Australian rules football in Scotland

Sport overview
country = Scotland
sport = Australian rules football


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caption = Scottish Australian Rules Football League logo
union = Scottish Australian Rules Football League
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clubs = 4
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club1 = BARFL
country

Australian rules football is currently played by four teams in Scotland, two each from Glasgow and Edinburgh forming the Scottish Australian Rules Football League (affiliated with the BARFL).

Early history

There are rumours of a competition near the River Clyde during the early 20th Century, famously referred to in "A Game of their Own", where a number of expatriate Australians were based in Scotland either as Ship Workers or Soldiers. Had this league existed, and there is no proof it ever did, then it had died out around the time of the First World War.

An "Edinburgh Australians' Club" existed in the years between 1870 and the first world war as large numbers of Australians were studying in Glasgow and Edinburgh, including some who had played Australian rules football with clubs in the Victorian Football Association, and at one time four Australian test cricketers. On Saturday 14 April 1888, the Edinburgh Australians, having travelled down to England to play an Australian Rules game against the University of London at Balham, lost the match two goals to five. Early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University. Arthur Shrewsbury, organiser of a tour of Scottish and English rugby players who had toured Australia in 1888 playing under both rugby rules and Australian rules football, suggested that the Edinburgh Australians team at the University of Edinburgh should travel down to England to meet the Australian team in a series of demonstration matches in Lancashire and Yorkshire, although this plan did not eventuate.

Scots living in Melbourne and Victoria in the mid-19th century were greatly involved in the formation of the rules of the game, as well as the formation of a number of early clubs, including the still-existing Essendon Bombers in the elite Australian Football League in Melbourne, Australia. The team, Glasgow Redbacks wear black jumpers with a red diagonal stripe across the front, the same as worn by Essendon Football Club. This is said to recognise the Scottish roots of Essendon, which was formed in 1871 by a Scots family who had moved to Melbourne.

Between 1870 and World War I, many overseas students studied medicine at Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities and in some years there were over 200 Australians enrolled at Edinburgh alone. They formed their own Edinburgh Australians Club with their own plush premises at 12 Archibald Place. (At one stage their cricket team had 4 Australian Test players).

The 14 April 1888 match drew much interest in UK newspapers such as the "The Times" and "The Scotsman").

Champion Australian Rules players who were members of the Edinburgh Australians Club over the next decade or two were Victorian premiership players RH Morrison, AB Timms and GF Read (Geelong); Colin Campbell and ‘Gus’ Kearney ( Essendon). Other prominent players were J (Jos) Adams (Melbourne, Essendon and Geelong), J Pender, AE Syme (Essendon); FJ Clendinnen and AW Marwood (Melbourne).In addition there were many prominent Public School players such as WC and CC Macknight, SW Pitcher, WE O’Hara, DA Robinson, DGM Teague, W Scott, LG Pearson, HW Bryant, (son of ‘Jerry’ Bryant the publican who organised one of the first games in Melbourne), CS and CG Ryan (Melbourne Grammar), CG Timms, I Glassford (Geelong College), D Gordon, J & P Russell, AH Rutherford, RC Irvine (Geelong Grammar), GM Munro, R Fetherstone, CL Carter, T Fitchett, HF Lawrence (Wesley), Ramsay Mailer, HE Jackson and DJ Macrae (Scotch College).Testimony to the existence of the Edinburgh Australians Club are early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University.

Shrewsbury suggested that the 'Edinburgh Australians' team at the University of Edinburgh 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 aborted the venture and a possible expansion of Australian Rules in the UK was lost.

Modern era

During the 1990s the Caledonian Sharks were set up by John Boland, but eventually folded. The first lasting Scottish club of the modern era was known as the Edinburgh Puffins in 2003 with informal matches held, and invitiationals of clubs from the British Australian Rules Football League. The inaugural SARFL season was held in 2004 and the league currently consists of 3 clubs, one from Glasgow and two from Edinburgh. The Puffins name instead conferred upon the Scottish national team.

In 2006, Glasgow and Edinburgh considered competing in the BARFL Regional competition, though travel problems saw them continue an expanded SARFL local competition with the Glasgow Redbacks and Middlesbrough Hawks (England) joining the league. The Hawks left the league in 2007 to join the northern division of Aussie Rules UK, but there are plans for a team in Aberdeen, to bring the number of Scottish clubs back to 5 in 2008.

The Scottish Puffins hope in future to compete at the Australian Football International Cup.

The following teams are currently active in Scotland:

* Edinburgh Old Town Bloods 2003-
* Edinburgh University Body Snatchers 2004-
* Glasgow Sharks 2004-
* Glasgow Redbacks 2006-

Divisional Structure

cotland in EU Cup

The inaugural EU Cup took place in London on 9th October 2005. The EU Cup was played under the rules of 9-a-side football (full contact) on fields conforming to standardised Rugby or Soccer dimensions (approx 100 m x 65m). The primary intention of the tournament was to showcase Aussie Rules with a reduction in the number of players, held on sporting fields that are readily found in nearly every corner of Europe; without any loss in the excitement, skill or quality of the 18-a-side version of the game. Scotland competed in this alongside Israel, Catalonia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, England, Sweden, France and the Netherlands. Scotland came 6th out of the ten teams.

* Scotland [15] 8.7 (70) d. France [30] 3.4 (52)
* Sweden [10] 10.3 (73) d. Scotland [15] 2.4 (31)
* England [22] 6.5 (63) d. Scotland [15] 4.2 (41)
* Netherlands [8] 8.8 (64) d. Scotland [15] 4.5 (44)

Classification Match
* Scotland [15] 3.3 (36) d. Austria [5] 2.1 (18)

Scotland has confirmed it will not play in the 2007 EU Cup.

Audience

Television

Setanta Sports and British Eurosport are the current holders of the British rights to the Australian Football League (AFL). Setanta Sports shows three live games each round of the season including the playoffs and the AFL Grand Final. Eurosport shows one game a week but the coverage is delayed.

External links

* [http://www.sarfl.org.uk/sarfl/ SARFL official site]