Invented initially to keep cricket players fit during the offseason, Australian Rules football was created by Tom Willis in 1858 in Melbourne. Melbourne was experiencing an economic boom during this time because of the gold rush. Willis, Australian-born but English-educated, was an avid rugby and cricket player and captain of his team. Essential to the creation of Australian Rules football, a game between Scotch College, Church of England Grammar (later Melbourne Grammar), and St. Kilda Grammar caught people’s attention and propelled the sport in popularity. This game would lead to the creation of the Melbourne Football Club, which would be instrumental in developing the rules and promoting the sport. While the rules of rugby were the foundation for the sport, game developers had to account for the harsher, drier climates of Australia and the age of the original participants. The main inspiration for Australian Rules football was the synthesis of rugby and football.

Still, Gaelic football and an Aboriginal game called Marngrook (played by the Wurundjeri people) have also been credited. The original ruleset (Geelong rules) included rules on ball handling, being unable to throw the ball, catching punt passes, and specific rules on tackling. Willis, J. Sewell, Alex Bruce, T. Butterworth, and Thomas H. Smith would expand upon the initial rule set. Journalists W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson verified and distributed the rule set. Later amendments (1860 rules) included rules on dribbling to continue running. Scoring was done through kicking only, and holding onto the ball after being tackled was penalized. By the 1870s, tens of thousands of spectators came to watch games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and would often encroach on the field during heated games. As a result, the Victorian Football Association created an official league of senior and junior teams.

There were disputes between the larger, more powerful, and smaller teams over admission money (the bigger teams thought they were entitled to more). The eight largest teams split away to make a professional league, while the VFA remained amateur. Those eight teams created the Victorian Football League. The connection between these two leagues would be “the Father of Australian Rules Football,” H.C.A. Harrison. He was the vice president of the VFA and the first chairman of the VFL. By the 1880s, the sport had gone national, with teams created in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, and New South Wales. After some expansions and financial ups and downs, the Victorian Football League changed to the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990. While the AFL is watched worldwide, its popularity is centralized in Oceania, primarily Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. A unique aspect of AFL teams is those club members, not private individuals or corporations, control all decisions of their respective teams (increasing loyalty amongst the fan base).

Materials: 

·      An ample open space (such as a gym or field)

·      Large (adult-size) footballs (at least one per 3 students)

·      Pennies or jerseys to identify teammates

·      Large cones for placement markers of the uprights (if outside)

·      Basketball hoops (if inside a gym)

Minimum Amount of Students Needed: In most Australian rules, football warm-ups can be played with at least six people. However, an entire class will make the actual game more fun.

Age: All Ages