Australian rules football in New Zealand

Sport overview
country = New Zealand
sport = Australian rules football

---

imagesize = 260px
caption = New Zealand captain Andrew Congalton takes a strong mark in front of an Indian opponent at the 2008 International Cup
union = New Zealand AFL
nickname =
first = 1876, Dunedin
registered = 16,000 (total)
600 (adult)
clubs = 19
match = 11,666 - 2000 Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn Football Club. Westpac Stadium, Wellington
league =
national1 =
club1 = Auckland AFL
club2 = Canterbury AFL
club3 = Wellington AFL
club4 = Waikato AFL
country

Australian rules football in New Zealand is currently a minority sport in a nation where rugby union is the national sport and predominant football code. Australian rules has a history in New Zealand dating back to at least 1876, however modern competition was commenced in 1974.

The game is primarily organised in four provinces - Auckland (Auckland Australian Football League), Canterbury, New Zealand (Canterbury Australian Football League), Wellington (Wellington AFL) and Waikato (Waikato AFL), although a new Otago league is currently in formation and is played during the summer to avoid clashing with the rugby season.

History of Australian rules football in New Zealand

Early Beginnings

The Christchurch Football club, founded in 1863http://www.christchurchfootballclub.co.nz/pages/cfc.php?page=club_history] played football according to its own rules [ [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/R/RugbyUnionFootball/History/en RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL - HISTORY - 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand ] ] , one of which was to bounce the ball every 4 yards, very much similar to the modern game of Australian Football. The club adopted rugby rules in 1876.

Australian Football was introduced to New Zealand as early as 1876.A hybrid match was played in Dunedin, New Zealand. The first half was played according to rugby rules, and the second half according to Victorian Rules. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/grandstand/unleashed/stories/s2193369.htm|title=When 'Rules' ruled Sydney|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=19 March 2008]

"At the annual meeting of the Union Club in 1877 it was decided by 17 votes to five to adopt the Rugby Union Laws, the club in all its matches with the D.F.C. previous to that date having stipulated for one spell of every game being under Victorian rules." [Otago Witness, 6 June 1889, Page 26 ]

The Reform Football Club was formed in Wellington in 1879 to "play under the Victorian rules" [Evening Post, 7 April 1879 ] . Several clubs are also reported to have been formed in Dunedin and one in Nelson. The Reform club's first practice match was held in the Hon. J. Sheehan's paddock, Hobson St, on 5th April 1879 in front of a "considerable number of spectators" [Ibid.] . The Reform club enjoyed a reasonable amount of press coverage throughout 1879. From 1880 there is very little mention of the club, and how long it was in existence is unkown. [ [http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ Papers Past ] ]

The 1888-1889 New Zealand Native football team matches saw a Māori team visit Victoria to play a program of "Victorian Rules" games. The team plays 13 games, winning six and losing seven.Fact|date=September 2007 It defeated South Melbourne Football Club, [cite book |last=Ryan |first=Greg |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Forerunners of the All Blacks |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1993 |month= |publisher=Canterbury University Press |location=Christchurch, New Zealand |language= |isbn=0-908812-30-2 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=144 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ] which at that stage was Victoria’s premier club.

By 1904, Wellington had a league of five clubs (City, Newtown, Petone, Wanderers and Federal) [Evening Post, 3 June 1904 and 22 June 1904] . In the same year, Auckland had three clubs in the newly formed league (Auckland Imperial, Victoria, and Austral football clubs). [New Zealand Herald, 14 May 1904]

Additional clubs were to join the Auckland league in the following years, including the Eden Football Club, which recently discovered records show won back-to-back Auckland Australian Football League premierships in 1907 & 1908. [ [http://www.aafl.co.nz/results1900s.html Auckland Australian Football League ] ]

In 1905, two New Zealand representatives (one from the North Island and one from the South) attended the Australasian Football Conference where the Australasian Football Council was formed. [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/a_false_dawn.htm A False Dawn ] ]

In 1908, New Zealand defeated both New South Wales and Queensland at the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival an event held to celebrate 50 years of Australian Football.

Hiatus

The outbreak of World War I and the popularity of rugby union signalled a hiatus in the game in New Zealand. No clubs survived after the war.

New Zealand was no longer represented and without any overseas delegates, the council reverted to the Australian Football Council.

Nevertheless, some efforts were made to rekindle interest in the code during these years.

In 1961, the Melbourne Football Club toured New Zealand during its off season, becoming the first VFL/AFL club to do so. [ [http://melbournefc.com.au/tabid/7415/default.aspx?newsid=55242 Melbourne in AFL first] ]

From the 1970s, Australian Football League (then known as the VFL, or Victorian Football League) highlights began to be televised in New Zealand.Fact|date=September 2007

Modern Competition

In 1974 senior competitions began in Christchurch (The Canterbury Australian Rules Football Association) [http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4739-0-0-0&sID=58255] ,Auckland (Auckland Australian Football League) [http://www.aafl.co.nz/history.html] and Wellington.

In 1995, the competition had grown sufficiently strong to field a national team, the Falcons.

The Arafura Games gave the side the first opportunity to compete at an international level. In 1995, 1997 and 1999, New Zealand took the silver medal in Australian Football at the event in Darwin, Northern Territory, running second to Papua New Guinea.

In 1997, the New Zealand Australian Football Development Foundation (NZAFDF) was formed.

1998 saw the debut of New Zealand born Trent Croad into the Australian Football League, the beginnings of what is a successful career at elite level.

In 1999, NZAFDF incorporated as governing body and was renamed New Zealand AFL.

Exhibition Matches

The years of 1991, 1998, 2000 and 2001 saw official Australian Football League exhibition matches staged in New Zealand so that the AFL could gauge local support.

International Success

In the inaugural Australian Football International Cup in 2002, New Zealand finished 3rd.

In 2003, local Aussie Rules convert Nick Evans debuted for the famous All Blacks rugby union side against England. [ [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22405941-5006067,00.html All Black almost a Swan] fromm news.com.au]

2005 was a huge year for Australian Football in New Zealand. The national team, the Falcons defeated Papua New Guinea to win the International Cup and were later invited to send a team to the Australian Country Championships.

Since 2004, there were talks of a New Zealand Australian Football League franchise or club relocation as a possible expansion plan for the league. New Zealand fields teams in several international club competitions in other football codes including Super 14 rugby, the National Rugby League and A-League.

The country became considered as a 7th Australian state by the Australian Football League's international development department.

2006 saw the first ever live regular season Australian rules football matches on television (the AFL) were shown by SKY Network Television [ [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php?story=20060505065644506 World Footy News - Live footy telecasts for New Zealand ] ] . Previously only highlights packages and finals matches were shown by some pay TV channels.Fact|date=September 2007

In 2006, New Zealander Adam Campbell debuted for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL.

Khan Haretuku, born to New Zealand parents and with Maori heritage was drafted to St Kilda Football Club in the 2007 AFL Draft after being a NSW AFL scholarship recipient. [ [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20080430154626451 Choice one bro - Khan you believe it!] from worldfootynews.com]

Notable NZ Players

New Zealand leagues have not yet produced local talent, however the country has had some locally born and bred players find their way into the AFL.

Current Players

*Trent Croad (Fremantle/Hawthorn)
*Adam Campbell (Fremantle)

Past Players

* Wayne Schwass (North Melbourne/Sydney)
* Peter Bennett (Hawthorn/Essendon)
* Donald Dickie (Port Adelaide)
* Warren Jones (Carlton/St Kilda)
* Daniel McAlister (Essendon)
* Marty McDonnell (Footscray)
* Thomas O'Halloran (Richmond)
* Joe Sellwood (Geelong)

Participation

The New Zealand AFL currently has around 600 senior players. [ [http://www.afl.com.au/Portals/0/afl_docs/2007_International_Census_Sheet_240807.pdf AFL International Census 2007] ] New Zealand, like Papua New Guinea and Queensland has experienced a boom in junior participation in recent years with reports of as many as 10,000 junior Auskick numbers in 2005 [ [http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php?story=20050111085421906 World Footy Census 2004] ] growing the total participation to as many as 16,000 in 2006 [ [http://www.thenational.com.pg/070706/column6.htm Aussie rules expands globally] article from the National] .

Leagues & Competitions

*Auckland Australian Football League
*Canterbury Australian Football League
*Waikato AFL
*Wellington AFL
*Otago AFL

Governing Body

The governing body for Aussie Rules in New Zealand is the New Zealand AFL.

National Team

The national team is the Falcons. The Falcons were Silver medallists in the Arafura Games in 1995 and 1997, runners up in the Australian Football International Cup in 2002, then became International Cup champions in 2005.

Audience

AFL Exhibition Matches

Television

*SKY Network Television (live AFL matches)

References

ee also

*New Zealand AFL
*List of New Zealand born AFL players

External links

* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6079144366356008330&q=afl Google Video of Falcons performing the 'Haka' at the 2005 International Cup]
* [http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/24/1109180040390.html?from=storyrhs AFL looks to NZ for expansion]
* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/index.cfm?c_id=20 NZ Herald Australian Rules News Section]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hqosNvv5E Video of Aussie Rules] from YouTube