Experience and professionalism

Australian Football is well entrenched in Great Britain.

Now in its 16th season, the British Australian Rules Football League is the longest established Australian Football competition in the northern hemisphere and continues to grow each season.

The BARFL was formed in 1989, but the first documented competition in Great Britain involved 17 teams made up of Australian medical students in Scotland, prior to the outbreak of World War One.

The influx of Australian servicemen during World War Two saw the code played in venues, including London’s Hyde Park.

Another large influx of Aussies into London saw the first ‘modern’ league formed in 1968, but it petered out by the early 1970s, despite a match involving an Australian touring side that included big names such as Ron Barassi, Bob Skilton, Laurie Dwyer, Ken Fraser, John Dugdale, Royce Hart, John Nicholls, Hassa Mann and Alex Jesaulenko.

In 1972, Foster’s sponsored an exhibition match at the Oval in London. The Oval match became a regular fixture during the 1980s, inspiring the formation of the BARFL.

The first season of the BARFL saw eight teams compete, with a final five system introduced in 1993. The same year, a representative side went on its first international tour to Canada.

The British, known as the Bulldogs, again toured Canada in 1994, and also played a representative team of Danes and Swedes, with that fixture becoming an annual event.

A number of teams folded in the early to mid-1990s, however several were added to maintain the league’s strength.

By 1999, clubs were becoming strong enough to field two teams, with the Wandsworth Demons becoming the first club to field a second team.

That year also saw the creation of the London Gryphons, who are now known as the Putney Magpies, thanks to the efforts of former AFL player Mark Zanotti.

The Bulldogs were now playing regular representative fixtures against long-time European rivals Denmark and Sweden, as well as exhibition matches against expatriates.

In 2001, helped by an ever-growing Australian population in London and an increased minimum number of ‘local’ players required on the playing field, each club fielded a second team playing in the Conference league.

The Bulldogs hosted Ireland, Denmark, the USA and Canada in the Atlantic Alliance Cup, with Great Britain finishing the carnival with two wins and two losses.

This event was good preparation for the 2002 Australian Football International Cup in Melbourne. Great Britain had two wins and three losses to finish the event in sixth place.

In 2003, a dedicated regional league was created to cater for and encourage growth in clubs outside London and southern England, with a small league also emerging in Scotland.

The Bulldogs’ preparation for this year’s International Cup in Melbourne received a huge boost, with the professionalism and enthusiasm displayed by new head coach Matt Connell, a former West Coast and Adelaide player who won a best and fairest and played in two premierships for the Crows.

The BARFL thanks the AFL, its sponsors and affiliated partners, including major sponsor 1st Contact, for their great support this year. The team looks forward to an improved showing.