ACT) Commission took over operations of the ACTAFL.
Since 1998, Canberra has hosted the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament
Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament
The Barassi Youth Tournament is an international Australian rules football tournament for junior players who are no older than 16 years of age. In conjunction with the Australian Football International Cup senior competition, the youth cup is an important event for the development of Aussie Rules...
.
In 2001, 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...
club, the Kangaroos
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...
signed a deal with the ACT government to play some home matches at Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
. The team has drawn reasonable crowds averaging around 10,000 at Manuka Oval. However, in 2007 the Kangaroos received a more lucrative offer, to play some home games at Carrara Stadium
Carrara Stadium
Carrara Stadium is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara....
on the Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, and signed a deal to that effect. In August 2006, the AFL announced that the Melbourne Demons and 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...
would each play home games at Manuka, to fill the void left by the Kangaroos.
Great ACT Footballers
Over the years, the ACT has produce many top players for elite professional leagues such as the Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, including Alex Jesaulenko
Alex Jesaulenko
Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
, Adrian Barich
Adrian Barich
Adrian "Barra" Barich is a sports presenter for television and radio, and a former Australian rules footballer and rugby league player...
, Shaun Smith, Brett Allison
Brett Allison
Brett Allison is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the VFL/AFL....
, James Hird
James Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
and Aaron Hamill
Aaron Hamill
Aaron "Sammy" Hamill is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is best known for his time at the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League when he briefly captained the club....
.
Attendance Record
- 14,922 (4 June 2006). AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
KangaroosKangaroos Football ClubThe 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...
v 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...
(Manuka OvalManuka OvalManuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
, CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
)
Major Australian Rules Events in the ACT
- Barassi International Australian Football Youth TournamentBarassi International Australian Football Youth TournamentThe Barassi Youth Tournament is an international Australian rules football tournament for junior players who are no older than 16 years of age. In conjunction with the Australian Football International Cup senior competition, the youth cup is an important event for the development of Aussie Rules...
- 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 (Western BulldogsWestern BulldogsThe 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...
and Melbourne Demons 'home' games)
External links
- "Canberra fans get a free kick in the guts after AFL drops the ball", The Canberra Times, 14 July 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2006
- ACT Team of the Century from Full Points Footy
- Canberra Carlton Blues Supporters Club
- Kangaroos ACT Supporters Club
- Canberra St Kilda Supporters Club
- AFL NSW/ACT
- AFL Canberra