Australian Football League (AFL) (Australian Rules Football)

What Are The Origins Of AFL?


It is known all over the world that Australia’s version of football, dubbed “Aussie rules,” is played in the Australian Football League (or, in other words, AFL). Through the AFL Commission, the AFL is also responsible for upholding and enforcing game rules. The Victorian Football League was the original name of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), which was created in 1896 as a breakaway league (VFL). The inaugural season began in 1897 and finished in 1898. In the 1980s, the VFL began playing games in states other than its native Victoria in an effort to become a national league. After a name change in 1990, the VFL became the AFL. Nowadays, Australian Football League comprises 18 well-known Australian teams. Whether you are an avid fan of Australian football or a passionate bettor searching for the best AFL betting sites at the moment, it is always helpful to look back and remember the origins. In Australia, football is so deeply ingrained in society that it’s difficult to envision a country without it. As it was already mentioned, Australian rules football had been established for more than a century before the Western Bulldogs won the 2016 AFL Grand Final with Angry Anderson singing “Bound For Glory” at Waverley Park.

On some of the notable events in Australian Football history, the following occurred:

Origins

Australian rules football, according to some historians, was inspired by the Indigenous Australian football game Marn Grook. When Tom Wills, one of the game’s early pioneers, was younger, he may have seen it. On May 17th, 1859, Wills oversaw the completion of the game’s initial set of rules, which he supervised. On August 7, 1858, Tom was named Melbourne Football Club captain. Because of this, groups like Carlton and North Melbourne rapidly adopted the strategy as their own. The game’s regulations were revised at this time, and formal tournaments began. Essendon, St. Kilda, Sydney Swans, and Footscray were among the new AFL teams formed in the 1870s (now the Western Bulldogs).

The first meeting

The Scotch and Melbourne Grammar schools met in a competition on August 7th, 1858. Despite the fact that its regulations were fairly crude, it is commonly acknowledged that this game was the first in the current Australian Football League (AFL) (Australian Rules Football). When colonial Australians combined their understanding of Gaelic Football, Rugby, and Soccer, they may have created the first game known as ‘football.’ Over a few drinks at the neighborhood dive bar, the AFL’s regulations developed with each game.

Victoria Football Association becomes a local soccer league in Melbourne (VFA).

As the game gained traction, articles about forthcoming games and their outcomes began to appear in publications. 1877 saw the establishment of Melbourne’s Victorian Football Association. Clubs were established in North Melbourne, Melbourne, Geelong, and Carlton, as well as Albert Park (South Melbourne), St. Kilda, and East Melbourne (East Melbourne).

The First International

In 1888, an English expedition made its way to Australia. They received further instruction after arriving in the United States, on top of the training they had in England. They competed in 25 games, winning 14 of them. The Australian players were supposed to travel on another tour, but that never happened. This meant that the game’s worldwide expansion was put on hold, and it is now only accessible in Australia for the time being.

There is a professional football league association known as the NFL (VFL).

The VFA has grown throughout the years as more clubs joined. There was a Victorian Football League established in 1897 by a few of the VFA’s most successful teams (VFL). Melbourne, Collingwood, South Melbourne, Essendon, and Melbourne were the first members of the new VFL, as were Fitzroy, Geelong, and St. Kilda. A tournament was held for the first time in 1897 on that day (May 18th).

Legends of Australian Football in the United States (AFL)

In the United States, football is a popular spectator sport. After the 1990 season, the VFL changed its name to the AFL to reflect the inclusion of teams from other states. The league included clubs from the West Coast Eagles, Adelaide, Fremantle, and Sydney, as well as Adelaide, Sydney, Port Adelaide, and Brisbane.

The Women’s Sports and Education Foundation

After being announced for its first season in 2016, the Women’s Australian Football League is set to debut in 2017. During the first eight weeks of 2017, four Victoria teams competed against four other states.

Venues

Since the AFL establishment, a total of 45 different venues have been utilized, with 17 of those sites being used in the 2019 AFL season. In Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which has over 100,000 seats, the Australian Football League Grand Final is hosted every year. While Docklands Stadium has five teams, Adelaide Oval two and Perth Stadium one, the MCG has four teams and is home to all of them (two teams). Since the end of 2016, AFL teams have had exclusive usage of Docklands Stadium (when it was renamed Marvel Stadium).

Over 700 games were played at each venue prior to the expansion, most of which were in Melbourne’s suburbs. AFL games have been played in all of Australia’s states and territories since the league was formed. Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, hosted an AFL match between St Kilda and Sydney on Anzac Day in 2013. The match resulted in official premiership points for St Kilda.


Like it? Share with your friends!

0 Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *