Australian rules football in New Zealand
| Australian rules football in New Zealand | |
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New Zealand player takes a mark in a 2008 International Cup match
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Governing body | New Zealand AFL |
| National team | New Zealand |
| First played | 1871, Wellington |
| Registered players | 30,000 |
| Clubs | 19 |
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Club competitions
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Audience records
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| Single match | 22,546 - 2013 St Kilda vs Sydney. Westpac Stadium, Wellington |
Australian rules football in New Zealand is a sport which has been rapidly growing in popularity.
There are five Australian Football Leagues in New Zealand: Auckland (Auckland Australian Football League), Canterbury (Canterbury Australian Football League), Wellington (Wellington AFL), Waikato (Waikato AFL) and Otago. In 2016 saw the introduction of a four team national competition played at the North Harbour stadium.
16 New Zealanders have played in the Australian Football League. Several more are descendants of Māori and European New Zealanders. Wellington hosted the first AFL game outside of Australia and the first AFL game in New Zealand in 2013 between the Sydney Swans and St Kilda. Wellington hosted the second AFL game in New Zealand in 2014: Brisbane Lions and St Kilda played on Anzac Day.
The Christchurch Football club, founded in 1863 played football according to its own rules, one of which was to bounce the ball every 4 yards, very much similar to the modern game of Australian Football. The club adopted rugby rules in 1876.
Australian Football was introduced to New Zealand around 1868. The Nelson Football Club was formed this year and played a hybrid version of Victorian and Association (soccer) rules in its first two seasons. By the 1860s there was regular trade between New Zealand ports and Melbourne, and the Victorian (or Melbourne) rules would have been known by some of the immigrants. The Nelson Club were the first club in New Zealand to adopt Rugby rules in 1870.
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