Australian Rules Football History: From 1858 to Today

Australian Rules Football began as a winter game in Melbourne in the 1850s. It grew from informal matches into a fast, high-scoring sport played across Australia, with its own clubs, state competitions and eventually a national league. The game’s early history is closely tied to cricket: cricketers wanted a way to stay fit during the off-season.

Over more than 160 years, the rules and reach of footy have changed dramatically. Understanding how the game developed—from its first written rules to the modern AFL—also explains why it remains such a distinctive part of Australian sporting life.

How Australian Rules Football began

Organised football took shape in Melbourne in 1858. That July, cricketer and sportsman Tom Wills called for a football club and a set of rules in a letter published in Bell’s Life in Victoria. Wills, who had attended Rugby School in England, had experience with other football codes. But the game that emerged in Melbourne was not simply a copy of rugby or soccer.

Melbourne Football Club was established in 1858, and on 17 May 1859 Wills joined journalists J.B. Thompson and William Hammersley, along with cricketer Thomas Smith, to write down the club’s rules. Their original code was short, with ten rules. It allowed players to run with the ball after catching it, provided they bounced it as they ran. Kicking and catching were central, while pushing an opponent in the back was prohibited.

Early matches were flexible affairs. Teams could have large numbers of players, and games were often played on broad, uneven grounds. The first recorded matches between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College took place in 1858, beginning a school rivalry that continues today. As clubs formed and matches became more regular, the rules gradually became more settled.

Did Indigenous games influence the sport?

Traditional Aboriginal games, including a game often called marngrook, are sometimes linked to Australian Rules Football because accounts describe kicking and catching a ball. Tom Wills grew up in western Victoria and was familiar with Aboriginal people and culture. However, historians have not established clear evidence that marngrook directly shaped the rules he helped write. The possible connections are an important part of the sport’s history, but they should be described with care rather than treated as proven fact.

From Victorian clubs to state competitions

Football spread beyond Melbourne as clubs and local competitions developed around Victoria. The sport became known as Victorian rules or Australian rules, especially as it moved into other colonies. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was formed in 1877 to organise club competition. Similar bodies appeared elsewhere, including South Australia’s league, founded in 1877, and Western Australia’s association, established in 1885.

In 1897, eight clubs left the VFA to create the Victorian Football League (VFL). The new competition introduced a finals system to decide its premiership. The original clubs were Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. This breakaway league would eventually grow into the sport’s best-known national competition.

The game itself continued to change. Scoring developed around goals and behinds: a kick between the goalposts scores a goal, while a kick through the outer posts, or a rushed ball across the line, can score a behind. The mark—a clean catch from a kick that meets the required distance—became a defining feature. It can stop play and give the catcher a protected chance to kick or pass, creating the familiar sight of a forward leaping for a high ball while defenders try to spoil it.

How the VFL became the AFL

For much of the 20th century, the VFL was based in Victoria, while strong state leagues such as the SANFL and WAFL drew large crowds in South Australia and Western Australia. The push towards a national competition gathered pace in the 1980s. South Melbourne moved to Sydney in 1982, becoming the Sydney Swans, and the West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears joined the VFL in 1987.

The league changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990, reflecting its growing national scope. Adelaide entered in 1991, Fremantle in 1995, and Port Adelaide in 1997. Expansion continued in the 21st century, with clubs in Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney joining in 2011 and 2012. The AFL is now the sport’s leading national competition, though state leagues and community clubs remain important places to play and follow footy.

Women’s football and a wider game

Women have played Australian football in various forms for generations, but organised opportunities grew significantly in recent decades. The AFL Women’s competition (AFLW) began in 2017, giving elite women’s football a national stage. Its arrival followed years of growth in local and state competitions and helped bring more players and supporters into the sport.

Indigenous players and communities have also shaped Australian football. The AFL’s annual Sir Doug Nicholls Round recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and contributions to the game. Named for the former player, pastor and campaigner, the round is one visible part of a much longer relationship between Indigenous Australians and footy.

What makes the sport distinctive?

Australian Rules Football is played on a large oval, usually with 18 players per side on the field. Players move the oval ball by kicking or handballing; a handball is made by punching the ball off the other hand, not throwing it. A player can run with the ball but must bounce it or touch it to the ground at least once every 15 metres. Those basic rules support a game of long kicks, contested marks, quick handballs and rapid changes of direction.

The sport’s wide field and open play also reward different skills. A team might move the ball quickly through the middle, or kick long to a tall forward who can take a mark near goal. Defenders try to intercept or spoil, while midfielders compete for possession and help link the play. The blend of aerial contests and ground-level pressure is part of what sets footy apart.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Australian Rules Football invented?

The sport took shape in Melbourne in 1858. Its first written rules were drawn up in May 1859 by members of Melbourne Football Club, including Tom Wills and J.B. Thompson.

Who invented Australian Rules Football?

No single person can claim to have invented the game. Tom Wills was an important early advocate, and he helped write the first rules with William Hammersley, J.B. Thompson and Thomas Smith.

Why did the VFL change its name to the AFL?

The competition had expanded beyond Victoria, so in 1990 it adopted the name Australian Football League to reflect its national reach.

When did the AFLW begin?

The AFL Women’s competition played its first season in 2017, following decades of growth in women’s and girls’ football.

Final Thoughts

Australian Rules Football grew from a Melbourne winter pastime into a national sport with a rich club, state and community history. Its rules have evolved, its competitions have expanded and women’s football has gained a major stage. Yet the essentials remain easy to recognise: the oval ball, the mark, the running bounce and the scramble to turn possession into a goal.