In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australian rules football is a popular spectator and participation sport which has been played continuously since 1911. It was the most popular football code in the nation's capital Canberra between 1978 and 1982 and has the second highest participation after soccer. The current governing body is AFL Canberra founded 1922, while the development body is AFL NSW/ACT established in 1999.
Until 1982, the sport was widely covered in the local media and the premier local competition attracted significant interest. The ACT was one of the first proponents for a national Australian rules football competition, now known as the Australian Football League (AFL) and it became the first state or territory outside of Victoria to make an official bid to join the league. The (rejected) Canberra bid in 1981 was dismissed in favour of a team in Sydney, which became the Sydney Swans. Canberra has made numerous failed bids since, including bids to move the Swans when they became insolvent. However, the popularity of Australian rules football suffered substantially after the introduction of the Raiders (in 1982) and Brumbies (in 1996). As a result rugby league and rugby union there receive higher attendances and overall interest despite significantly lower participation rates. It is now classified as a minor sport with the lowest media profile and attendance of the four major football codes.
While it remains by far the second most participated football code and retains a loyal support base as well as a strong local competition, it has continued its slow decline since the 1980s. The ACT hosted its first AFL match in 1995 and AFL matches have been played every year since 2001 except 2020. Since 2012 the AFL has positioned Greater Western Sydney Giants (GWS) as a local side, scheduling three home games a year at Manuka Oval. In 2013, 2016, 2021 and 2022 the stadium's average attendance was higher than that of the Giants home, the Sydney Showgrounds, despite having 10,000 less available seats and a schedule of lower drawing opposition clubs. At least 6,400 GWS members were ACT-based at the end of 2022.[2][3] The club in 2015 set a target to overtake the Raiders membership in 2018 with more than 10,000+ ACT-based members,[4] however Raiders membership rapidly outpaced it growing its record to more than quadruple that of GWS.[5]
The ACT debuted at representative level in 1925 against New South Wales but has not appeared since 1988. Its first win came in 1941 against New South Wales; it also went on to defeat Queensland and the National Amateur team numerous times between the 1950s and 1980s culminating in defeats of the powerhouses of the VFL in 1980 and Tasmania in 1981. Kevin "Cowboy" Neale captained the side to many of these victories. The junior side was the third team to enter the Teal Cup in 1973.
Home grown hero Alex Jesaulenko and Australian Football Hall of Fame legend was a household name in the 1970s in Canberra. Jesaulenko has played more games and kicked more goals in the AFL than any other player from the ACT. James Hird is the only Canberran to win the prestigious Brownlow Medal. Both are multi premiership players. Britt Tully (games) and Jacqueline Parry (goals) share the honours in the AFLW. The ACT is classed as a development region by the AFL and in the AFL Draft, ACT is designated priority AFL recruitment zoning for the Greater Western Sydney Giants (and previously Sydney Swans), so most of the local players recruited from the ACT to the AFL (unless overlooked) generally start their careers at one of these two New South Wales based clubs.
History
Australian football pioneer Tom Wills was born and raised on the Molonglo Plain, the future site of Canberra.Federal Football team 1926 Federal Territory premiersActon Premiers of the ANF 1927
Prior to Australian Capital Territory (ACT) being established and Canberra being planned as the Federal capital, the region was part of the Colony of New South Wales and was known as the Molonglo Plain, or the Queanbeyan-Yass region, a sparsely populated mainly pastoral area. Tom Wills, founder of Australian rules was born on the Mongolo Plain near what is now the ACT from 1835-1839 prior to his family's move to Victoria.
In 1861, the Federal Football Club was established in nearby Wagga Wagga (which was originally proposed to be the Federal capital). However rugby arrived first from Sydney to the Molonglo in the 1870s with clubs formed in Queanbeyan in 1875 and Yass in 1878. No records exist of interclub matches for either sport, however, until at least 1880. Without sufficient player numbers to contest, the earliest contests were likely intraclub scratch matches. In 1874, the newly formed Southern Rugby Union (SRU), which governed football in the colony of New South Wales, placed a ban on clubs playing Australian rules as such, the clubs risked expulsion from the union if they competed against nearby Victorian rules sides. The local football clubs which sought to play against nearby Albury and Wagga due to a lack of nearby competition, were not able to.[6] By the time that regular club competition was established in the nearby Riverina in 1884,[7] rugby had become firmly established along with soccer which had arrived around the turn of the century.
Following the Federation of Australia in 1908, Canberra became the new planned national capital. Between 1901 and 1927, Melbourne had served as the National Capital. The gradual migration of civil servants from Melbourne to Canberra helped fuel strong early enthusiasm for the Australian rules.[8]
The first recorded match of Australian rules in what was informally known as "Canberra" happened in 1911. It was an exhibition match between the Royal Military College and employees of the Home Affairs Department on the 29th July.[9]
The Federal Territory League Australian Rules Football League began in 1924 with founding members Acton and Queanbeyan.[10] The following year, the premiership was contested by 4 clubs including Canberra, Federal and Duntroon.[11] By 1926, the competition had gained popularity and was contested by five clubs.[10]
Gate takings increased by 40% in 1975,[citation needed] and the CANFL changed to ACTAFL.
In 1977, the ACT was officially invited to join the NFL Night Series.[16] The ACT competed in the 1978 and 1979 seasons. However the move created tensions with the VFL which had sought to establish its own rival national competition.[17] The ACT, along with other states joined the Australian Football Championships Night Series in 1979, and competed also in 1980 and 1981.
1980s & 1990s: AFL declines a licence, rugby popularity grows
In 1981, the ACTAFL, had just begun to edge out rugby league in popularity with an increase in participation.[18] Under significant pressure from rugby league junior development in the territory and fearing the impact on its strong local competition of entry of a Sydney team, a formal bid for license to enter a Canberra team into the VFL was made with expected crowd projections of 15,000 per match and a significant television audience. However VFL dismissed the Canberra bid, stating that the VFL would consider Canberra for a license "within the next 10 years".[19] The league was insistent that the license should go to Sydney and proceeded instead to push for South Melbourne's Swans to relocate there.
The following year, the NSW Rugby League entered the Canberra market with a new Canberra Raiders club.[20] The Raiders were based at Queanbeyan in nearby New South Wales and weren't immediately successful with a wooden spoon in its first season and very small crowds, but the home team began to rapidly attract public support within two years began to outdraw the VFL's Canberra attendances.
In 1984, the ACTAFL applied to the National Football League to join the national competition which was under consideration at the time.[21] That year the ACTAFL also began discussions with several VFL clubs about moving their home games so that Sydney could play the bulk of its away games in Canberra and Brisbane, but without success.[22] With the VFL denying the Canberra bids entry and with the rising popularity of the Raiders, the ACT between 1983 and 1984 sought admission to the South Australian National Football League.[22]
The VFL designated the ACT an exclusive recruitment zone for the Swans in 1986, which the ACTAFL was not pleased with.[23] In 1986, the Canberra bid was again overlooked in favour of Perth and Brisbane.[24]
In 1988 when the Sydney Swans folded and the licence was put out to tender, the AFLACT moved to buy the club and move it to Canberra;[25] further calls were made to move the Swans to Canberra as they struggled through the early 1990s.[26] The ACTAFL also sought to entice a struggling Melbourne club to relocate (which it claimed to be North Melbourne), without success.[27]
In 1990, a sold out Ansett Cup (pre-season) match between Hawthorn and Sydney Swans at Bruce Stadium set an ACT attendance record of 11,500.[28]
In 1991, the VFL cancelled a Fosters Cup match scheduled for Bruce Stadium shifting it to Albury.[29] ACT interests cited falling attendance and interest in Canberra, however the VFL denied this.[29]
A local lobby group, increasingly frustrated with the national league became very vocal in the 1990s. In 1993 an official "AFL For Canberra Bid" led by Ron Cahill and backed by the ACT government was launched.[30]
The Fitzroy Football Club expressed interest to the AFL in playing home games in Canberra, and the first premiership match to be played in Canberra for Round 9, 1995 match between the Fitzroy and the West Coast Eagles. The match was played at the rectangular Bruce Stadium rather than Manuka Oval. Despite a frost, the match attracted a large amount of interest and a crowd of just under 12,000 attended and the Eagles defeated the struggling Lions by 28 points.[31]
In 2001, the AFL club the Kangaroos signed a deal with the ACT government to play some home matches at Manuka Oval. The move was seen by many as part of a potential relocation of the club to Canberra an idea which had its origins in the mid 1980s.[22][33][34] The Kangaroos drew crowds averaging around 10,000 at Manuka Oval. However, in 2007 the club received a more lucrative offer, to play some home games at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast, Queensland, and signed a deal to that effect, which was met with significant disgust from Canberra.[35][36] In August 2006, the AFL announced that the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs would each play home games at Manuka, to fill the void left by the Kangaroos.
GWS adopts Canberra as a 'Second home'
"Canberra have their own [AFL] team, the GWS Giants. They play a number of games down here."
Canberra continued to bid for its own AFL team. This was rejected in 2009 in favour of the Greater Western Sydney license.[37] However, in 2012, the ACT government signed a contract with the GWS Giants to play four home games per season at Manuka Oval (three regular season, one preseason), having signed a 10-year deal worth $23million. A Canberra logo (incorporating the Black Mountain Tower as a symbol) is incorporated on its guernsey, with a slightly altered Canberra-specific guernsey used for the games at Manuka. The Giants also played in a special guernsey as part of the centenary of Canberra celebrations, stating that the team is "part of the Canberra community".[38] A GWS/ACT Academy has also been envisioned, and the territory has representation on the club's board.[39][40]
The 2016 round 19 AFL match between GWS Giants and Richmond attracted a record crowd of 14,974, just overtaking the previous 2006 record for the match between the Kangaroos and Sydney.[41]
The first AFLW premiership match played at Manuka, a Giants home game, with free entry attracted at territory record women's attendance of 6,460[42] however the league did not schedule any other matches and AFLW did not return to the ACT for another 4 years, and it did so with paid entry to significantly reduced crowds.
The round 21, 2019 match between Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn was notable as it was the first professional Australian rules football match to be played in snowfall.[43][44]
The ACT was made a Sydney Swans exclusive zone by the VFL in 1986;[23] however, the Swans made poor use of the zone until the late 1990s, missing most of the top players. In 2012, the ACT zone was transferred to the AFL's GWS Giants. The Greater Western Sydney Giants Academy created a Canberra sub-academy, giving GWS has first pick of the most talented players from the ACT. The Giants have made much better use of the recruitment zone and as a result, most of the current players from the ACT now have begun their careers with the Giants.
Australian Capital Territory's first National Football Carnival appearance was at the 1933 National Football Carnival. The side placed second in Division 2 of the 1958 National Football Carnival, and second in the 1968 Minor States National Football Carnival. In the 1990s, the Australian Capital Territory team was merged with the New South Wales team to form NSW/ACT; and from 1995, Australian Capital Territory was represented in interstate football as part of Australian Alliance, which also incorporated players from New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Principal venues
There are several grounds around the ACT used by AFL Canberra, but only two with spectator facilities suitable for finals matches. In the 1990s, politician and former Canberra Raiders rugby league player Paul Osborne began a successful campaign to exclude the AFL from use of Canberra Stadium which ultimately resulted in its conversion into a rectangular field.[56][57] As a result Manuka Oval remains the only venue in the ACT that meets AFL Standard criteria and have been used to host AFL (National Standard) or AFLW level matches (Regional Standard).[58]
de Moore, Greg; Hess, Rob; Nicholson, Matthew; Stewart, Bob (2021). Australia's Game: The History of Australian Football. Hardie Grant Books. ISBN9781-74379-657-3.
Related Research Articles
The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reserves men's team in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The Sydney Swans Academy, consisting of the club's best junior development signings, contests Division 2 of the men's and women's underage national championships and the Talent League.
Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports venue by capacity in Canberra.
Anthony Howard Lockett is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "Plugger", he played as a full-forward and holds the VFL/AFL record for career goals, scoring 1,360 goals in total.
The Brisbane Bears was the name for a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Granted a Victorian Football League license in 1986, it was the first privately owned club in the history of the competition and debuted in the 1987 VFL season.
Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, although this is lower for some sports depending on the configuration used. The area on which the ground is situated has been used for sport since the early 20th century, but was only enclosed in 1929. It has since undergone several redevelopments, most recently beginning in 2011.
Exhibition matches in Australian rules football have been used to promote the game as a demonstration sport outside of its heartlands in Australia.
The Indigenous All-Stars is an Australian rules football team composed of players that identify as Indigenous Australian or with an indigenous culture.
AFL Canberra is the name of the local governing body for and premier competition of Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory.
In New South Wales, Australian rules football dates back to the 1860s colonial era, with organised competitions being continuous since the 1880s. It is traditionally popular in the outback areas of the state near the Victorian and South Australian borders— in the Murray Region, in the Riverina and in Broken Hill. These areas form part of an Australian cultural divide described as the Barassi Line. To the west of the line it is commonly known as "football" or "Australian Football" and to east of the line, it is promoted under the acronym "AFL" by the main development body AFL NSW/ACT. There are more than 15 regional leagues though some are run from other states, the highest profile are AFL Sydney and the Riverina Football Netball League. With 80,572 registered players, it has the third most of any jurisdiction.
The AFL Commission is the governing body of the Australian Football League Limited (AFL), its subsidiaries and controlled entities. Richard Goyder has been chairman since 4 April 2017, replacing Mike Fitzpatrick.
The Barassi Line is an imaginary line in Australia which approximately divides areas where Australian rules football or rugby league is the most popular football code. The term was first used by historian Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture. Crowd figures, media coverage, and participation rates are heavily skewed in favour of the dominant code on either side. Most other sports are unaffected by the dichotomy; Australian cricket, for example, has maintained consistent national interest throughout its history, though soccer faces more competition for participation in areas where Australian rules is more popular.
The Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was the national governing body for Australian rules football in Australia from 1906 until 1995. The council was a body of delegates representing each of the principal leagues which controlled the sport in their respective regions. The council was the owner of the laws of the game and managed interstate administrative and football matters. Its function was superseded by the AFL Commission.
Sport in the Australian Capital Territory refers to the various sports played in the Australian Capital Territory. Teams represent the ACT in the national leagues of several sports, although the rugby league and rugby union teams receive far more local coverage than any of the other teams and are considered the main sports of the territory. The Australian Institute of Sport was set up in 1981, where many Olympic and other athletes are trained.
The Greater Western Sydney Giants are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park which represents the Greater Western Sydney region of New South Wales.
The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. Since taking over as national governing body in 1995, the AFL has gradually restructured the competition into a primary junior pathway for its fully professional national club competition.
The Australian Football League, currently an 18 team competition, has a history of expansion since 1908 when its 8 club competition, formed as an 1897 breakaway from the rival Victorian Football Association, grew to 10 teams. Many clubs have been proposed since this time, particularly since the 1980s when the league began to expand nationally. Only 3 teams have left the competition in its history.
Kevin Delmenico is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1966 to 1970.
Relocating the North Melbourne Football Club has been a priority for the Australian Football League (AFL) since the 1980s especially during times of financial and on-field difficulty, to secure the club's future.
The North East Australian Football League was an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. The league was formed in November 2010, and its inaugural competition was in 2011. It was a second division league, sitting below the national Australian Football League (AFL) and featured the reserves teams of the region's four AFL clubs playing alongside six non-AFL affiliated NEAFL senior teams. Nine NEAFL seasons were contested between 2011 and 2019, before the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the league was amalgamated into the Victorian Football League from 2021.
Brittany Tully is an Australian rules footballer and softballer.
References
1 2 Commission, Australian Sports Commission; jurisdiction=Commonwealth of Australia; corporateName=Australian Sports. "AusPlay results". Sport Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ "YASS FOOTBALL CLUB". The Yass Courier. Vol.XXV, no.2334. New South Wales, Australia. 9 June 1881. p.2. Retrieved 9 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.
↑ A Brief History of Football in Wagga. The Riverina Weekender. 23 February 2013
↑ "Football". Queanbeyan Age. New South Wales, Australia. 1 August 1911. p.2. Retrieved 16 June 2022– via National Library of Australia.
1 2 "AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL". Federal Capital Pioneer. No.18. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 June 1926. p.2 (Supplement to The Federal Capital Pioneer,). Retrieved 13 May 2022– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "FOOTBALL". Federal Capital Pioneer. No.3. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 1 February 1925. p.3. Retrieved 13 May 2022– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "V.F.L. MOVE TO A.C.T UNLIKELY". The Canberra Times. Vol.61, no.18, 972. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 13 September 1987. p.7 (Sunday Sport). Retrieved 23 June 2022– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Ossie v AFL". The Canberra Times. Vol.70, no.21, 873. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 March 1995. p.1. Retrieved 14 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
