Australian rules football in England is a
team sport
A team sport includes any sport where individuals are organized into opposing teams which compete to win or cooperate to entertain their audience. Team members act together towards a shared objective. This can be done in a number of ways s ...
and
spectator sport
A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its competitions. Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are m ...
with a long history. The current competitions originated in 1989 and have grown to a number of local and regional leagues coordinated by
AFL England. In 2018, these regional divisions were the AFL London, AFL Central & Northern England and Southern England AFL.
The
sport's origins are said to be in England, specifically
public school football games. Several of the sport's founders were born and educated there including
J. B. Thompson
James Bogne "J. B." Thompson (1829 – 18 July 1877) was one of the creators of the original laws of Australian rules football, one of the founders and the inaugural secretary of the Melbourne Football Club, a cricketer for Victoria and the Mel ...
and
William Hammersley, while
Tom Wills
Thomas Wentworth Wills (19 August 1835 – 2 May 1880) was an Australian sportsman who is credited with being Australia's first cricketer of significance and a founder of Australian rules football. Born in the British penal colony of Ne ...
held by many as the sport's founder, was educated at and played rugby with the
Rugby School
Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
. The sport however struggled for decades to establish roots given the dominance of traditional football codes in
rugby football
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league.
Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...
and the growing popularity of
soccer. Nevertheless, it was one of the first countries outside of Australia to commence regular competition.
Australian Football League (AFL)
exhibition matches were held in London semi-annually between 1986 and 2006 (the last standalone event was held in 2012) and were well attended with attendances ranging from 4,500 to a record of 18,884 in 2005.
England rarely competes in a standalone team, and is typically represented along with Scotland and Wales as the
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
team at the
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open t ...
(best result 6th) and
AFL Europe Championship
The AFL Europe Championship is an Australian football competition played between European national teams. The European Championship is played in a full traditional 18-a-side format (formerly 16-a-side) unlike the Euro Cup which has a 9-a-side ...
(2 titles). However, an English side has competed in several standalone tests and has been successful at the
Euro Cup with 5 titles. Nevertheless,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
has hosted several internationals, including the 2001
Atlantic Alliance Cup
The Atlantic Alliance Cup is an international Australian rules football tournament run every 3 years. The inaugural tournament pitted clubs and national teams from the North Atlantic together.
History
Like the Australian Football International ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
and 2015
EU Cup
The Euro Cup (formerly known as the EU Cup) is an international Australian rules football tournament played between European national teams. Played under 9-a-side Footy rules, the tournament was first held at Chiswick in London, England in 2005, ...
s and the
2016 and 2019
AFL Europe Championship
The AFL Europe Championship is an Australian football competition played between European national teams. The European Championship is played in a full traditional 18-a-side format (formerly 16-a-side) unlike the Euro Cup which has a 9-a-side ...
s.
In the AFL
Bill Eason and
Clive Waterhouse hold the record for the most games and goals with 220 and 386 respectively while current
AFL Women's
AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, ...
player
Sabrina Frederick
Sabrina Frederick (formerly Frederick-Traub; born 23 November 1996) is an English-born Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. She was one of Brisbane's two marquee players for the ...
holds both records with 59 and 26.
History of Australian rules football in England
English involvement in the game's establishment in Australia
According to the AFL, the
sport's origins were in England with
public school football games being adopted by Australians in the 1850s leading to the creation of what is now known as Australian Football in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
in 1859. Several of the sport's founders were English including
J. B. Thompson
James Bogne "J. B." Thompson (1829 – 18 July 1877) was one of the creators of the original laws of Australian rules football, one of the founders and the inaugural secretary of the Melbourne Football Club, a cricketer for Victoria and the Mel ...
and
William Hammersley, with
Tom Wills
Thomas Wentworth Wills (19 August 1835 – 2 May 1880) was an Australian sportsman who is credited with being Australia's first cricketer of significance and a founder of Australian rules football. Born in the British penal colony of Ne ...
having been educated at and played
rugby football
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league.
Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...
with the
Rugby School
Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
.
Writing to Wills in 1871, Thompson recalled that "the Rugby,
Eton,
Harrow
Harrow may refer to:
Places
* Harrow, Victoria, Australia
* Harrow, Ontario, Canada
* The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland
* London Borough of Harrow, England
** Harrow, London, a town in London
** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency)
...
, and
Winchester rules at that time (I think in 1859) came under our consideration, ... we all but unanimously agreed that regulations which suited schoolboys ... would not be patiently tolerated by grown men." The hardness of the playing fields around Melbourne also influenced their thinking. Even Wills, who favoured many rules of Rugby School football, saw the need for compromise.
He wrote to his brother Horace: "Rugby was not a game for us, we wanted a winter pastime but men could be harmed if thrown on the ground so we thought differently."
[de Moore, Greg. ''Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall''. Allen & Unwin, 2008. , p. 94]
While the game was exported to Ireland in the 1870s and there was also some awareness in England of the popularity of the game in Australia, it was not established locally until much later. This is primarily due to the growing popularity of locally developing football codes including rugby football and later British Association (soccer) which, like Australian Football, were also developing from from public school football games.
Early efforts at introduction to England
A
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
paper from 1881 mentions a local initiative to introduce "Victorian Rules Football" to England as an alternative to rugby and Association football.
In 1883, during a visit to Australia, English journalist and rugby player
Richard Twopeny
Richard Ernest Nowell Twopeny (1 August 1857 – 2 September 1915)
or Twopenny or Turpenny was an Australian rules footballer, journalist and newspaper editor/owner in New Zealand and Australia.
Early life
Twopeny was the son of Archdeacon ...
wrote of the game:
A good football match in Melbourne is one of the sights of the world... The quality of the play... is much superior to anything the best English clubs can produce... there is much more 'style' about the play.
In 1884
H C A Harrison
Henry Colden Antill Harrison (16 October 1836 – 2 September 1929) was an athlete and Australian rules footballer who played a leading role in pioneering the sport.
Harrison's cousin, champion cricketer Tom Wills, captained an early incarnat ...
then known as the "father of Australian Football" visited London where he proposed unifying Australian rules with Rugby under a set of hybrid rules and suggested that rugby clubs adopt some of the Victorian Rules. English football officials expressed their insult at the suggestion that they "abandon their rules to oblige an Antipodean game".
Nevertheless, it was played in England as early as 1888 when Australians studying at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI i ...
and
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
formed teams and competed in London.
British tours to Australia (1888–1914)

Australian rules football was played by a
British representative rugby team which toured Australia in 1888. The team arrived in
Hobart, Tasmania
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smal ...
on 18 April. They attended a social function with the Southern Tasmanian Football Association, before going to New Zealand for a series of rugby matches.
After they returned to Australia they again trained in Australian rules in
Sydney, before leaving for
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
in mid-June. The tour included 19 matches. They played against several of the stronger football clubs from Melbourne including the
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition.
Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of ...
,
South Melbourne Football Club,
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their ...
,
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the ...
and
Port Melbourne Football Club
The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne. The club was founded in 1874 and has been competing in the Victorian Football Association/Le ...
. Additionally, they played against some strong regional Victorian clubs including two teams from the city of
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
Within months of Vi ...
:
Ballarat Football Club
The Ballarat Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club. The football squad currently competes in the Ballarat Football League in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia.
The Ballarat Football Netball Club was e ...
and
Ballarat Imperial Football Club
The Ballarat Imperial Football Club was an Australian rules football club which formerly competed in the Ballarat Football League. The club was one of the most successful teams in the league, winning 17 premierships before it was dissolved in 1 ...
, as well as two teams from the city of
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, mak ...
:
Bendigo Football Club
The Bendigo Gold Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. The club played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1998 until 2014, under the nicknames Diggers, Bombers and Gold at different t ...
and
Sandhurst Football Club
The Sandhurst Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Dragons'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Bendigo, Victoria. Sandhurst is the former name of that city.
The club teams currently compete in the Bendigo Football ...
as well as playing against clubs from other regional towns including the
Castlemaine Football Club
The Castlemaine Football and Netball Club, nicknamed '' The Magpies'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia and is currently a member of the Bendigo Football League.
The club is notable f ...
,
Maryborough Football Club
The Maryborough Football & Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Magpies'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Maryborough, Victoria.
The club teams currently compete in the Bendigo Football Netball League.
Histor ...
,
Horsham Football Club
The Horsham Football & Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Demons'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Horsham, Victoria
Horsham () is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Lo ...
and
Kyneton Football Club
The Kyneton Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Tigers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Kyneton, Victoria. Kyneton teams currently compete in the Bendigo Football Netball League. The football squad ...
.
The team also played against several of the stronger
South Australian
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
teams including
South Adelaide Football Club
The South Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club that competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Known as the ''Panthers'', their home ground is Flinders University Stadium[Port Adelaide Football Club
Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed the Power, whilst its reserv ...]
,
Adelaide Football Club
The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) sinc ...
(no connection to the later Adelaide club),
Norwood Football Club
Norwood Football Club, nicknamed the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club competing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in the state of South Australia. Its home ground is Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval), which ...
. The only club from outside of Victoria or South Australia which played against them was the Maitland Football Club (from the
Hunter Region
The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and ...
in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
). The British team won six matches, including a win over Port Adelaide at
Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...
on 10 July 1888, and drew one.
The reigning Victorian premiers, Carlton defeated Great Britain at the
MCG
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern ...
14.17 to 3.8. At this stage goals and points were recorded but only goals counted in the score; for example, when Great Britain played Castlemaine under very heavy conditions they kicked 1 goal 2 points and the locals kicked 1 goal 4 points, but the match was declared a draw. Great Britain also played 35 games of rugby, making a total of 54 games in 21 weeks. A star of the team's Australian rules games was
Andrew Stoddart
Andrew Ernest Stoddart (11 March 1863 – 4 April 1915) was an English sportsman who played international cricket for England, and rugby union for England and the British Isles. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.
He has the unique ...
, who captained the team for part of its tour and also captained England in cricket.
The 1888 tour had been organised by the English cricketer
Arthur Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury (11 April 1856 – 19 May 1903) was an English cricketer and rugby football administrator. He was widely rated as competing with W. G. Grace for the accolade of best batsman of the 1880s; Grace himself, when asked whom he wo ...
but his involvement with Australian Rules football did not end there. He planned to have an Australian team sent to the United Kingdom to play a series of demonstration matches and to that end he looked to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
where he had identified possible opponents. Shrewsbury's plans are outlined in his correspondence with Alfred Shaw and Turner, the
Nottingham Cricket Club
Nottingham Cricket Club was an English cricket club which played in Nottingham during the 18th and 19th centuries. Matches have been recorded between 1771 to 1848 and the team played in 15 first-class matches between 1826 and 1848.
The earliest ...
Secretary.
First Competitions
Between 1870 and World War I many overseas students studied medicine in Scotland, and some went down to England to play the Australian Rules teams in that country. A scratch match between the Edinburgh Australians against the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...
was planned and then postponed to be held at Balham on 14 April 1888. The match drew considerable praise in UK newspapers such as the ''Times'' and the ''Scotsman''.
Shrewsbury suggested that the 'Edinburgh Australians' team at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI i ...
should travel down to England to meet the Australian team in a series of demonstration matches in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
and
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
. 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.
There were reports from Australia that the game was being played in England between two clubs in 1903 and in 1904. By 1906 there were three clubs holding regular competition two of which were in London.
World War I
In 1916, a match was held at the
Queen's Club
The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. The club hosts the annual Queen's Club Championships men's grass court lawn tennis tournament (currently known as the "cinch Championships" for sponsorship ...
in London between
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
teams, representing the Combined Training Units and the
3rd Division, in which many senior Australian rules footballers from all over Australia took part. However, the end of World War I put an end to organised Australian rules competition in England.
Varsity matches between Oxford and Cambridge
After the war, in 1921, the annual
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
–
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
Varsity match was played for the first time between
expatriate
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
Australian students. This game is still played, and is the longest running Australian rules fixture outside Australia. The match is an official Varsity competition. Over the years, some distinguished Australians to have played in the match include
Mike Fitzpatrick
Michael Gerard Fitzpatrick (June 28, 1963 – January 6, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2005 to 2007 and 2011 to 2017. He was fi ...
,
Chris Maxwell, Joe Santamaria,
Sir Rod Eddington and Andrew Michelmore.
;Men's Results
In 2018, amid the growth of the sport in England, there was the first ever women's Australian Rules Football Varsity, ending in a tie.
;Women's Results
Second World War matches

The AIF played a match in 1940 between the "Impossibles" and the "Improbables".
RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(Sunderland) vs
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
Mount Batten was played in 1943 in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymout ...
. In November of the same year, a game was played in
Sussex between No.11 Personnel despatch and Reception centre team based in
Brighton vs
RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
Headquarters from London.
Teams representing
RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
, Headquarters vs Sunderland, met in
Hyde Park in 1944 in front of a sizeable crowd. Headquarters defeated Sunderland 12.7 (79) to 5.4 (34).
In 1945,
HMAS Australia defeated RAAF at
Dulwich
Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half ...
11.12 to 10.5.
In 1952, a match was played at
Rosslyn Park F.C.
Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union club based in south west London.
History
Founded in 1879 by cricketing friends in north London, at the end of their first season, Charles Hoyer Millar proposed forming a football club to keep the p ...
in South West London between
HMAS Vengeance and English-Australians ("the Wombats"). The Wombats also organised a match at Cambridge.
The first local league
In 1967, Australian expatriates including Michael Cyril Hall and Ted Ford attempted to organise Australian Football in London. Ted engaged high profile expatriate Australians including
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...
,
Alan Freeman
Alan Leslie Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting '' Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to ...
,
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pro ...
,
Neil Hawke
Neil James Napier Hawke (27 June 1939 – 25 December 2000) was an Australian Test cricketer and leading Australian rules footballer.
Early years
Born in Cheltenham, South Australia, Hawke quickly developed as a natural all-round sportsman ...
,
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004) was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. His ability, irreverent m ...
and former Australian prime minister
Sir Robert Menzies
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only a ...
to support the venture and raise publicity for it. Ford organised a charity match was played in
Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
in London, between local club Kensington Demons and established out of town club Oxford University.
Athol Guy
Athol George Guy (born 5 January 1940) is a member of the Australian pop music group the Seekers, for whom he plays double bass and sings. He is easily recognisable by his black-framed "Buddy Holly" style glasses, and, during live performance ...
(who had played VFL reserves with St Kilda) also made a special appearance as a player. The match also featured England's first all-womens match between Aussie Girls and Wild Colonial Girls as a curtain raiser. The match attracted a crowd of 1,000 spectators.
[London footy, '60s style!](_blank)
by John Delvaney for Australian Football.com A follow up match between Earl's Court Magpies and Australian Dentists attracted 700 spectators.
By May 7 established local teams were ready to form a local league these teams included: Australian Dentists, Australian Navy, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Kensington Demons, Earls Court Magpies and London House. In July,
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN) personnel played against a combined side drawn from the Earls Court Magpies; Kensington Demons and Australian Dentists in front of a crowd of 1,200 at Regent's Park. RAN personnel would go on to play against local school sides and local rugby clubs.
After some time finding its roots, the Australian National Football League (UK) was formed which by 1970 had six teams, Victorians; Rest of Australia; Portsmouth Naval Base; Plymouth Naval Base; London Gaelic Football Club and Hampstead Rugby Club with matches played in the summer.
The later inclusion of two English rugby sides was helping them keep fit in the off-season. Later clubs to play in the league included the Kensington Demons, Earls Court Magpies, Oxford University Blues, Australian Dentists and Australian Navy (based in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
).
In 1972, the first
exhibition match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
of the
VFL
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...
was played at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
in London as part of the Carlton Football Club
1972 preseason World Tour. The match attracted 9,000 in a carnival like atmosphere. However the arrival of the spectacle of elite level VFL also saw the end of the game at the grassroots in England with no further organised competition.
The VFL/AFL annual exhibition
Between 1987 and 2006, VFL/AFL exhibition matches had become an almost annual event, but the only game since then being in 2012.
With a large number of ex-patriate Australians, interest in the game grew and small crowds of up to 10,000 were in attendance for the event in some years.
Interest and crowds grew further with the change of the VFL to the
Australian Football League.
Highlights during this time included large crowds for the
Australian Football League's
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Footbal ...
v.
Collingwood Collingwood, meaning "wood of disputed ownership", may refer to:
Educational institutions
* Collingwood College, Victoria, an Australian state Prep to Year 12 school
* Collingwood College, Durham, college of Durham University, England
* Collingw ...
in 1997 with an attendance of 14,000 and the match between
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a ...
and
Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
*Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
*Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League
United King ...
in 2002 which drew 13,000.
The British Australian Rules Football League: 1989-Present

In 1989 the
British Australian rules football League
AFL Britain, also referred to as AFL Great Britain was established in 1989 as the governing body for Australian rules football in England, Wales and Scotland. It was formed in 2008, replacing the British Australian Rules Football League (BARFL) a ...
(BARFL) was formed. Serious competition began. A schools program was launched in 1991.
One of the key people in the establishment of the competition was former professional Australian player
Darren Ogier who helped introduce a rule that at least half of the club's players onfield must be non-Australian.
As the competition became more popular, results were reported in Australia. From 1992, the AFL began contributing AUD $6,000 a year to the league, however withdrew its financial contributions in 1994, expressing a preference for grants to be spent on junior programs and school projects instead of the senior competition. Despite the lack of AFL support, local BARFL
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
s become a large event attracting attendances in the thousands, including a record crowd of 1,500 in 1999.
In 2002 a national team represented Great Britain at the
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open t ...
for the first time, finishing the tournament in 6th place. 2005 saw the British Bulldogs again compete in the International Cup, again finishing 6th overall.
Following the 2005 International Cup, promising 22-year-old British Bulldog Luke Matias began playing with the
Port Melbourne Football Club
The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne. The club was founded in 1874 and has been competing in the Victorian Football Association/Le ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...
.
Also in 2005, the first
Western Derby
The Western Derby () is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capital ...
to be played outside of Australia, the
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Footbal ...
v.
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
game was played as a pre-season test at The Oval in London, drawing a record crowd of 18,884.
Emergence of Aussie rules UK
In 2005 the first junior development program, Aussie Rules Schools, commenced. The program, co-ordinated by the new development body
Aussie Rules UK, part of
Aussie Rules International
Aussie is Australian slang for ''Australian'', both the adjective and the noun, and less commonly, Australia.
Pronunciation
In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the word is pronounced , hence the alterna ...
was kicked off. This project has seen up to 10 English schools adopt Aussie Rules as part of the school curriculum to combat obesity. Juniors teams have competed at the
London Youth Games
The London Youth Games is an annual multi-sport event held in London, England. The London Youth Games offer competitive opportunities for young people aged 7 to 18 (who live or go to school in London) across approximately 30 sports every year. T ...
.
2006 was a big year for Aussie Rules in England, with the admission of new clubs in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
,
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and
Thanet Thanet may refer to:
*Isle of Thanet, a former island, now a peninsula, at the most easterly point of Kent, England
*Thanet District, a local government district containing the island
*Thanet College, former name of East Kent College
*Thanet Canal, ...
.
On 17 September 2006 history was made in Denmark when the England Dragonslayers took on the Denmark Vikings in Europe's first fully-fledged international junior Aussie Rules match. England claimed the King Canute Cup, with England 6.10(46) defeating Denmark 0.6(6).
In July 2007, the AFL announced that the annual London exhibition match was likely to be abandoned for the year, after only the
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition.
Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the ...
had expressed interest.
In a first in 2007, the GB Bulldogs including several past and future England players, soundly defeated Ireland in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
11.15(81) to 2.9(21).
AFL Britain
In 2008, a resolution to the divide between the two competing leagues saw a single national body, AFL Britain form, which formally affiliated to the AFL. The BARFL was dissolved and became AFL London, while regional leagues including the Scottish Australian Rules Football League and the Welsh Australian Rules Football League affiliated with the new national body.
AFL England
In 2012, AFL England was formed as the national governing body for Australian rules football in England, separate to AFL Scotland and AFL Wales.
Participation
In 2004, there were a total of around 435 senior players across 18 clubs in England. The local league has a higher number of ex-patriate Australians compared to other countries that participate in the sport, however the league recently put in place caps on the number of expatriate players in certain divisions to improve the mix and encourage more local players.
By the end of 2007, the game had experienced substantial growth due to the placement of permanent development officers. AFL International Census figures indicate over 3,600 participants
Audience
Television
Australian rules football is regularly shown on
BT Sport
BT Sport is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and BT Group, they first launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at the former International Broad ...
.
Attendance records
Local competitions
1,500 (1999).
BARFL Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
.
West London Wildcats
The West London Wildcats is an Australian rules football and netball club based in London, England. The club fields teams in each of the three men's AFL London divisions – Premiership, Conference and Social and each of the two women's divisi ...
vs
Wandsworth Demons. London
Exhibition match
18,884 (2005).
West Coast v.
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
(The Oval, London)
National teams
AFL England currently manages four national teams. The
Great Britain Bulldogs and
Great Britain Swans compete every three years at the International Cup in Melbourne. The squad is made up of players mainly from the London clubs, however they are often joined by players competing in Australia. In 2017 the Bulldogs finished sixth, their joint-highest finish, while in their maiden year the Swans finished third, defeating the United States 5.2 (32) to 4.1 (25)
The English teams are known as the England Dragonslayers and the England Vixens. Both teams won the AFL Europe Euro Cup in 2017.
In 2018, the Vixens finished runners-up
Clubs
Open
London
Regional England
Juniors
*
Clapham Cubs
Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
History
Early history
T ...
Players
Men's
File:Connor_Idun_2019.2.jpg, Connor Idun
Connor Idun (born 29 July 2000) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Early life
Connor Idun was born in London to an Australian mother and a father from Ghan ...
playing for Greater Western Sydney in 2019
File:Pearce_Hanley_2017.jpg, Pearce Hanley
Pearce Hanley (born 1988 in England) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played with the Brisbane Lions from 2008 to 2016. A former Gaelic f ...
playing for the Gold Coast in 2017
File:Brandon_Jack.jpg, Brandon Jack playing for Sydney in 2016
File:Bradmoran.jpg, Brad Moran playing for Adelaide in 2009
File:Polly_Perkins.jpg, Polly Perkins
Polly Perkins (born Gillian Nessie Arnold, 31 May 1943) is a British actress, singer and writer. Perkins rose to fame in the 1960s as a popstar, going on to regularly appear in theatre and cabaret throughout the UK. She is known for playing Ros ...
playing for Richmond in 1948
File:JLeonard.jpg, Johnny Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
playing for Subiaco in 1926
File:Ted_Brewis_1926.jpg, Ted Brewis of Carlton in 1926
File:Bill_Eason_1908.jpg, Bill Eason of Geelong in 1902
Women's
File:Sabrina_Frederick_23.02.20.jpg, Sabrina Frederick
Sabrina Frederick (formerly Frederick-Traub; born 23 November 1996) is an English-born Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. She was one of Brisbane's two marquee players for the ...
playing for Richmond FC in 2020
File:Katie_Brennan_23.02.20.jpg, Katie Brennan
Katie Brennan (born 2 October 1992) is an Australian rules footballer with and captain of the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for and captained the Western Bulldogs from 2017 to 2019. Brennan was signe ...
playing for Richmond FC in 2020
File:Cat_Phillips_2019.2.jpg, Cat Phillips playing for St Kilda FC in 2019
File:AFLW_S7_GF_Jade_Ellenger_3.jpg, Jade Ellenger
Jade Ellenger (born 4 March 2000) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Brisbane in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition.
Early life
Ellenger was born in South East London in England. playing for the Brisbane Lions in 2022
*as of
2019 AFLW season
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
See also
*
1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game
On Saturday 28 October 1916, the former Olympic champion swimmer and the later Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Lieutenant Frank Beaurepaire, organised an Australian Rules football match in aid of the British and the French Red Cross.
Promoted as t ...
*
Australian rules football in the United Kingdom
*
Sport in England
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...
External links
Surrey Cricket AFL annual exhibition match at 'The Oval'AFL Britain websiteBARFL websiteARUK National LeagueAussie Rules UKCambridge University Australian Rules Football ClubOxford University Australian Rules Football ClubVideo of Aussie Rulesfrom
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
The Birmingham Bearssports on ESPN UK link.
subscribe to ESPN UK link.
Books
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Rules Football In England
Australian rules football in England,
Eng