Australian rules football in England

Australian rules football in England
Englands two oldest clubs Cambridge and Oxford Universities contest centre bounce in 2008
Country	England
Governing body	AFL England
National team(s)	England
First played	1888, London
Registered players	3,600 (total) 600 (adult) 3,000 (junior)
Clubs	49
Club competitions
AFL London AFL Central & Northern England Southern England AFL National University League
Audience records
Single match	18,884 (2005). West Coast v. Fremantle (The Oval, London)

Australian rules football in England is a team sport and spectator sport with a long history. It is home to the longest running Australian rules fixture outside Australia, the match between Oxford and Cambridge Universities which has been contested annually since 1923. All other current competitions originated in 1989 with the founding of what is now AFL London, the longest running Australian rules football league in Europe. The current governing body, AFL England, was formed in 2012 and expanded the game in 2018 to include the additional regional divisions: AFL Central & Northern England and AFL Southern England.

The sport's origins are said to be in England, specifically public school football games. Several of the sport's founders were born and educated there including J. B. Thompson, William Hammersley and James Bryant while Tom Wills held by many as the sport's founder, was educated at and played rugby with the Rugby School. However it struggled for decades to establish roots given the dominance of traditional football codes in rugby football and the growing popularity of soccer. Nevertheless, it was one of the first countries outside of Australia where the game was played in the 1880s and to host regular competition.

Australian Football League (AFL) exhibition matches were held in London semi-annually between 1986 and 2006 (the last standalone event was held in 2012) and were well attended with attendances ranging from 4,500 to a record of 18,884 in 2005.

England rarely competes in a standalone team, and is typically represented along with Scotland and Wales as the Great Britain team at the Australian Football International Cup (best result 6th) and AFL Europe Championship (2 titles). However, an English side has competed in several standalone tests and has been successful at the Euro Cup with 5 titles. Nevertheless, London has hosted several internationals, including the 2001 Atlantic Alliance Cup, 2005 and 2015 EU Cups and the 2016 and 2019 AFL Europe Championships.

In the AFL Bill Eason and Clive Waterhouse hold the record for the most games and goals with 220 and 386 respectively while current AFL Women's player Sabrina Frederick holds both records with 59 and 26.

History of Australian rules football in England

English involvement in the game's establishment in Australia

Daguerreotype of Tom Wills, founder of Australian Football, from his years at the Rugby School

Tom Wills, founder of Australian Football, was singled out in the national press for his prowess on the football field at the Rugby School in the 1850s.

According to the AFL, the sport's origins were in England with public school football games being adopted by Australians in the 1850s leading to the creation of what is now known as Australian Football in Melbourne in the British Colony of Victoria in 1859. ^[1] Several of the sport's founders were English including J. B. Thompson, William Hammersley and James Bryant, with Tom Wills having been educated at and played rugby football with the Rugby School.

William Hammersley (standing, third from left), J. B. Thompson (seated, second from left), Jerry Bryant (standing, second from right) and Tom Wills (seated, far left), each having strong connections to England, met in 1859 to establish what is now known as Australian football.

Writing to Wills in 1871, Thompson recalled that "the Rugby, Eton, Harrow, and Winchester rules at that time (I think in 1859) came under our consideration, ... we all but unanimously agreed that regulations which suited schoolboys ... would not be patiently tolerated by grown men." ^[2] The hardness of the playing fields around Melbourne also influenced their thinking. Even Wills, who favoured many rules of Rugby School football, saw the need for compromise. ^[3] He wrote to his brother Horace: "Rugby was not a game for us, we wanted a winter pastime but men could be harmed if thrown on the ground so we thought differently." ^[3]

While the game found its way to Ireland in the 1870s and there was also some awareness in England of the popularity of the game in Australia, it was not established locally until much later. This is primarily due to the growing popularity of locally developing football codes including rugby football and later British Association (soccer) which, like Australian Football, were also developing from public school football games.

The English were also heavily involved in the development of the code in the 1860s and 1870s. George Metcalfe was instrumental in introducing the code to Colony of New South Wales in 1867, ^[4] the 2nd Battalion of Fourteen Foot (Buckinghamshire) played in the first known match in the Colony of Western Australia in 1868. ^[5] James Henry Gardiner founded the North Melbourne Football Club in 1869 which was later instrumental to unifying football rules in the Colony of Tasmania. John Acraman and Richard Twopeny were the key players in establishing it in the Colony of South Australia.

Early efforts to introduce the sport

Between 1870 and World War I many overseas students studied medicine in Scotland, and some went down to England to play the Australian Rules teams in that country.^{[ citation needed ]}

A Lancashire paper from 1881 mentions a local initiative to introduce "Victorian Rules Football" to England as an alternative to rugby and Association football. ^[6]

In 1883, during a visit to Australia, English journalist and rugby player Richard Twopeny wrote of the game:

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. ^[7]

In 1884 H C A Harrison then known as the "father of Australian Football" visited London where he proposed unifying Australian rules with Rugby under a set of hybrid rules and suggested that rugby clubs adopt some of the Victorian Rules. English football officials expressed their insult at the suggestion that they "abandon their rules to oblige an Antipodean game". ^[8]

Nevertheless when first proposing a football tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 1887, James Lillywhite, Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury posited that the best way to ensure the success of the venture would be to play under the Australian rules where the sport was most popular. ^[9]

Australians studying at Edinburgh University and London University formed teams and competed in London in 1888. ^[10] Spurred on by the upcoming English football team's tour of Australia, a scratch match between Edinburgh Australians and London Australians was planned to be held at Balham on 14 April 1888. ^[11] However the match was postponed citing lack of player numbers and suitability of the venue. ^[11] It was finally played on 26 May 1888 at Balham, London won 4 goals to 2. ^[12] There was little interest in the match outside of the Australian expat community. ^[13] However the game was poorly organised and the selected ground was so out of the way that most spectators failed to find it, proving to be lost opportunity to promote the game. ^[12] A return match was played on the same ground on the 30th May resulting in a draw. ^[12] The match drew considerable praise in UK newspapers such as the Times and the Scotsman.^{[ citation needed ]}

British tours to Australia (1888–1914)

Main article: 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia

The touring British Lions in 1888 before a match against the South Melbourne Football Club

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. ^[14] 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 the city of Ballarat: Ballarat Football Club and Ballarat Imperial Football Club, as well as two teams from the city of Bendigo: Bendigo Football Club and Sandhurst Football Club as well as playing against clubs from other regional towns including the Castlemaine Football Club, Maryborough Football Club, Horsham Football Club and Kyneton Football Club.

The team also played against several of the stronger South Australian teams including South Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide Football Club, Adelaide Football Club (no connection to the later Adelaide club), Norwood Football Club. The only club from outside of Victoria or South Australia which played against them was the Maitland Football Club (from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales). The British team won six matches, including a win over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on 10 July 1888, and drew one.

The reigning Victorian premiers, Carlton defeated Great Britain at the MCG 14.17 to 3.8. At this stage goals and points were recorded but only goals counted in the score; for example, when Great Britain played Castlemaine under very heavy conditions they kicked 1 goal 2 points and the locals kicked 1 goal 4 points, but the match was declared a draw. Great Britain also played 35 games of rugby, making a total of 54 games in 21 weeks. A star of the team's Australian rules games was Andrew Stoddart, who captained the team for part of its tour and also captained England in cricket.

The 1888 tour had been organised by the English cricketer Arthur Shrewsbury but his involvement with Australian Rules football did not end there. He planned to have an Australian team sent to the United Kingdom to play a series of demonstration matches and to that end he looked to Scotland where he had identified possible opponents. Shrewsbury's plans are outlined in his correspondence with Alfred Shaw and Turner, the Nottingham Cricket Club Secretary. ^[15]

First Competitions

Shrewsbury suggested that the 'Edinburgh Australians' team at Edinburgh University should travel down to England to meet the Australian team in a series of demonstration matches in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Unfortunately his bold plan did not eventuate as the authorities in Australia^{[ who? ]} aborted the venture^{[ citation needed ]} and a possible expansion of Australian Rules in the UK was lost.

In 1894, a dramatic costume football match was played at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground involving prominent English celebrities Jennie Lee, Wallace Brownlow and Harry Musgrove. ^[16]

There were reports from Australia that the game was being played in England between two clubs in 1903 ^[17] and in 1904. ^[18] By 1906 there were three clubs holding regular competition two of which were in London. ^[19] The Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club was founded in 1906. ^[20]

As early as 1911 the game was being played regularly at Oxford. The Cambridge University Australian Rules Football Club is believed to have been founded around 1911. In 1911 Oxford University captained by Alfred Clemens defeated Cambridge University captained by Ron Larking 13.9 (87) to 5.12 (42). ^{[21] [22] [23]} In 1914, H C A Harrison reported that the game was being played regularly at both Oxford and Cambridge universities ^[24] though few records exist of contests between 1911 and 1921.

World War I

See also: The "Pioneer Exhibition Game" in London (1916)

Action from the Pioneer Exhibition Game in London.
(From Excelsior, 20 November 1916.)

In 1915 a Victoria vs South Australia match was played at Portland Canteen ground at Weymouth, Dorset. ^[25]

In 1916, one of the highest profile matches in the history of the game outside of Australia occurred when a match was held at the Queen's Club in London between Australian Army teams, representing the Combined Training Units and the 3rd Division, in which many senior Australian rules footballers from all over Australia took part. The match drew a large crowd and significant press coverage. ^[26]

In 1917 HMAS Australia's Australian Football team played against a team of soldiers in London which drew significant attendance and interest. ^[27] In November 1917, the Australian army and navy played a rugby match against each other in London, however the seconds played a match under Australian rules. ^[28]

As a celebration of Australia Day January 1918, a match was held at Cambridge between London Headquarters and Australian Cadets, with London winning 80 to 63. ^[29]

However, the end of World War I saw the game outside of the universities go into hiatus.

Varsity matches between Oxford and Cambridge

Main article: Oxford Cambridge Intervarsity Australian Rules Football Match

After the war, in 1921, the Oxford University – Cambridge University Varsity match between expatriate Australian students became an annual contest. ^[30] This game is still played, ^[31] and is the longest running Australian rules fixture outside Australia. ^{[32] [33]} The match is an official Varsity competition.^{[ citation needed ]} Over the years, some distinguished Australians to have played in the match include Mike Fitzpatrick, Chris Maxwell, Joe Santamaria, Sir Rod Eddington and Andrew Michelmore. ^[34]

Second World War matches

The AIF played a match in 1940 between the "Impossibles" and the "Improbables". ^[35]

When the RMS Moreton Bay returned to England after 1941 it played in advertised matches at Portsmouth. ^[36]

RAAF (Sunderland) vs RAF Mount Batten was played in 1943 in Plymouth. ^[37] In November of the same year, a game was played in Sussex between No.11 Personnel despatch and Reception centre team based in Brighton vs RAAF Headquarters from London. ^[38]

Teams representing RAAF, Headquarters vs Sunderland, met in Hyde Park in 1944 in front of a sizeable crowd. Headquarters defeated Sunderland 12.7 (79) to 5.4 (34). ^[39]

In 1945 HMAS Australia defeated RAAF at Dulwich 11.12 to 10.5. ^[40]

In 1948 Australia's champion axemen team announced its plans to introduce Australian rules football into England. ^[41]

Australia's High Commissioner in London with the captains of the Oxford and Cambridge teams in 1949

Action from an Australian rules match facilitated by Rosslyn Park Rugby club featuring HMAS Vengeance and the "Wombats" (in the stripes) at Old Deer Park in 1952

In 1952 a match was played at Rosslyn Park F.C. in South West London between HMAS Vengeance and English-Australians ("the Wombats"). ^{[42] [43]} The Wombats also organised a match at Cambridge. ^[44]

The first local league

In 1967, Australian expatriates including Michael Cyril Hall and Ted Ford ^[45] attempted to organise Australian Football in London. Ted engaged high-profile expatriate Australians including Rolf Harris, Alan Freeman, Barry Humphries, Neil Hawke, Keith Miller and former Australian prime minister Sir Robert Menzies to support the venture and raise publicity for it. Ford organised a charity match was played in Regent's Park in London, between local club Kensington Demons and established out of town club Oxford University. Athol Guy (who had played VFL reserves with St Kilda) also made a special appearance as a player. The match also featured England's first all-women's match between Aussie Girls and Wild Colonial Girls as a curtain raiser. ^[46] The match attracted a crowd of 1,000 spectators. ^[47] A follow-up match between Earl's Court Magpies and Australian Dentists attracted 700 spectators. ^[47] By May 7 established local teams were ready to form a local league these teams included: Australian Dentists, Australian Navy, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Kensington Demons, Earls Court Magpies and London House. ^[48] In July, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel played against a combined side drawn from the Earls Court Magpies; Kensington Demons and Australian Dentists in front of a crowd of 1,200 at Regent's Park. ^[49] RAN personnel would go on to play against local school sides and local rugby clubs.

After some time finding its roots, the Australian National Football League (UK) was formed which by 1970 had six teams, Victorians; Rest of Australia; Portsmouth Naval Base; Plymouth Naval Base; London Gaelic Football Club and Hampstead Rugby Club with matches played in the summer. ^[50] The later inclusion of two English rugby sides was helping them keep fit in the off-season. ^[51] Later clubs to play in the league included the Kensington Demons, Earls Court Magpies, Oxford University Blues, Australian Dentists and Australian Navy (based in Portsmouth). ^[52]

In 1972, the first exhibition match of the VFL was played at The Oval in London as part of the Carlton Football Club 1972 preseason World Tour. The match attracted 9,000 in a carnival like atmosphere. However the arrival of the spectacle of elite level VFL also saw the end of the game at the grassroots in England with no further organised competition.

The VFL/AFL annual exhibition

Between 1987 and 2006, VFL/AFL exhibition matches had become an almost annual event, but the only game since then being in 2012. With a large number of ex-patriate Australians, interest in the game grew and small crowds of up to 10,000 were in attendance for the event in some years. Interest and crowds grew further with the change of the VFL to the Australian Football League. Highlights during this time included large crowds for the Australian Football League's West Coast Eagles v. Collingwood in 1997 with an attendance of 14,000 and the match between Richmond and Essendon in 2002 which drew 13,000.

The British Australian Rules Football League: 1989-Present

British Bulldogs player kicks despite a tackle from Nauruan opponent during the 2008 International Cup

In 1989 the British Australian rules football League (BARFL) was formed. Serious competition began. A schools program was launched in 1991. ^[53] One of the key people in the establishment of the competition was former professional Australian player Darren Ogier who helped introduce a rule that at least half of the club's players onfield must be non-Australian. ^[53] As the competition became more popular, results were reported in Australia. ^[54] From 1992, the AFL began contributing AUD $6,000 a year to the league, however withdrew its financial contributions in 1994, expressing a preference for grants to be spent on junior programs and school projects instead of the senior competition. ^{[55] [56]} Despite the lack of AFL support, local BARFL Grand Finals become a large event attracting attendances in the thousands, including a record crowd of 1,500 in 1999.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2002 a national team represented Great Britain at the Australian Football International Cup for the first time, finishing the tournament in 6th place. 2005 saw the British Bulldogs again compete in the International Cup, again finishing 6th overall.

Following the 2005 International Cup, promising 22-year-old British Bulldog Luke Matias began playing with the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League.

Also in 2005, the first Western Derby to be played outside of Australia, the West Coast Eagles v. Fremantle game was played as a pre-season test at The Oval in London, drawing a record crowd of 18,884.

Junior Development programs

West London Wildcats 2008 British competition premiers

In 2005 the first junior development program, Aussie Rules Schools, commenced. The program, co-ordinated by the new development body Aussie Rules UK, part of Aussie Rules International was kicked off. This project has seen up to 10 English schools adopt Aussie Rules as part of the school curriculum to combat obesity. Juniors teams have competed at the London Youth Games.

2006 was a big year for Aussie Rules in England, with the admission of new clubs in Manchester, Middlesbrough and Thanet.

On 17 September 2006 history was made in Denmark when the England Dragonslayers took on the Denmark Vikings in Europe's first fully-fledged international junior Aussie Rules match. England claimed the King Canute Cup, with England 6.10(46) defeating Denmark 0.6(6). ^[57]

In July 2007, the AFL announced that the annual London exhibition match was likely to be abandoned for the year, after only the Western Bulldogs had expressed interest.

In a first in 2007, the GB Bulldogs including several past and future England players, soundly defeated Ireland in Dublin 11.15(81) to 2.9(21).

Cambridge and Oxford Universities contest centre bounce in 2008

AFL Britain

In 2008, a resolution to the divide between the two competing leagues saw a single national body, AFL Britain form, which formally affiliated to the AFL. The BARFL was dissolved and became AFL London, while regional leagues including the Scottish Australian Rules Football League and the Welsh Australian Rules Football League affiliated with the new national body.

AFL England

In 2012, AFL England was formed as the national governing body for Australian rules football in England, separate to AFL Scotland and AFL Wales.

International Rules hybrid match being played at the University of Birmingham 2014

Participation

In 2004, there were a total of around 435 senior players across 18 clubs in England. The local league has a higher number of ex-patriate Australians compared to other countries that participate in the sport, however the league recently put in place caps on the number of expatriate players in certain divisions to improve the mix and encourage more local players.

By the end of 2007, the game had experienced substantial growth due to the placement of permanent development officers. AFL International Census figures indicate over 3,600 participants ^[58]

Audience

Television

Australian rules football is regularly shown on TNT Sports.

Attendance records

Local competitions

1,500 (1999). BARFL Grand Final. West London Wildcats vs Wandsworth Demons. London ^[59]

Exhibition match

18,884 (2005). West Coast v. Fremantle (The Oval, London)

National teams

AFL England currently manages four national teams. The Great Britain Bulldogs and Great Britain Swans compete every three years at the International Cup in Melbourne. The squad is made up of players mainly from the London clubs, however they are often joined by players competing in Australia. In 2017 the Bulldogs finished sixth, their joint-highest finish, while in their maiden year the Swans finished third, defeating the United States 5.2 (32) to 4.1 (25)

The English teams are known as the England Dragonslayers and the England Vixens. Both teams won the AFL Europe Euro Cup in 2017. ^[60] In 2018, the Vixens finished runners-up

Clubs

Open

London

Club	Years in competition	Conference Team	Social Team	Previous names
Earls Court Kangaroos	1990–97			Esher Kangaroos (1992), Firkin Roos (1996–97)
North London Lions	1990-	Regent's Park Lions	Bounds Green
Putney Magpies	1999-	Hammersmith Magpies	Fulham Magpies	London Gryphons (1999–2003), merged with London Collingwood Supporters' Group
Lea Valley Saints	1990–96
London Swans	1991-	City Swans		Sussex Swans (1991–2007), name still used for their ARUK Southern team
Thames Valley Magpies	1990–91
South East London Giants	2008-			Dulwich Dragons (2008–2011)
Wandsworth Demons	1990-	Clapham Demons	South London Demons
West London Wildcats	1990-	Shepherds Bush Raiders	Ealing Emus
Wimbledon Hawks	1990-	Fulham Hawks		London Hawks (1990–94)

Regional England

Club	Leagues competed in	Other names
Birmingham Bears	ARUK Central Division (2009)
Birmingham Crows	BARFL (1993–94)
Bournemouth Demons	ARUK Southern Division (2007–11)
Brighton Black Swans	ARUK Southern Division (2007–08)
Bristol Dockers	BARFL (1991–2002), BARFL Regional (2003–06), AFL London Social League (2007-)	Bristol Bears (1991–96)
Chippenham Redbacks	ARUK Southern Division (2008–09)
Doncaster Saints	BARFL Regional (2003–04)
Durham Saints	ARUK Northern Division (2007–09)	Durham Swans (2007–08)
East Midland Eagles	BARFL (1990–96)
Gateshead Miners	ARUK Northern Division (2009)
Guildford Crows	ARUK Southern Division (2011)
Hartlepool Dockers	ARUK Northern Division (2007–09)
Huddersfield Rams	ARUK Central Division (2009)
Leeds Bombers	ARUK Central Division (2009)
Liverpool Blues	BARFL (1993–94)
Liverpool Eagles	ARUK Central Division (2009)
Manchester Mosquitoes	BARFL Regional (2006), AFL London Social League (2007–09)
Middlesbrough Hawks	SARFL (2006), ARUK Northern Division (2007–09)
Newcastle Centurions	ARUK Northern Division (2007–09)
Nottingham Scorpions	BARFL Regional (2004–06), AFL London Social League (2007–09)
Plymouth Lions		Plymouth Seagulls (2011)
Portsmouth Pirates	ARUK Southern Division (2009)
Reading Kangaroos	BARFL Regional (2003–06), AFL London Social League (2007–09)
Sheffield Thunder	ARUK Central Division (2009)
Southampton Titans	ARUK Southern Division (2007–09)
St Helens Miners	BARFL (2002–04)	Northwestern Miners (2004)
Sussex Swans	BARFL (1991-), ARUK Southern Division (2007–09)
Swindon Devils	BARFL Regional (2004–06), WARFL (2007)
Thanet Bombers	BARFL Regional (2006), ARUK Southern Division (2007)	Thanet Bombardiers (2006)
University of Birmingham Lions	National University League (2009-)

Juniors

• Clapham Cubs

Players

Men's

• 
  Callum M. Brown playing for Greater Western Sydney in 2019
• 
  Connor Idun playing for Greater Western Sydney in 2019
• 
  Pearce Hanley playing for the Gold Coast in 2017
• 
  Brandon Jack playing for Sydney in 2016
• 
  Brad Moran playing for Adelaide in 2009
• 
  Polly Perkins playing for Richmond in 1948
• 
  Johnny Lennon playing for Subiaco in 1926
• 
  Ted Brewis of Carlton in 1926
• 
  Bill Eason of Geelong in 1902

Currently on an AFL senior list

Player	Club/s	AFL Years*	AFL Matches*	AFL Goals*	Connections to England, References
Cameron Mackenzie	Hawthorn	2023-	14	3	Born in London [61]
Callum M. Brown	Greater Western Sydney	2021-	29	25	Born in Luton, Bedfordshire and raised to the age of 5 [62]
Connor Idun	Greater Western Sydney	2019-	68	0	Born London, raised in Essex to age of 4 [63]
Pearce Hanley	Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast	2019-2020	169	60	Born, Welsh father, Irish mother [64]
Guy Walker	Melbourne	2018-2018	-	-	Born Nottingham, Nottinghamshire [65]
Sam Draper	Essendon	2017-	57	25	Raised in Brede, East Sussex [66] [67]
Brandon Jack	Sydney	2013-2017	28	16	Born Manchester [68]
David Swallow	Gold Coast	2011-	220	100	Father [69]
Brad Moran	Adelaide, North Melbourne	2006–2011	21	8	Born Solihull and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon by English parents [70]
Will Thursfield	Richmond	2005–2011	77	0	Born Oxford [71]
Fergus Watts	Adelaide, St Kilda	2004-2006	6	3	Born Whipps Cross, London [72]
Clive Waterhouse	Fremantle	1996–2004	195	386	Born [73]
Colin Alexander	Collingwood	1989–1991	29	30	Born [74]
Ian Dargie	St Kilda, West Coast	1989–1991	11	1	Born [75] [76]
Lawrence Bingham	Hawthorn, St Kilda	1989–1990	25	0	Born [74]
Mark Bayliss	Collingwood	1989	4	6	Born[ citation needed ]
Paul Harding	Hawthorn, St Kilda, West Coast	1987–1994	116	14	Born Camborne, Cornwall [ citation needed ]
Andy Goodwin	Richmond, Melbourne	1987–1991	73	9	Born[ citation needed ]
Richard Nixon	Richmond	1987–1990	37	3	Born[ citation needed ]
Wayne Blackwell	Carlton	1984–1990	110	80	Born Leicester [77]
Chris Burton	Footscray, Richmond	1980–1984	107	35	Born [78]
Andrew Ireland	Collingwood	1975-1989	110	29	Born and raised in London to the age of 4 [79]
Mick Plant	South Melbourne	1972	4	1	Born[ citation needed ]
Brian Mynott	St Kilda	1964–1975	210	75	Born Southampton [80]
Fred Fairweather	North Melbourne	1944–1946	54	14	Born London [78]
Polly Perkins	Richmond	1940–1949	148	0	Born Leicester [81]
Bernie Bignell	Carlton	1940, 1945	6	0	Born Birmingham, Warwickshire [82]
Johnny Leonard	South Melbourne	1932	12	17	Born Newcastle [83]
Bert Ashby	Hawthorn	1928-1935	25	6	Born Leicester
Ted Brewis	Carlton	1925-1928	60	12	Born Bedlington [82] : 91  [84]
Johnny Davies	Carlton	1922-1929	33	37	Born Wales [84] [85]
George Renwick	Carlton	1909	4	0	Tooting, London [82] : 696  [84]
Bill Eason	Geelong	1902-1915	220	187	Born Liverpool [86]
Barney Lazarus	Carlton	1902	7	0	Born London [82] : 477  [84]
Ralph Robertson	St Kilda	1899-1900	14	1	Born Aylestone [87]
Jack Frost	Carlton	1897	4	-	Born London
Ted Staniland	Fitzroy	1897	5	3	Born in Yorkshire

Women's

• 
  Sabrina Frederick playing for Richmond FC in 2020
• 
  Katie Brennan playing for Richmond FC in 2020
• 
  Cat Phillips playing for St Kilda FC in 2019
• 
  Jade Ellenger playing for the Brisbane Lions in 2022

Currently on an AFLW senior list

Player	Club/s	AFLW Years*	AFLW Matches*	AFLW Goals*	Connections to England, References
Imogen Barnett	Collingwood		-	-	Attended primary school [88]
Poppy Boltz	Brisbane	2023–	11	0	Born Northern England [89]
Jade Ellenger	Brisbane	2019–	25	4	Born London [90] [91]
Cat Phillips	Melbourne, St Kilda, Essendon	2019–	44	6	Born [90]
Katrina Stone	Western Bulldogs, Carlton Football Club (VFLW)	-	-		Recruited from the North London Lions (AFL London)
Katie Brennan	Western Bulldogs, Richmond	2017–	36	44	Lived there for a period [92]
Sabrina Frederick	Brisbane, Richmond, Collingwood	2017–	59	26	Born, mother [93]

• as of 2019 AFLW season

See also

• Sports portal
• Australia portal
• England portal

• 1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game
• Australian rules football in the United Kingdom
• Sport in England

External links

• Surrey Cricket AFL annual exhibition match at 'The Oval'
• AFL Britain website
• BARFL website
• ARUK National League
• Aussie Rules UK
• Cambridge University Australian Rules Football Club
• Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club
• Video of Aussie Rules from YouTube
• The Birmingham Bears
• sports on ESPN UK link.
• subscribe to ESPN UK link.

Books

• Williamson, John (2003). Bucknell, Mar (ed.). Football's Forgotten Tour: The Story of the British Australian Rules Venture of 1888. Applegate. ISBN   9780958101806.

References

1. Hibbins, Gillian; Ruddell, Trevor (2009). ""A Code of Our Own": Celebrating 150 Years of the Rules of Australian Football" (PDF). The Yorker (39).
2. The Australian Cricketers' Guide 1870–1871, p. 114
3. de Moore, Greg. Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall. Allen & Unwin, 2008. ISBN   174176548X, p. 94
4. The history of Newington’s Houses Retrieved 14 October 2022.
5. G Christian, J Lee & B Messenger, The Footballers: The History of Football in Western Australia, St George's Books Perth 1985, pp 1-6.
6. Athletic News. 24 August 1881 Pg. 1
7. R. Twopenny, Townlife in Australia, Melbourne 1977 (1883), pp. 207–8
8. AUCKLAND STAR, VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE 4533, 9 DECEMBER 1884, PAGE 2
9. "A CHAT WITH LILLYWHITE". Sportsman . No. 319. Victoria, Australia. 30 March 1887. p. 6. Retrieved 3 February 2023– via National Library of Australia.
10. Williamson 2003, pp. 138–140.
11. "Our Anglo-Colonial Letter". The Express and Telegraph . Vol. XXV, no. 7, 327. South Australia. 17 May 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 24 November 2021– via National Library of Australia.
12. "BRITISH & FOREIGN. ANGLO-COLONIAL GOSSIP". Adelaide Observer . Vol. XLV, no. 2435. South Australia. 2 June 1888. p. 20. Retrieved 3 February 2023– via National Library of Australia.
13. "Our Anglo-Colonial Letter". The Express and Telegraph . Vol. XXV, no. 7, 327. South Australia. 17 May 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 3 February 2023– via National Library of Australia.
14. "THE MERCURY". The Mercury . Hobart, Tasmania. 19 April 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 14 July 2011– via National Library of Australia.
15. Letter from Shrewbury to Alfred Shaw. 'Football's Forgotten Tour' (p50)
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