Australian Game of Football is Best - New York Times

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Australian Game of Football is Best - New York Times

Authored by: Graeme Carey
on Sunday, November 09 2008 @ 02:30 pm ACDT

On p75 of the book The Australian Game of Football since 1858, a book comissioned to celebrate 150th year of football, occurs one of the few references to international football, viz a letter written in 1906 by the VFL to the President of the United States (who replied!) and the leading Universities of the United States extolling the virtues of our game. That could have been a predecessor to the article above.
It is also interesting to note in 1893, 44 clubs existed in New Zealand (there are24 today) that in 1908 New Zealand participated in the Australasian (note the word) Football Council 1908 carnival and defeated Queensland and New South Wales. The England Rugby tour of 1905-6 which captivated the nation and the advent of World War One effectively killed the game and there were zero clubs by 1920

In the AFL growth area of South Africa, Aussie Rules was first played in 1899 as a result of Australian Army involvement in the Boer War
In 1901, there were over 20 clubs playing competitive football throughout South Africa (wouldn't have had too many black players!)
Between 1906 and 1913 the game was gaining a foothold however at the advent of the 1st World War in 1914, competition ceased, never to be revived.

From 1914 on, because the game was essentially fragmented in Australia with the various state bodies being their own little fiefdoms, and with the rugby codes becoming dominant in NSW and Queensland, international spread was at best a pipe dream.
However, since the advent of the AFL and the successful implementation of a nationwide competition which has rapidly become the dominant spectator sport in the country, such international development does become possible.

However, the AFL, quite rightly in my view, has focused on shoring up the game domestically, through Auskick and indigenous development, but now seems to sufficiently confident in the underpinnings of the game, and is taking some 'baby-steps' internationally.
The last ten years as a result of globalisation and the spread of expats throughout the world has seen the playing of the game likewise spread. This will continue though it will be a slow process and the game may finish up taking a different form (9s?). The AFL knows there will be enough expat disciples and is happy to let them do the work for them whilst providing minimal or no support.This will only change once a demonstrable number of children can be shown to be taking up the game, and a functional junior competition comes into play. As most expats have day jobs and like to stick to their comfort zones this is unlikely, unless initiatives such as the Chris Bandy (see my recent article) AYAID thing come into play.

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