AFL, or Aussie rules, is the great Aussie game. Created in the world sporting capital of Melbourne way back in the 1850s, Aussie rules is a sport that defines our nation’s love for a little hard-hitting competition. Sure, we’re absolute champions of cricket, and were once one of the world’s great rugby nations, but Aussie rules is our local game and it continues to ignite, inspire and invigoration thousands of fans across the country every season!
What’s more, given the rise of teams in traditional rugby heartlands, Aussie rules has truly become the nation’s game, something which us southerners should really welcome as a sign that this truly is the Australian game and one which is as ubiquitous to the country as Vegemite or kangaroos hogging a golf course.
So, we thought we would share with you with you why we love both AFL and AFLW football, as there are no shortage of reasons for this passion:
- It’s our nation’s game
From Monday to Thursday the pundits are talking. From Thursday to Sunday the crowds are roaring. Aussie rules is our nation’s game and this is made especially so by the fact it’s pretty much only played in Australia. Cricket and the Olympics might be our international sporting claim to fame, but Aussie rules is a national sport that, for reasons we don’t care about, hasn’t really transcended international borders.
From Brisbane to Sydney, Melbourne to Perth and everywhere in between, you can see kids and adults alike kicking the footy and heading to games with attendances that number up to 100,000 screaming fans. You only get this in Australia with other special events like the Boxing Day Test and Formula 1 but Aussie rules sees this on a regular basis.
- It’s an awesome sport, obviously
Aussie rules is a great game to play. It’s a fun pastime that creates a great sense of competition. It’s fast, rough, tough and ready, and we Aussies love the opportunity to kick the footy with our mates or join our local club to battle it out in the winter season ahead.
The combination of kicking skills, handballing, bumping, tackling, speckying and more makes it truly one of the world’s most exhilarating contests and why thousands of Aussies get so pumped up about it week in and week out for most of the year.
- It’s fun to show off to your international mates
If you’ve ever taken your mate from, say, The States to see a footy game you know that it creates a great sense of pride. Our international mates find it hard to comprehend the sport’s sheer intensity and toughness and this makes it so much fun to take them along to a footy game.
What’s more, it’s one of the best ways to show off what is part of our nation’s cultural heritage, a national sport with legions of fans that your mate might not have had any idea about before they came down under and stepped through the gates of the modern Colosseum that is the MCG.
- It’s great so barrack for a team
Unless, of course, those teams are North Melbourne or the Saints (guilty). Barracking for a team is a family passion (or a family divider) and makes the game that much more enjoyable. Heading down to your club’s stadium to see them take on the opposition is a great Aussie winter pastime and just another one of the many reasons why us Aussies love our national sport so much!
