Australian rules football (known locally as "Aussie Rules") has been played on an organised basis in Wales since 2007. The sport is played by both men and women and there are clubs in Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, Cwmbran and Penarth. The main competition is the Welsh and England Australian Rules Football League (WARFL, ) who is also the controlling body of the sport in the country. The WARFL runs a senior men's competition and a 3 team women's WWEAFL 9-a-side competition.
The original six WARFL teams were named after clubs in the South Australian National Football League. Prior to 2007 some clubs played in the BARFL though the proximity of these English clubs to the Welsh clubs helped facilitate the Welsh league.
Internationally Wales has fielded a standalone team at the Euro Cup achieving its best results for the women's with 4th place in 2022 and runners up in the men's in 2023 for all other international tournaments Wales is represented by composite the Great Britain team.
History The earliest recorded match in Wales was in 1944 when the 462 Squadron played against the second Sunderland Squadron formed teams based on State of Origin (Victoria vs Western Australia) to play a match at Pembroke Dock.Australian War Memorial
Regular competition in Wales began with the formation of Aussie Rules Wales in September 2006. Thereafter three teams were formed in 2007 being Cardiff Double Blues, South Cardiff Panthers and Swansea Magpies and competed in a 9-a-side format with modified rules in the Welsh division (WAFL) of the ARUK National league. Also the Swindon Devils from England's West Country competed as a guest fourth side. The season concluded with the Swindon Devils defeating South Cardiff by 71 points to win the inaugural (and only) WAFL Premiership.
Aussie Rules Wales then ceased trading in January 2008 and was replaced by the independently run WARFL, which seeks to become the national governing body of the sport in Wales.
The inaugural WARFL Premiership season kicked off in May 2008, with the Cardiff Double Blues, South Cardiff Panthers and Swansea Magpies competing in 9 rounds in 9-a-side format with full AFL rules. The Cardiff Double Blues eventually defeated South Cardiff Panthers by 94 points to win the inaugural 2008 WARFL Premiership. South Cardiff Panthers' David James was awarded best on ground.
In 2009 Gwent Tigers based in Newport joined the league in a 12 round competition with the 9-a-side format unchanged. Also that year the WARFL introduced a pre-season competition known as the Cymru Clwb Cup played at Waunarlwydd RFC in Swansea where the three foundation clubs competed. The Cardiff Double Blues won the tournament winning both of their round robin matches.
At the end of the Premiership South Cardiff Panthers played Swansea Magpies at Llandaff Fields in Cardiff where South Cardiff won by two points to win their first Premiership after being runners up in 2007 and 2008. Swansea Magpies' Matthew Hopkins was awarded best on ground.
2010 saw further expansion of the league with the Vale Warriors based at Barry RFC entering. The second Cymru Clwb Challenge was played at Llandaff Fields with all WARFL clubs playing except for Gwent Tigers who did not field a team due to player unavailability. South Cardiff Panthers won all their matches winning the competition with Cardiff Doubles Blues player Rhys Morgan awarded player of the tournament.
That year the league ran as a 10 round competition with each team playing 8 matches and having 2 byes and continuing in the 9-a-side format. On 24 July the top of the league South Cardiff Panthers played against Swansea Magpies at Barry RFC where South Cardiff won by 71 points to be the first club in WARFL history to win consecutive Premierships. South Cardiff Panthers' ruckman Chris James was awarded best on ground.
The Bridgend Eagles and Bristol Dockers joined the league in 2011 with Gwent Tigers not fielding a team that year.
Welsh and England Australian Rules Football League (WARFL) The league is organised in a similar fashion to the SANFL, with the top two teams at the end of the "home and away" season playing off in the Grand Final for the Premiership Cup.
Club Year established Home Ground Website Cymru Clwb Cup winners League winners League Premiership winners Bristol Dockers 1991 Aretians RFC, Little Stoke, Bristol Facebook page 0 1 (2012) 0 Cardiff Panthers 2007 Sport Wales National Centre (Pontcanna Pitch), Cardiff Facebook page 4 (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013) 4 (2009, 2010, 2011 & 2013) 4 (2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012) Vale Vikings (formerly Cardiff Double Blues) 2007 Old Penarthians RFC, Penarth Facebook page 1 (2009) 1 (2008) 1 (2008) Chippenham Redbacks (formerly Bath and Wiltshire) 2007 Chippenham RFC, Chippenham Facebook page
Former clubs
Club Year established Home Ground Website Bridgend Eagles 2010Aussie rules comes to Bridgend by Wales Online 2 June 2011 Heol-y-Cyw RFC, Bridgend Gwent Tigers 2008 North Fields Recreation Ground, Cwmbran Facebook page Swansea Magpies 2007 Swansea University, Swansea Facebook page Vale Warriors 2009
WARFL League and Grand Final results Year League winners Premiers Grand Final venue Grand Final score 2007 Swindon Devils Swindon Devils St Peters RFC, Cardiff Swindon Devils 20.8 (128) def South Cardiff Panthers 7.15 (57) 2008 Cardiff Double Blues Cardiff Double Blues St Peters RFC, Cardiff Cardiff Double Blues 18.18 (126) def South Cardiff Panthers 2.20 (32) 2009 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Llandaff Fields, Cardiff South Cardiff Panthers 8.10 (58) def Swansea Magpies 8.8 (56) 2010 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Barry RFC, Barry South Cardiff Panthers 17.20 (121) def Swansea Magpies 8.3 (51) 2011 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Pontcanna Pitch, Sport Wales National Centre South Cardiff Panthers def Bristol Dockers 2012 Bristol Dockers South Cardiff Panthers Dings Crusaders RFC Bristol Dockers 6.7 (43) def South Cardiff Panthers 23.23 (161) 2013 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Pontcanna Pitch, Sport Wales National Centre South Cardiff Panthers (0) drew Chippenham Redbacks (0) 2014 South Cardiff Panthers 2015 Bristol Dockers 2016 South Cardiff Panthers 2017 Bristol Dockers 2018 Bristol Dockers Bristol Dockers 14.14 (98) def South Cardiff Panthers 5.17 (47)2019 South Cardiff Panthers 2020 Not contested2021 Not contested2022 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Llandaff Fields South Cardiff Panthers (96) def Bristol Dockers (30)
Player awards
Year Best & Faires Top Goal Scorer Rookie of the Year2007 Daniel Morgan-Kane South Cardiff Panthers Gareth Jones South Cardiff Panthers Ed Doe South Cardiff Panthers2008 David Saunders Cardiff Double Blues Tom Judson Cardiff Double Blues Gareth Llewellyn South Cardiff Panthers2009 Rhys Jones Swansea Magpies Andrew Atack South Cardiff Panthers Gareth Sturge Cardiff Double Blues2010 David Gamble South Cardiff Panthers Leigh Merrington South Cardiff Panthers Joshua Davey South Cardiff Panthers
League and National representative teams
Two representative sides are organised by the WARFL, one to represent the national league which is an all-stars side known as the "WARFL Red Devils" drawn solely from the WARFL regardless of nationality.
The other representative team organised by the WARFL is the Welsh national team known as the "Cymru Red Dragons". The Red Dragons is primarily made up of players from the WARFL, however does include Welsh players from other leagues around the world.
WARFL Red Devils
The Red Devils first played in the 2007 AFL Britain National Championships known as the Brit Cup, representing the first Welsh side in the tournament's history. Thereafter the Red Devils have played in every Brit Cup including the 2010 tournament but 2012 was the year the Brit Cup made Wales its home for next 12 months as the Devils made the Grand Final that year beating the Favourites the Midland Tigers taking top spot and making history. The Red Devils have also appeared at the 2008 "Haggis Cup" the first time a Welsh team had played in Scotland and again in 2009 but did not field a team in 2010.
Cymru Red Dragons
In November 2007, the Red Dragons became the first all-Welsh representative team when they hosted the England Dragonslayers in Cardiff for the "Dragon Cup", England winning by 30 points.
In the second series of the Dragon Cup, the Cymru Red Dragons defeated 2008 EU Cup champions England Dragonslayers in Reading and Newport by 92 points (aggregate score over two tests) to win the Dragon Cup for the first time. However in September 2009 England defeated Wales in Cardiff and London to regain the Dragon Cup.
The inaugural "Bute Series" for the Crichton-Stuart Cup with Scotland Clansmen (which was also Scotland's first ever Australian Rules football international) was played in Glasgow and Cardiff over two tests in October 2009. The Cymru Red Dragons won the series on aggregate of 30 points with Scotland winning the first test and Wales winning at home in Cardiff the following week.
Results Date Competitor Tournament Venue Score Series winner3 Nov 2007EnglandDragon CupSt Peters RFC, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 9.7 (61) England Dragonslayers 12.19 (91)England won by 30 points18 Oct 2008EnglandDragon Cup - 1st TestKings Park, Reading, EnglandEngland Dragonslayers 7.7 (49) Cymru Red Dragons 11.13 (79) 25 Oct 2008EnglandDragon Cup - 2nd TestTredegar Park, Newport, Wales Cymru Red Dragons 15.16 (106) England Dragonslayers (44)Wales 2-012 Sep 2009EnglandDragon Cup - 1st TestSt Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 6.13 (49) England Dragonslayers 6.18 (54) 19 Sep 2009EnglandDragon Cup - 2nd TestLondon, EnglandEngland Dragonslayers 13.10 (88) Cymru Red Dragons 3.3 (21)England 2-017 Oct 2009ScotlandBute Series - 1st TestBellahouston Park, Glasgow, ScotlandScotland Clansmen 8.12 (60) Cymru Red Dragons 7.2 (44)24 Oct 2009ScotlandBute Series - 2nd TestSt Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons (66) Scotland Clansmen (36)Wales 1-1 (30 points on aggregate)7 Aug 2010 Scotland Bute Series - 1st Test St Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, Wales Cymru Red Dragons 9.8 (62) Scotland Clansmen 26.28 (184) 21 Aug 2010 Scotland Bute Series - 2nd Test Victoria Park, Glasgow, Scotland Scotland Clansmen 12.11 (83) Cymru Red Dragons 5.6 (36) Scotland 2-018 Sep 2010EnglandDragon Cup - 1st TestChippenham RFC, EnglandEngland Dragonslayers 6.14 (48) Cymru Red Dragons 4.12 (36) 26 Sep 2010EnglandDragon Cup - 2nd TestSt Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 4.4 (28) England Dragonslayers 15.12 (102) England 2-02 Oct 2010AustriaEuro Cup - 1st RoundParabiago, Milan, ItalyCymru Red Dragons 5.10 (40) Austria Kangaroos 0.4 (4) 2 Oct 2010CroatiaEuro Cup - 2nd RoundParabiago, Milan, ItalyCroatia Knights 7.9 (51) Cymru Red Dragons 4.0 (24) 2 Oct 2010SpainEuro Cup – Plate RoundParabiago, Milan, ItalySpain Bulls 5.1 (31) Cymru Red Dragons 3.6 (24) Wales (7th place) Croatia winners1 Oct 2011Northern IrelandEuro Cup – Plate RoundBelfast, Northern IrelandSpain Bulls (Unknown) Cymru Red Dragons (Unknown) Wales (5th place) Ireland winnersAug 2012EnglandHome Nations CupCardiff, WalesEngland Dragonslayers (Unknown) Cymru Red Dragons (Unknown) Wales (2nd place) England winners
Player Awards Year Best & Fairest Top Goal Scorer Rookie of the Year2007 Tom Case Swindon Devils Ed Doe South Cardiff Panthers N/A2008 David James South Cardiff Panthers Ed Doe South Cardiff Panthers N/A2009 David Saunders South Cardiff Panthers Gareth Sturge Cardiff Double Blues N/A2010 Gareth Griffiths Vale Warriors Andrew Atack South Cardiff Panthers George Llewellyn Portsmouth Pirates
Great Britain Bulldogs As of 2013, 15 players from the WARFL have been selected to represent the Great Britain Bulldogs, these being: