Australian rules football in Scotland

Australian rules football in Scotland
Country	Scotland
Governing body	Scottish Australian Rules Football League
National team	Scotland
Nickname(s)	SARFL
Clubs	5

Australian rules football is played by a five-team league in Scotland, with clubs in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Falkirk and Edinburgh. The current Premiers are the Greater Glasgow Giants.

There are rumours of a competition near the River Clyde 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. There are early records and photographs in the University's Student magazine and the perpetual Cup donated by the Australians to record champion athletes, 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.

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