Australian rules football in England
| Australian rules football in England | |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Governing body | AFL Britain |
| National team | England |
| First played | 1888, London |
| Registered players | 3,600 (total) 600 (adult) 3,000 (junior) |
| Clubs | 49 |
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Club competitions
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Audience records
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| Single match | 18,884 (2005). West Coast v. Fremantle (The Oval, London) |
Australian rules football in England is a team and spectator sport with a long history and has grown since 1989 to a number of local and regional leagues coordinated by AFL Britain. In 2010, these regional divisions will be the AFL London, AFLB North East, AFLB Central & North West and AFLB South. AFL Britain also co-ordinates the Welsh AFL (WARFL) and the Scottish AFL (SARFL).
Australian rules football exhibition matches have been held in London every few years since 1972 and have been well attended.
In 1883, during a visit to Australia, English journalist and rugby player Richard Twopeny wrote of Australian Football:
A good football match in Melbourne is one of the sights of the world... The quality of the play... is much superior to anything the best English clubs can produce... there is much more 'style' about the play.
Australian rules football was played by a British representative rugby team which toured Australia in 1888. The team arrived in Hobart, Tasmania on 18 April. They attended a social function with the Southern Tasmanian Football Association, before going to New Zealand for a series of rugby matches.
After they returned to Australia they again trained in Australian rules in Sydney, before leaving for Victoria in mid-June. The tour included 19 matches. They played against several of the stronger football clubs from Melbourne including the Carlton Football Club, South Melbourne Football Club, Essendon Football Club, Fitzroy Football Club and Port Melbourne Football Club. Additionally, they played against some strong regional Victorian clubs including two teams from Ballarat, the Ballarat Football Club and Ballarat Imperials, as well as two teams from Bendigo (Bendigo Football Club and Sandhurst Football Club) as well as playing against the Castlemaine Football Club, Maryborough Football Club (of Maryborough, Victoria), Horsham Football Club (of Horsham, Victoria) and Kyneton Football Club (of Kyneton, Victoria).
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