Women's Australian rules football - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Women's 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...

(also known as Women's Aussie Rules, Women's footy, Women's AFL or in areas where it is popular, simply football) is a fast growing sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

played at senior level in 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...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, 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...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. At junior level, it is also played in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

and South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. At a schoolgirls level it is also played in Tonga

Tonga

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

and Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

.

Although it is a contact sport

Contact sport

Many sports involve a degree of player-to-player or player-to-object contact. The term "contact sport" is used in both team sports and combat sports, medical terminology and television game shows, such as the Gladiators and Wipeout, to certain degrees...

, women's Australian rules is sometimes played with modified rules for women from the men

Man

The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...

's game. It is less brutal on the body than Women's American football

Women's American football

Women have begun playing full-contact American football. Most leagues play by the same rules as their male counterparts, with one exception: women's leagues use a slightly smaller football. Women primarily play on a semi-professional or amateur level in the United States...

, Women's rugby league

Women's rugby league

Women's Rugby League is the female-only version of the game rugby league football. There are currently clubs for female only participation running in Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand which are overseen by the various individual organizations of those separate countries and internationally...

or women's rugby union

Women's rugby union

Women's rugby union is a sport identical to the men's game with the same rules, same sized pitch, and same equipment. However, it has a history which is significantly different, due to various social pressures, and the self-image of rugby union in general...

and offers more physicality than Women's soccer

Women's football (soccer)

Women's association football has been played for many decades, but was associated with charity games and physical exercise in the past before the breakthrough of organized women's association football came in the 1970s. Before the 1970s, football was basically seen as a men's game...

, as well as requiring both hand and foot co-ordination. It is a fast-paced team sport

Team sport

A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...

and is played by women of all shapes and sizes.

History

Australian rules football had been played by men for almost half a century before the first women's football matches were played.

Records exist of a football side in Perth, Western Australia

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

playing under the name of Foy & Gibson's as early as 1917.http://innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b1982789 Matches played in Western Australia were also recorded in 1918.http://innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/search/.b2216592/.b2216592/1,1,1,B/l962~b2216592&FF=&1,0,,1,-1

Public attitudes and sexism

Sexism

Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...

generally prevented women from participating in organised football. However both world wars were a great liberator for women, as the men fought in the war, women were often called to perform a lot of the hard work typically done by men and this included spectator sports.

It was appropriate that following World War I

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 exhibition match in Melbourne was held to show that women could play what had previously been seen to be a man's sport. The first women's match attracted a large crowd and interest. The umpire wore a dress.

Archives also show a charity women's match occurred on Bassendean Oval in Perth, Western Australia, 27 August 1944. http://innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/search/.b2235511/.b2235511/1,1,1,B/l962~b2235511&FF=&1,0,,0,-1 It is unknown whether the game had been played continuously in the state.

Beyond this and occasional matches over the years, women's football was rarely organised.

Women's football was organised with the formation of the Victorian Women's Football League in 1981 with four teams competing at open level.

It was in 2000 that the sport began to rapidly grow, with the number of registered teams increasing by a phenomenal 450%.

In 2005, the VWFL celebrated it’s 25th anniversary.

There are now about 120 women's teams across the globe. Australian rules football is becoming more and more popular with women and girls, particularly young women. In 2006, 22 years was the average age of players in the VWFL.

The first ever full international was held between the USA Freedom and Team Canada in Vancouver on Saturday 4 August 2007 in front of a crowd of almost 2,500.

The VWFL set an Australian crowd record in the 2007 Grand Final held on 19 August at the Preston City Oval

Preston City Oval

- The Ground :The Preston City Oval is an Australian rules football stadium in Cramer Street in Preston, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. It has a main grandstand and the ground is capable of holding around 5,000 spectators....

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...

Modified Rules

Some competitions, but not all, are played with modified rules.

The main rule differences in Women's Footy as opposed to Australian rules football involves modified tackling

Tackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

rules. Typically aggressive slinging (swinging a player by the jumper or throwing the player to the ground) of oppositions players in a tackle is not allowed. Like the men's game, head high contact is strictly not allowed.

Another main difference is the size of the ball. A smaller ball to the men's version is often used to minimise hand injuries when catching (marking

Mark (Australian football)

A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....

) the ball.

In Australia

There are women's Australian rules football teams in all States and Territories of Australia

States and territories of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

; it is only in its infancy in Tasmania, however. At present, all state competitions are amateur and state representative teams compete in the AFL National Women's Championships. During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, women's Australian rules football saw a large expansion in the number of competitors.

In Australia, a total of 18,609 girls and women played Australian rules football in 2005 and in 2006 48,054 women played the sport in Australia, and it is one of the fastest growing sports among women in Australia.

The main women's competitions are the Victorian Women's Football League

Victorian Women's Football League

The Victorian Women's Football League is the oldest and largest Australian rules football league for women in the world, consisting of 22 clubs and 30 teams from Victoria, Australia across four divisions and a total of over 1,000 players....

and the 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...

Women's AFL.

Football is not played with modified tackling rules; the same rules as men's football apply. The only differences to the men's game are shorter quarters and a slightly smaller ball is used.

In 1998, Auskick

Auskick

Auskick is a national program in Australia to develop and promote participation in Australian rules football by children. It has proven to be popular with both boys and girls....

, a national program began. The program was designed to introduce the game to primary school aged children. By 2006, it had over 140,000 participants each year. Though the program was never specifically aimed at girls, the safe non-contact environment proved popular and in 2007 about 16% (12%) in of all Auskick participants were female.

A U17 Youth Girls Competition

Youth Girls Competition

The AFL Victoria Youth Girls Competition is an Australian rules football league for girls aged 13 to 17 in Victoria, Australia. Some teams are associated with particular secondary schools and at least one has been associated with a "seniors" team from the VWFL , while others are community-based...

was established by Football Victoria

Football Victoria

AFL Victoria is the state-level sport governing body for Australian rules football in the state of Victoria, Australia...

in 2004. This was following legal action taken against them in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is a government agency in the state of Victoria, Australia. The name is pronounced 'vee-cat'...

(following a complaint to the Equal Opportunity Commission) by Penny Cula-Reid, Emily Stayner, and Helen Taylor. The three schoolgirls were banned from playing in junior leagues, with fears of expensive insurance liability in case of injury and "medical reasons" being cited by Football Victoria (i.e. the physical differences between the bodies of boys and girls). The court found in favour of the girls in February 2004. In response to the ruling, the U17 Youth Girls Competition began in May, with 122 girls participating.

In total by 2006, there are about 120 women's Australian rules football clubs in Australia.

In 2007, Natasha Puatjimi, a 13-year-old from the Tiwi Islands

Tiwi Islands

The Tiwi Islands are part of Australia's Northern Territory, north of Darwin where the Arafura Sea joins the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island and Bathurst Island, with a combined area of ....

made history becoming the first girl to win a junior league best & fairest. She was crowned best and fairest player in the Yarra Junior Football League's under 13 (blue) division for her dazzling displays for Ivanhoe. After her win, she was invited to train with legendary Kevin Sheedy and the Essendon Bombers. Another junior, Alicia Eva, has also been profiled in the media for excelling in mixed competition after having tied in the league best and fairest and playing in three premiership sides.

In 2008, after being refused an age exemption to play another year with the boys in the under-14s (as there was no under-15 team), 14 year old Evelyn Rannstrom was granted an injunction from VCAT against the Dandenong Ranges Junior Football League and the AFL allowing Evelyn to play for the rest of the season.

National Competition

A professional national competition backed by the AFL is scheduled to debut by 2020 with between four to eight teams, possibly chosen from the existing AFL teams; this was originally slated to take place in 2013, but the date was changed after it was found that the new teams from the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney would not have time to submit their bids in full.

A license was granted to the Fremantle Dockers

Fremantle Football Club

The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...

under the umbrella of the Women's Football League in February 2010, but due to a review, this license has been recalled.

National Championships

Women's Football Australia

The Women's Football Australia is the governing body for the Sport of Women's Australian rules football in Australia.-Leagues:*Victorian Women's Football League*ACTWAFL*West Australian Women's Football League*South Australian Women's Football League...

are responsible for the annual AFL National Women's Championships.
In 2005, two teams from 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....

, a senior and an under-19s side and teams from the ACT

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...

, Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

, 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...

, South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

, Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, the Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

and Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

participated. Victoria has won the past 13 championships and surprisingly, in 2005 the Victorian U19 state side won the cup. In 2006, VIC Seniors 18.17 (125) def Western Australia 2.1 (13).

All-Australian Team 2006

An All-Australian Team is selected from each national championships, the most recent of which is:

VIC Seniors: Michelle Dench
Michelle Dench
Michelle Dench is an Australian Women's Footy champion and player and former WNBL basketball player.She played for the Melbourne University Mugars in the Victorian Women's Football League and is a multiple premiership player since switching from basketball she has also represented Australia in...

(Melb Uni), Elizabeth Skinner
Elizabeth Skinner
Elizabeth Skinner is an Australian Women's Footy champion and player.She plays for the Melbourne University Mugars in the Victorian Women's Football League and is a multiple premiership player and also represented Australia in International rules football as part of the Australia women's...

(Melb uni) Shannon McFerran
Shannon McFerran
Shannon McFerran is an Australian rules football player in the Victorian Women's Football League. She is the current captain at the VU St Albans Spurs football club in the VWFL Premier Division...

(St Albans), Debbie Lee (St Albans) Meg Hutchins (Deakin), Lauren Tesorilero (Yarra Valley), Janine Milne (Darebin). Tarryn Gooding (Lalor)
VIC U19's: Daisy Pearce (Darebin), Karen Paxman (Hadfield), Penny Cula-Reid (St Kilda), Moana Hope (Darebin), Lauren Arnell (Darebin).
ACT: Kirsten Ireland (Riverina)
ADF (Australian Defence Force): Emma Hender (Eastlake)
NSW: Talei Owen (UNSW/Easts)
NT: Michaeline Brown (St Mary's)
QLD: Katherine Pender (Centrals); Aastra O'Connor (Logan); Jo Butland
Joanne Butland
Joanne Butland is an Australian who has played association football, Australian rules football and international rules football.-Club career:Butland played in the Women's National Soccer League for Canberra Eclipse and QAS Sting....

(North Cairns)
SA: Michele Reid (Greenacres)
WA: Nikki Harwood (Melville Dockers), Krystle Rivers (Coastal Titans), Louise Knitter (The Hawks), Jodie White (Coastal Titans).

National team
The national team is known as the "Kangaroos".

Victoria

Organised women's Australian rules football has been played in Victoria since 1981 with the formation of the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL), the oldest and largest Australian rules football league for women in the world.

Women's football in Victoria has a comparatively high profile in the media. The work done by League president Debbie Lee and Media Manager Leesa Catto as well as involvement by celebrities such as Tiffany Cherry

Tiffany Cherry

Tiffany Cherry is an Australian sports broadcaster, best known for her role as boundary rider on the now defunct Fox Footy in the channel's AFL coverage...

have helped to boost exposure for the sport. The VWFL Grand Final is now played in front of a crowd exceeding 1,500 people. The annual Vic Country vs Vic Metro match has been now played as a curtain raiser to a home and away 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...

match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

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...

. VWFL players have participated in charity matches against senior male players in both the AFL Legends Game (which is broadcast on television in multiple states and live in Victoria) and Community Cup

Community Cup

The Community Cup is an annual charity event held in Melbourne which features an Australian rules football match. It is noted for its cult following, celebrity appearances and media profile....

.

The VWFL is an open age Women's Footy competition which began in 1981 with four teams. In the following decades it has grown substantially and now features 3 division structure and as well as many clubs fielding teams in the reserve grades for the first and second division. In 2004 the League affiliated with Football Victoria

Football Victoria

AFL Victoria is the state-level sport governing body for Australian rules football in the state of Victoria, Australia...

. In 2005 there were 24 teams (from 20 clubs) in total, with over 800 women taking part.

Football Victoria has promoted the sport to high school girls in 2004 as part of the Youth Girls Competition

Youth Girls Competition

, leading to leading to nearly 12,000 high school girls taking part in Australian Rules as a school sport.

Victoria fields both senior and under 19 in the AFL Women's National championships and have been the dominant state, with the two teams combined having won every one of the 15 national titles.

Western Australia

Organised Women's Australian rules football has been played in Western Australia

Western Australia

since 1988, with the first premiership being won by Mount Lawley

Mount Lawley, Western Australia

Mount Lawley is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Most of the suburb lies within the Local Government Area of the City of Stirling and small portions are in the City of Vincent and City of Bayswater...

. Although it has less clubs than Queensland, Western Australia is considered the strongest women's state outside of Victoria, having been runner-up in the AFL Women's State Championships to Victoria-Senior in 2007, though it is a far second, having been defeated by a minimum of 50 points in both 2006 and 2007.

In 2006, there were 9 clubs, centred around metropolitan Perth

Perth, Western Australia

.

At junior level there are Auskick programs in Western Australia and girl but as yet no youth league.

South Australia

In 1990 a group of South Australia

South Australia

n women helped instigate exhibition match between a South Australian side and the Victorian Women's Football League. The success of the match saw the formation of the SAWFL for the next season.

In 2006, there were 4 clubs, centred around metropolitan Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

.

South Australia are currently working with the SANFL's Affiliated Junior District Leagues to establish a Youth Girls competition due to commence 2008.

New South Wales

The Sydney Women's AFL competition is the only organised women's football in New South Wales

New South Wales

. It has been running since 2000 and has grown substantially in popularity. Centred around metropolitan Sydney

Sydney

it had 10 clubs in 2007.

As yet, there is no junior league in Metropolitan Sydney, although there are Auskick & junior programs in place.

In 2009 a Youth Girls Competition commenced in the Illawarra

Illawarra

Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...

region, south of Sydney

Sydney

. In the competition's foundation year, 4 teams took part with girls 13-17 participating.

Australian Capital Territory

Organised women's football has been played 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...

since 1997.
There are 7 clubs from around Canberra

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...

including university and defence force teams

South-east Queensland League

Bayside Bombers (Redland AFC)
Beenleigh Buffalos
Caloundra WFC
Collingwood Park
Ipswich Eagles
Kedron Lions
Logan Cobras http://loganafl.thatsmyteam.org/
Morningside WFC
Maroochy Northshore
Palm Beach WFC
Redcliffe Tigers http://www.redcliffetigers.com.au/
Southern Redbacks http://jimboombaafl.thatsmyteam.org/
Toowoomba Cougars http://www.cougarsfc.com/
Western Magpies
Zillmere Eagles

Cairns League

A Cairns league kicked off around 2004 and quickly grew to six teams.
The league supplied nearly half the Queensland representatives at the 2006 state championships.
Current clubs include:

North Cairns Tigers
South Cairns Cutters
Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldog Babes
Shine Lawyers City Cobra's
Manunda Hawks
Cairns Saints

North Cairns are the dominant team, winning grand finals in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

AFL Capricornia Women's League

AFL Capricornia Women's

AFL Capricornia

AFL Capricornia is an amateur Australian football competition played in the areas of Rockhampton and Gladstone between the months of March and September in the cooler seasons of the Central Queensland climate. The Capricornia region has had a few success stories of ex-Rockhampton players now...

Established 2010.

Boyne Island Tannum Sands WAFC
Brothers Rockhampton WAFC / Sisters Rockhampton WAFC
Gladstone WAFC
Glenmore WAFC
Rockhampton WAFC
Yeppoon WAFC

The first all women's AFL game in this region was played in 1983, with Sisters Roos AFC (Brothers) versus Boyne Island Tannum Sands Saints. The game was played before the seniors game, and the eventual winner was the Sisters Roos. Sisters Roos are also holders of the Champions Cup which was given to the winners of the then pre season challenge.

There has been talk of a Women's League starting since 1992, though it has never eventuated. There has been a couple of exhibition games before the men's senior games. The AFL Capricornia encourages women and girls to participate in AFL and would like to see a women's or girls League start in the near future. Brothers Roos AFC do have a women's team, named 'The Sisters' but do not yet have an opposing club in the area to play against.

In late 2010 the AFL Capricornia Women's League was formed. The format for the season is 5 home & away rounds, plus finals, beginning on Sunday, July 11. Matches take part on either Saturday or Sunday Afternoons. AFL Capricornia development officer Stuart Seager said "The games were of a high quality". The competition came about after Boyne Island Tannum Sands Saints AFC player Megan Hunt approached AFLQ and AFL Capricornia on behalf of women who could no longer play in age competitions against males.

Northern Territory

St Marys WAFC
Southern Districts Football Club
Waratahs WAFC
Nightcliff-Fannie Bay Tigers
Darwin Buffaloes
Wanderers WAFC
University WAFC
Banks WAFC

Australian Defence Force

The armed forces in Australia

Australian Defence Force

are also involved in women's footy.
Women's teams have competed in the Australian Services Australian Football Association Carnival, which is also run annually.
In 2004 the first women’s Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

Kangaroos team competed at the interservice level and won the championship defeating teams from both the Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

and Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

teams.

Papua New Guinea

In 2006, AFL-Papua New Guinea announced their first women’s team (Under 16s) to take part in the Australian national women's tournament. It is estimated that there are around 200 women's Australian rules footballers in PNG.

National team
The national team is known as the "Karakums" and they have toured Australia for development championships.

New Zealand

The Canterbury AFL in Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

played the first official Women's Football Match in New Zealand late in 2006. Women's Football is a new sport in the country.

The Americas

There are approximately 12 women's clubs across North America, including around 120 players in the United States and 100 players in Canada.

United States of America

Leigh Swansborough of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

and Kathryn Hogg of Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

began the USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

women's league, organising teams to play in the inaugural women’s match in the US under modified tackling rules. The Orange County Bombshells and an all-comers team played in Kansas City in October 2003. The Bombshells ran out winners by 44 points.

Modified tackling rules were dropped in 2006.

Governing body
The governing body is the Women's Australian Football Association.

National Team
The national team, formed to compete against Canada, is known as the USA Freedom. In 2011 the USA Freedom participated in the women's division of the Australian Football International Cup

Australian Football International Cup

The Australian Football International Cup is an international sport competition in Australian rules football...

and took third place. 2011 was the first year that a women's division was included.

Clubs
Current women's teams are:

Arizona Lady Hawks (Phoenix/Tempe area) Official Site
Atlanta Lady Kookaburras Official Site
Denver Lady Bulldogs Official Site
Minnesota Morrigans Official Site
New York Lady Magpies Official Site
Milwaukee Lady Bombers Official Site
Orange County Bombshells Official Site
Washington First Lady Eagles Official Site

National Championships
The USAFL National Championships

USAFL National Championships

The USAFL National Championships is a tournament for Australian rules football in the United States.Since 1997, the National Championships have been a large event featuring teams from the United States and Canada in four men's divisions and a women's division...

incorporated a Women's Division for the first time in 2005.

Year	Winning Team
2005	Atlanta Kookaburras
2006	Atlanta Kookaburras
2007	Atlanta Kookaburras
2008	Canada-based Calgary Kookaburras Calgary Kookaburras The Calgary Kookaburras are a ladies Australian rules football club based in Calgary, Canada. They play at the Queen Elizabeth School, Hillhurst and are members of AFL Canada. They were the first women's football club formed in Canada.-History:...
2009	Milwaukee Bombers
2010	Denver Bulldogs

Canada

boasts one senior women's football league and a total of five clubs nationwide. Youth girls development programs are established in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

and Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. The national team, formed in 2007, is known as the "Northern Lights".

National Team
The national team is known as the "Northern Lights" and they first competed in two matches against the USA Freedom in 2007. They will play the USA again in 2010.

Leagues

Alberta Footy Women's League
Alberta Footy Women's League
The Alberta Footy Women's League is the largest women's Australian Football league playing regular matches in North America. It is currently composed of teams from Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, who play for the AFWL Premiership Cup....
North Delta Junior Football League (Youth Girls) Official Site

Clubs
Current women's football teams in Canada include:

Calgary Kookaburras
Calgary Kookaburras
The Calgary Kookaburras are a ladies Australian rules football club based in Calgary, Canada. They play at the Queen Elizabeth School, Hillhurst and are members of AFL Canada. They were the first women's football club formed in Canada.-History:...

Official Site
Edmonton Emus Official Site
Montreal Angels (Montreal) Official Site
Toronto Central Blues Official Site
Etobicoke Lady Roos Official Site
West Coast Wildcats (Vancouver) Official Site

England

The first ever women's footy match in the UK was organised by Aussie Rules UK and was held in London on 21 April 2007 as part of the ANZAC Sports Challenge.

Japan

In Japan, Australian rules football is played in many universities.
Women's footy is played by the Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

Geckos, the Irish Galahs (Gaelic football) and Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

Bilbies. The following clubs actually play in a women's division at the Tozai Cup.

Clubs

Tokyo Geckos
Osaka Bilbies
Irish Galahs

South Africa

AFL South Africa

AFL South Africa is the governing body and development organisation for Australian rules football in South Africa.They manage the South African national Australian rules football team, development leagues and competitions in several provinces as well as junior participation.The body is funded by...

runs a junior program which includes girls in mixed competition. There are plans for a junior girl's league in the North West Province.

International Competition

There was not a women's division at the 2008 Australian Football International Cup

2008 Australian Football International Cup

The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested....

with at least Australia, USA, Canada and Papua New Guinea competing. There is also International Rules Football

International rules football

International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players....

with a women's Australia women's international rules football team

Australia women's international rules football team

The Australian women's international rules football team is the Australian women's representative team in international rules football, a hybrid of Australian rules football and Gaelic football.The team was launched in 2006...

competing against the Ireland women's international rules football team

Ireland women's international rules football team

The Ireland women's international rules football team is the Ireland women's representative team in international rules football, a hybrid of Australian rules football and Gaelic football....

. The 2006 tour helped to lift the profile of the sport slightly in Australia, although it was short-lived, with the GAA's decision to cancel the men's 2007 International Rules Series

2007 International Rules Series

The 2007 International Rules Series was to be the 10th series of international rules football to be played between Ireland and Australia since the establishment of the annual International Rules Series tournament and the 16th tour overall and was to be held in Australia...

.

The first ever full international was held between the USA "Freedom" and Team Canada in Vancouver on Saturday 4 August 2007. The US Freedom toured Australia in August 2009 playing teams in Sydney, Cairns, Bendigo, and Melbourne over an 8 day period.

Papua New Guinea's national team, the "Kurakums" competes in the AFL Women's National Championships

AFL Women's National Championships

The AFL Women's National Championships is the premier National and International competition in Women's Australian rules football for women. The tournament is organised by the sport's governing in body Australia the Women's Football Australia ....

.

There are 51,504 players worldwide of which 3450 players are from leagues outside Australia

International Rankings

Note that as of 2010 there had been no international competition other than the US versus Canada, so any rankings must be considered with some caution.

Ranking	Country	#Played	#Won	%Won	#Lost	%Lost	#Drawn	%Drawn
1	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...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
2	Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	4	2	50%	2	50%	0	0%
3	United States of America	4	2	50%	2	50%	0	0%
4	Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
5	Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
6	New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
7	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...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
8	South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
9	Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...	0	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%

Related Games

Games of International Rules are also played by many women's leagues against Gaelic Athletic Association clubs.
Recreational Football

Rec Footy

Recreational Football is a non-contact version of the Australian rules football game sanctioned by the Australian Football League...

, a fully non-contact version of Australian rules football is also becoming popular amongst women in Australia and the United States. Many women's leagues also fall into the emerging 9-a-side footy

9-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....

or Metro footy

Metro Footy

Metro Footy is a modified version of Australian rules football rules played on gridiron football, rugby or Association football fields, predominantly in the United States of America...

format.

External links

Leagues and Federations

Video content

SWAFL teams Newtown Breakwaters vs Balmain Tigers from www.balmainwomensafl.org.au

Photo Content

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Modified Rules

In Australia

National Competition

National Championships

All-Australian Team 2006

Victoria

Western Australia

South Australia

New South Wales

Australian Capital Territory

South-east Queensland League

Cairns League

AFL Capricornia Women's League

Northern Territory

Australian Defence Force

Papua New Guinea

New Zealand

The Americas

United States of America

Canada

England

Japan

South Africa

International Competition

International Rankings

Related Games

See also

External links

Leagues and Federations

Video content

Photo Content