They also play mostly AFL in Northern Territory which is the hottest part of the country and Tasmania which is the coldest, so I think the answer is not related to the climate.
There must be some historical reasons but I don’t know what they are.
Anyone know the history?
Just basically the way the game was created and the world was settled.
The game of Australian Rules was created in Victoria, 150 years ago. This was before Australia became a Commonwealth, and it was, at the time, a colony of the United Kingdom. The game’s popularity had spread to South Australian, Tasmanian and Western Australian colonies. South Australians took it with them to their new settlement of Darwin, which is now obviously in the Northern Territory.
However, meanwhile, the settlers of the First Fleet, and the fleets beyond, that landed in Sydney, brought their own sports with them. Popular British games like soccer, cricket, netball, and, of course, rugby, were brought along. While Cricket and Netball remained strong nation-wide, and soccer petered out, only to be resurrected in numerous stages in history (noticeably in the modern era), rugby and Australian Rules football fans somehow realized that they didn’t like each other. When the AFL and the NRL both started up, the governing bodies realised that expanding into each others territory would achieve very little, and despite a few more recent attempts (Melbourne Storm, Sydney Swans, Brisbane Lions), the other sports have never made a foothold in the other sport’s turf.
Tags: Australian AFL
Its just a better game man!
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Just basically the way the game was created and the world was settled.
The game of Australian Rules was created in Victoria, 150 years ago. This was before Australia became a Commonwealth, and it was, at the time, a colony of the United Kingdom. The game’s popularity had spread to South Australian, Tasmanian and Western Australian colonies. South Australians took it with them to their new settlement of Darwin, which is now obviously in the Northern Territory.
However, meanwhile, the settlers of the First Fleet, and the fleets beyond, that landed in Sydney, brought their own sports with them. Popular British games like soccer, cricket, netball, and, of course, rugby, were brought along. While Cricket and Netball remained strong nation-wide, and soccer petered out, only to be resurrected in numerous stages in history (noticeably in the modern era), rugby and Australian Rules football fans somehow realized that they didn’t like each other. When the AFL and the NRL both started up, the governing bodies realised that expanding into each others territory would achieve very little, and despite a few more recent attempts (Melbourne Storm, Sydney Swans, Brisbane Lions), the other sports have never made a foothold in the other sport’s turf.
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I think that’s pretty accurate. I’m doing this off the top of my head from a book I read, so I may be playing Chinese Whispers a little bit. But I’m 99.9999999999999% sure that’s right!
Good question. Not sure why.But I think The Feldster has got it right.Have read something about it years ago.
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I think it has something to do with the men being more masculine in those two states. Lets face it - there are not many AFL players who would be able to stand the rigors of rugby league or union.
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im in QLD (born and bred), and I will go to an AFL game any day over any other sport.
the answer is because its what got here first. Australian Rugby League was first played in Sydney and it was a hit with the men down there. And it moved into Queensland and had a similar effect.
Its a bit like Victoria, SA, WA and Tasmainia’s obsession with AFL, the game hit the spot with the people.
But you would be suprised here in Queensland. AFL is fastly becoming a threat to Rugby here. There is a very strong state league here with 2 divisions in the top teir. A Northen Territory team is joining the Queensland State League next year!, and then another 2 leagues below that (both with 2 teirs). There is a strong line of Queenslanders becoming AFL players (a few are now AFL superstars). Its highly promoted, well organised and junior players just find it fun!
the old days of Queensland (and NSW) sport of rectangular fields and back and forth running is slowly coming to a halt. There will always be those Rugby League supporters, but a lot of people here in Queensland are now making the switch! The Brisbane Lions triple premiership was a huge factor in it, and its happening!
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AFL originated as the VFL in the early 1900s (it was started in the 1800s, the first game being played on the 15th of August 1858 - but a league was formed much later).
It didnt expand to these states until at least 60 or so years later. It had already developed in Victoria, not in the other states. The other states were less accustomed to it and had less support. Wheras rugby has always been there. More support there.
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What The Feldster Said…
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Because those states prefer to participate in international competitions on the world stage, Super 14, World Cup.
WA have now seen the light and joined us.
What’s the pinnacle for AFL? Two Melbourne suburbs playing each other.
ACT, NSW, WA & QLD. We are just so much better.
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It has nothing to do with climate, but more to do with the fact that rugby has been played in that area for longer, and there were no state based leagues such as WAFL in WA and SAFL in SA before AFL was created, meaning that New South Wales and Queensland didn’t get much exposure to Aussie Rules.
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The people of NSW still haven’t evolved yet, so i can understand why rugby is still strong there!!! As for Queensland AFL now dominates over rugby on the Gold cost and most of the sunshine cost!!! rugby is only still big in the country parts of Queensland and that is dying a slow death as they only now get 8,000 to 12,000 to a game. Were AFL in Queensland is now pulling crowds of 24,000 to 32,000 or more a game you do the maths…
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Hey Dropkick don’t include us here in the West in your little theory. WA has and always will be a predominantly Aussie Rules state. Leagues tried and failed a few years ago and Union just doesn’t play enough games here to become a real threat (I think Force fans only get half a dozen home games a year for their exorbitant membership fees). Perth Glory were popular a few years a go but soccer has also dwindled in popularity in recent times.
I think the Feldstar has nailed the reasons why.
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Why can’t people call the game by it’s real name, Australian rules, it’s not called AFL, that is the league that runs the game, (australian football league).
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Feldster, that’s great for off the top of your head! Defiantly seems right.
And Dropkick Murphys please take me out of your theory too!
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the afl has WA, SA, VIC, QLD and sydney. and afl is MUCH more popular than NRL in NT, and Tasmania. soooo im pretty sure that the AFL is alot more popular.
oh and if you dont believe me, look at the crowds u guys got this year, compared to the afl. case closed, thank you very much
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For a history lesson:
Australian Rules was first played in 1858 in Melbourne and in 1859 the rules were codified. That is 5 years BEFORE the English Football Association codified the rules of Association (hence called “soccer”) Football and over a decade before the formation of the English Rugby Football Union (although a number of English football clubs preferred “Rugby rules” to the Association’s rules and played Rugby style prior to the formation of the RFU.
Initially called Victorian Rules spread to ALL STATES of Australia and started to be called “Australian Rules” AND spread to New Zealand in the 1870s - and was called “AUSTRALASIAN RULES FOOTBALL” from 1880s to around 1920.
In fact in 1889 a Maori team played 13 games in Melbourne, winning 6 and losing 7 and defeated South Melbourne the top team in the Victorian Football Association (the VFL was yet to break away).
At the state carnivals - all states and NZ were generally present until the outbreak of World War I.
By the 1890s it was easier for British teams to travel to Australia and vice versa - initially matches with the colonies (prior to Federation in 1901) alternated between “Rugby rules” and “Australasian Rules”. But in the first decade of the 20th century English teams said they’d only play Rugby. The Southern States said bugger off, but NSW, Qld and NZ all said OK.
In 1908 the breakaway Rugby League paid working classes to play and Rugby League then took dominance from the ailing Australian Rugby Union - which was barely keeping up with Australian Rules clubs in Qld and NSW at the time.
By 1927 the official governing body the “Australasian Football Council” changed its name to “Australian Football Council” as NZ could no longer participate in interstate carnivals. Soon after the Victorian Football League (founded in 1897 by the most poweful VFA clubs) increasing financial and political clout undermined the national body and the game north of the Riverina was left to fade away. Rugby League dominated in Qld and NSW and Rugby Union in NZ.
That’s why NSW, Qld and NZ have Rugby as most popular, and WA, SA, Tas and Vic have Australian Rules as most popular.
Soccer was a comparative late comer and is still playing catch up, small state associations were set up from 1880 to the 1920s when finally a national body was formed in 1921 in Sydney which then remained the main home of Soccer in Australia. Though the code is doing better these days.
By the way:
There was no such thing as “AFL” until the VFL changed its name in 1990 to “Australian Football League” after West Coast Eagles joined, and Perth is a long way from Victoria!!!
The Australasian Football Council renamed itself the “Australian National Football Council” - and even in 1989 was the supposed national body and supported by the WAFL, SANFL, NTFL and the various Tasmanian Football leagues as well as the small Australian Rules bodies in NSW and Qld.
But the VFL wanted to run the show, following in the tradition of the big Melbourne clubs who broke from the VFA in 1897.
Soon after the VFL became the AFL, partly because the WAFL with the entry of the West Coast Eagles into the new AFL and loss of Western Australian support - the Australasian National Football Council disbanded, leaving the AFL as “keeper of the code”.