Damon Mcknight
Australian rules football, or AFL, is the most popular sport in Australia, with the highest spectator attendance of all sports. It has the fourth-highest average attendance per game of any domestic league in the world, behind only the US's NFL, the Bundesliga, and the English Premier League. The AFL Grand Final, held annually at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, is the highest-attended club championship event of any football code. The sport is played by more than half a million Australians, with the highest participation rates in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Victoria, Australia (1858) |
| Current number of clubs | 18 |
| Number of players in Australia | More than half a million |
| Age groups | Auskick (age 5) to Masters (35+) |
| Season | March to September (most states); October to March (northern Northern Territory) |
| Highest participation rates | Northern Territory (5%), South Australia (4.8%), Victoria (4.3%), Western Australia (4.2%), Tasmania (3.3%), Australian Capital Territory (2.4%) |
| Average attendance per game | Over 30,000 |
| Attendance record | Victoria (121,696), South Australia (66,987), Tasmania (24,968), Northern Territory (17,500) |
| Attendance at premiership matches (2005) | 6,283,788 |
| Attendance at NAB Cup pre-season matches (2005) | 307,181 |
| Attendance at Regional Challenge pre-season matches (2005) | 117,552 |
| Attendance at Grand Final | 100,000 |
| Ranking among domestic leagues worldwide | 4th |
| Ranking among sports leagues in Australia | 1st or 2nd |
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What You'll Learn
- AFL is the most popular sport in Australia
- Australian Football League (AFL) is the nation's wealthiest sporting body
- AFL has the fourth-highest average attendance per game globally
- AFL originated in Victoria and changed its name from Victorian Football League in 1990
- AFL is also played at an amateur level in many countries
AFL is the most popular sport in Australia
Australian rules football, or AFL, is the most popular sport in Australia. It is the most highly attended spectator sport in the country, with the highest spectator attendance of all sports. In 2005, a record-breaking 6,283,788 people attended Australian Football League (AFL) premiership matches. The AFL Grand Final, held annually at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, is the highest-attended championship event of any football code.
The sport has had a significant impact on Australian popular culture, influencing film, art, music, television, and literature. Australian rules football is the second most participated football code in the country, with more than half a million Australians playing the sport. It has the highest participation rates in regional and remote areas, with the Northern Territory having the highest player rate of 5%.
The AFL is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as the National Sporting Organisation for Australian rules football. It is the nation's wealthiest sporting body and the only fully professional competition for the sport. The AFL has 18 member clubs and is the most powerful organisation within the game.
The AFL originated in Victoria in 1858 and changed its name from the Victorian Football League in 1990 after expanding nationally. The sport is played in every Australian state and has spread internationally, with a presence in New Zealand, China, South Africa, the United States, and other parts of the Anglosphere.
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Australian Football League (AFL) is the nation's wealthiest sporting body
Australian Football League (AFL) is the most popular sport in Australia, a country that generally excels in sports and bases much of its culture around it. Australian rules football is the most popular spectator sport in the country, with more than 2.5 million people (16.8% of the population) attending games in 1999. In 2005, a record-breaking 6,283,788 people attended AFL premiership matches. The AFL Grand Final, held annually at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, is the highest-attended club championship event of any football code.
The AFL is the only fully professional competition in Australian football and is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as the National Sporting Organisation for Australian football. It is the most powerful organisation and competition within the game, with seven state/territory-based organisations in Australia affiliated with it. The AFL is also the wealthiest sporting body in the nation.
The AFL originated in Victoria in 1858 and changed its name from the Victorian Football League in 1990 after a successful national expansion. The sport is played by more than half a million Australians, with the highest participation rates in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. The season typically runs during the cooler seasons in Australia (from March to September), except in the northern part of the Northern Territory, where it runs during the wet season (October to March).
The AFL has a strong presence in Australian popular culture, influencing film, art, music, television, and literature. It is the subject of footy tipping and betting competitions and has a dedicated following for fantasy football competitions. The league has also shown its support for the LGBTIQ community, organising pride games and modifying its logo at Docklands Stadium to support same-sex marriage.
The AFL has also expanded internationally, with projects to develop the game at the junior level in countries like South Africa and supporting affiliated competitions worldwide. The AFL has encouraged young Irish footballers to join AFL teams, as Gaelic football is strictly amateur, whereas the AFL is fully professional.
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AFL has the fourth-highest average attendance per game globally
Australian rules football, or AFL, is the most popular sport in Australia, a country that generally excels in and bases much of its culture around sports. In 2013, the AFL ranked fourth in world sport for attendance per match, with an average crowd of 32,163. The AFL Grand Final is also Australia's most-watched sporting event of the year, with an average national television audience of 3.63 million people. In 2013, the Grand Final between Hawthorn and Fremantle drew a crowd of 100,007, making it the most-attended professional team sports event in the world that year.
AFL crowd figures typically outweigh any other sport in the country. In 2005, a cumulative 6,283,788 people attended Australian Football League (AFL) premiership matches, a record for the competition. In addition, 307,181 attended NAB Cup pre-season matches, and 117,552 attended Regional Challenge pre-season practice matches around the country. As of 2010, the AFL is one of only five professional sports leagues with an average attendance of over 30,000 per game.
The AFL originated in Victoria and changed its name from Victorian Football League in 1990 after a successful program of national expansion. The sport has been played continuously in every Australian state since 1903 and the two major territories since 1916. In 2004 and 2005, Australian rules football achieved a #1 rating in the sports category. The AFL is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as being the National Sporting Organisation for Australian rules football.
The highest participation rates (players per capita) can be found in the Northern Territory (5%), South Australia (4.8%), Victoria (4.3%), Western Australia (4.2%), Tasmania (3.3%), and the Australian Capital Territory (2.4%). Nationally, the participation rate is 5.7%, almost double that of any other code. Australian rules football holds the match attendance record of any football code in Victoria (121,696), South Australia (66,987), Tasmania (24,968), and the Northern Territory (17,500).
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AFL originated in Victoria and changed its name from Victorian Football League in 1990
Australian rules football, or AFL, is the most popular sport in Australia, with more than 2.5 million people (16.8% of the population) attending games in 1999. The sport originated in Victoria in 1858 and was initially known as Melbourne, or Victorian, rules football. It was an amalgamation of various football rules used in English public schools. The first match was played between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar.
The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was established in 1877, and the game spread throughout the colonies. However, it struggled to gain popularity in the northeastern parts of Australia. In 1896, several VFA clubs met to form the VFL as a breakaway competition, and the first season was played in 1897. The VFL changed its name to the AFL in 1990 after expanding to other Australian states in the 1980s.
The AFL is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian rules football and has a strong following in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. It holds the match attendance record in these states, with particularly high participation rates in regional and remote areas. The AFL Grand Final has consistently been one of the top-rated programs in Australia's five biggest cities.
The AFL has helped to shape popular culture in Australia, influencing film, art, music, television, and literature. It has also contributed to the development of unique sporting features, such as the centre bounce used by umpires to start games and restart play after a goal.
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AFL is also played at an amateur level in many countries
Australian rules football, or AFL, is the most popular sport in Australia, with more than half a million Australians playing it. The sport is also played at an amateur level in various countries worldwide.
In the 1990s, the Australian diaspora helped spread the sport to countries such as Sweden, Germany, the USA, Argentina, Spain, Samoa, and South Africa. South Africa's interest in the sport grew to the point where powerful WAFL club Subiaco and Norwood from the SANFL played two games in Johannesburg in 1994. Since the 2000s, Australia has participated in matches against the senior teams of South Africa and New Zealand, with state amateur teams also competing internationally.
The AFL has official affiliation agreements with 15 international governing bodies, including ARFL Ireland, AFL Canada, AFL Japan, AFL New Zealand, USAFL, AFL South Africa, and AFL Germany. However, Australia is the only nation that actively engages in this sport at a professional level.
The sport is also growing in the Indian subcontinent, mainly due to members of the Australian national cricket team, who are major celebrities there. In 2017, an amateur match in India attracted over 6,000 spectators, while another match in Odisha in 2018 drew a crowd of over 20,000—the third-largest outside Australia.
Women's Australian football is also played at the amateur level in several countries, particularly the United Kingdom, North America, and parts of Europe and Asia.
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Frequently asked questions
Australian rules football, or AFL, is the most popular sport in Australia. It has the highest spectator attendance of all sports in the country.
Yes, AFL has been played continuously in every Australian state since 1903 and in the two major territories since 1916.
AFL originated in Victoria in 1858 and spread elsewhere from 1866. It was originally known as the Victorian Football League, but changed its name to the Australian Football League in 1990.
In a standard match, a team may consist of anywhere between 14 and 18 players who may be on the playing surface at any given time.
Rugby is the most popular sport in New South Wales and Queensland.
