![]() ![]() Without an agreed-upon code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in the British Isles, "others by no rules at all". Trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. This was the first of several "kickabouts" held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, including Wills, Bryant, W. Two weeks later, Wills' friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant, posted an advertisement for a scratch match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School in England, and returned to his homeland a star athlete and cricketer. On 10 July 1858, the Melbourne-based Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle published a letter by Tom Wills, captain of the Victoria cricket team, calling for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. The earliest match, held on 15 June, was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. In Melbourne, Victoria, in 1858, in a move that would help to shape Australian football in its formative years, private schools (then termed " public schools" in accordance with English nomenclature) began organising football games inspired by precedents at English public schools. Compared to cricket and horse racing, football was considered a mere "amusement" by colonists at the time, and while little is known about these early one-off games, evidence does not support a causal link with Australian football. Primitive forms of football were played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. The plaque reads that Wills "did more than any other person – as a footballer and umpire, co-writer of the rules and promoter of the game – to develop Australian football during its first decade." Tom Wills is depicted umpiring behind two young players contesting the ball. Main article: Origins of Australian rules football Statue next to the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the approximate site of the 1858 football match between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College. Its rules are governed by the AFL Commission with the advice of the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee. ![]() The sport is also played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations. The AFL Grand Final, held annually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, is the highest attended club championship event in the world. Īustralian football has the highest spectator attendance and television viewership of all sports in Australia, while the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's only fully professional competition, is the nation's wealthiest sporting body. ![]() Seeking to develop a game more suited to adults and Australian conditions, the Melbourne Football Club published the first laws of Australian football in May 1859. The sport's origins can be traced to football matches played in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1858, inspired by English public school football games. The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking, fast movement of both players and the ball, and high scoring. Dangerous physical contact (such as pushing an opponent in the back), interference when marking, and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties, or suspension for a certain number of matches depending on the severity of the infringement. Players can tackle using their hands or use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark is paid. A distinctive feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch the ball from a kick (with specific conditions) are awarded unimpeded possession. Throwing the ball is not allowed, and players must not get caught holding the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled for example, players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground. The primary methods are kicking, handballing and running with the ball. Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts (worth six points), or between a central and outer post (worth one point, otherwise known as a "behind").ĭuring general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. A ruckman leaps above his opponent to win the hit-out during a ball-upġ5 June 1859 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australiaĭemonstration sport, 1956 Melbourne OlympicsĪustralian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. ![]()
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