Exhibition matches in Australian rules football have been used to promote the game as a demonstration sport outside of its heartlands in Australia.
Since its Victorian origin in 1859, the sport's beginnings in other states and territories (then separate colonies including New Zealand) has contributed to such matches being played since the 1880s, while the sports origins in other countries has been sometimes attributed to organised and scratch matches held since World War I.
Exhibition matches played outside Australia
World War I During World War I, Australian troops organised matches across Europe, in countries with the highest profile matches been played in the United Kingdom since 1916 but also one-off matches in other countries including Belgium and France (1919).
Pioneer Exhibition Game in London
On Saturday 28 October 1916, the former Olympic champion swimmer and the later Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Lieutenant Frank Beaurepaire, organised an Australian Rules football match between two teams of Australian servicemen in aid of the British and French Red Cross.Anon, 27 October 1916.
The match was promoted as a "Pioneer Exhibition Game of Australian Football in London". It was held at Queen's Club, West Kensington before an estimated crowd of 3,000,Anon, 30 October 1916. which included the (then) Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and King Manuel II of Portugal.
The members of the competing teams, Australian Training Units and The Third Australian Divisional Team, were all highly skilled footballers, the majority of which had already played senior football in their respective states.
A news film was taken at the match.Two stills from the news film appear at Holmesby & Main, (1996), p.49.
In order to celebrate the match Beaurepaire commissioned a set of team photographs that were inserted into a mounting board decorated with a British Union Jack and an Australian Red Ensign, that had "Australian Football in London. Pioneer Exhibition Game. At Queen's Club, West Kensington. Saturday 28th Oct. 1916" at its head, and "Organizer of Match & Donor of Photos to Club Lieut. Frank Beaurepaire" at its foot.A photograph of the mounted set that was sent to the Collingwood Football Club appears at Ross, (1996), p.89; Ross lists the source of the photograph as the Collingwood Football Club on p.370 (which is consistent with the mounted set being prepared, in part, for donation to each player's club). An almost identical pair of photographs, taken by the same photographer, at the same time (the fourth and the third players from the right in the back row also have their hands on the shoulders of the player seated at the right of the middle row), of the same men, are held by the Australian War Memorial (see and ). Note that, on the evidence of the date on the mounting board (Ross, p.89), and the Times newspaper reports of 27 and 30 October 1916, and that in the text of Holmesby & Main, (1996, p.49), who had access to the news film — all of which place the match on Saturday 28 October 1916 — the date currently (viz., at 25 April 2008) given by the Australian War Memorial for the match (i.e., 2 November 1916) is mistaken.
World War II
During World War II, exhibition matches were played by servicemen in several countries, especially in South East Asia and also in the United Kingdom. Countries included Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Each of these matches drew a number of interested local spectators.
1960s – 1990s After the 1960s, the Victorian Football League, realising that finding new markets were essential to the prosperity of the competition began to belatedly pursue a series of international exhibition matches to raise the profile of the game overseas.
The longest and most persistent of these was Great Britain, which was seen as an opportunity primarily due to the high number of ex-patriate Australians living there, and the availability of cricket grounds.
The most notable series of exhibition matches was staged by the Carlton Football Club in 1972. Club president George Harris organised for Carlton and an All-Stars team of players from other senior teams around Australia to go on a three-week World Tour, which saw matches played in London, Athens and Singapore.
Serious efforts to grow the game were not realised until the 1980s. Games played in this decade began to spawn infant leagues in Japan named the "Aussie Bowl", the United States of America and Canada, which have been represented at the Australian Football International Cup since 2002.
During the 1990s, regular exhibition matches became part of the growth strategy of the renamed Australian Football League, which began to realise that the effects of globalisation would threaten the future of the sport in the face of world sports like soccer. The focus of the AFL in this decade was New Zealand and South Africa.
2000s – present
Exhibition matches have been regularly scheduled for The Oval in London, which has in the past been an event for ex-patriate Australians. The event has been annual as the "AFL Challenge Trophy" since 2002 and although it has not always been annual event, a small amount of interest in the games has grown amongst locals.
Since sell-out game in Los Angeles, United States in early 2006, club officials of the Sydney Swans have called for regular games (similar to the London matches) including the possibility of a premiership match.
The WAFL announced intentions to play an exhibition match in Mumbai, India in late 2006 between the grand finalists. However this match did not go ahead.
In November 2005, AFL club Melbourne made an announcement that it was investigating playing an exhibition match in 2006 or 2007 in the Chinese metropolis Tianjin, with Beijing or Shanghai possible alternative hosts. The match was delayed by the Melbourne Football Club's CEO.
In February 2006, AFL club Essendon's CEO indicated the possibility of an exhibition match in Japan in 2007 to mark 20 years since the last Aussie Bowl between the Bombers and Hawthorn.
In August 2008, the AFL announced it intended to schedule two games in India with Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai being considered as well as one game in Miami, Florida USA in early March.
List of official Australian rules football exhibition matches played outside Australia
+ Exhibition matchesDateLocationVenueCompetitionTeamsAttendanceReference(s) Winner Score Opponent Score 20/10/1963 Honolulu, USAHickam Air Force Field Post season exhibition 17.21 (123) 15.21 (111) 1,500 26/10/1963 San Francisco, USA Big Rec Field Post season exhibition 10.11 (71) 9.12 (66) 3,500 31/10/1967 London, UK Crystal Palace National Sports Centre Australian Football World Tour Australia 101 Britain (expat) 75 1,000 8/10/1969 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea South Pacific OvalTour of PNG 9.17 (71) PNG 1.6 (12) 5,000"Papua down to St.Kilda but not disgraced" Page 32 Post-Courier, 9 Oct 1969 18/10/1969 New Delhi, IndiaNational Stadium WAFL post season exhibition Subiaco126 East Perth121 3,500 19/10/1969 New Delhi, IndiaNational Stadium WAFL post season exhibition East Perth24.20 (164) Subiaco12.10 (82) 29/10/1972 London, UKThe Oval Postseason World Tour 12.12 (84) All-Stars10.18 (78) 9,000 5/11/1972 Athens, Greece Postseason World Tour All-Stars19.13 (127) 19.10 (124) 3,000 12/11/1972 Singapore Postseason World Tour All-Stars11.11 (77) 9.11 (65) 8,500 11/10/1976 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Sir Hubert Murray StadiumTour of PNG 18.12 (120) PNG11.10 (76) 8,000 12/10/1986 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionCourage Challenge Cup 20.13 (133) 12.16 (88) 15,000 3/11/1986 Yokohama, JapanYokohama Stadium Post season exhibitionAussie Bowl 22.17 (140) 13.18 (96) 25,000 9/10/1987 Vancouver, Canada B.C. Place Post season exhibitionFosters International Cup 20.19 (139) 12.9 (81) 32,789 11/10/1987 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionFosters International Cup 16.8 (104) 13.13 (91) 14,000 18/10/1987 Vancouver, Canada B.C. Place Post season exhibitionFosters International Cup (Final) 19.13 (127) 16.55 (111) 7,980 25/10/1987 Yokohama, Japan Yokohama Stadium Post season exhibitionAussie Bowl 20.14 (134) 11.9 (75) 13,000 8/10/1988 Miami Gardens, USA Joe Robbie Stadium Post season exhibitionFosters International Cup 18.16 (124) 10.18 (78) 7,000 9/10/1988 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionFosters International Cup 9.14 (68) 6.11 (47) 10,000 16/10/1988 Toronto, Canada Varsity Stadium Post season exhibitionFosters International Cup (Final) 18.11 (119) 15.15 (105) 18,571 12/10/1989 Toronto, Canada SkyDome Post season exhibitionFoster's International Cup 14.19 (103) 13.12 (90) 24,639 14/10/1989 Miami Gardens, USA Joe Robbie Stadium Post season exhibitionFoster's International Cup 18.16 (124) 15.20 (110) 10,069 22/10/1989 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionFoster's International Cup (final) 12.10 (82) 6.10 (46) 12,000 12/10/1990 Portland, USA Civic Stadium Post season exhibitionFosters Cup 24.16 (160) 11.13 (79) 14,787 14/10/1990 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionFosters Cup 19.9 (123) 13.12 (90) 9,000 5/10/1991 Auckland, NZWestern Springs Stadium Post season exhibition 12.11 (83) 10.10 (70) 6,500 13/10/1991 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionFosters Cup 14.12 (96) 10.6 (66) 11,000 16/10/1994 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibitionDouble-header 14.12 (96) 8.8 (56) 6,000 14.20 (104) 13.5 (83) 12/10/1997 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition 11.7 (73) 8.7 (55) 11,000 22/02/1998 Cape Town, South Africa Newlands Cricket Ground1998 Ansett Australia CupPreseason Cup (round 1) 18.17 (125) 16.7 (103) 10,123 1/03/1998 Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve1998 Ansett Australia CupPreseason Cup (round 1) 15.15 (105) 14.9 (93) 7,820 10/10/1998 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition 15.5 (95) 10.12 (72) 12,000 9/10/1999 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition11.6 (72)10.9 (69) 12,000+ 29/01/2000 Wellington, NZ Westpac Stadium 2000 Ansett Australia CupPreseason Cup (group stage match) 13.7 (85) 4.14 (38) 11,666 7/10/2000 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition 5.10 (40) 3.3 (21) 4,500 17/2/2001 Wellington, New Zealand Westpac Stadium 2001 Ansett Australia CupPreseason Cup (group stage match) 16.18 (114) 10.13 (73) 7,500 12/10/2002 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition 12.7 (79) 7.6 (48) 13,000 11/10/2003 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition 11.3 (69) 7.8 (50) 12,847 8/10/2005 London, UK The Oval Post season exhibition 13.12 (90) 11.7 (73) 18,884 15/1/2006 Los Angeles, USAUCLA Intramural Field Preseason exhibition 13.8 (86) 6.2 (38) 3,00021/10/2006London, UKThe OvalPostseason exhibitionAFL Challenge Trophy 13.10 (88) 10.7 (67)12,1292/02/2008Centurion, South Africa SuperSport ParkPreseason practice match 11.12 (78) 9.10 (64)5,2229/02/2008Abu Dhabi, UAEGhantoot Polo and Racing Club2008 NAB CupPreseason Cup (round 1) 4.15.10 (136) 0.7.13 (55)6,102 17/10/2010Shanghai, ChinaJiangwan StadiumPostseason exhibitionShanghai Showdown 12.12 (84) 11.13 (79)7,1003/11/2012London, UKThe OvalPostseason exhibitionAFL European Challenge 14.4 (88) 13.9 (87)10,000
Additional references: International Australian Football Council, SurreyCricket.com, Matchday programmes, VFL/AFL
Exhibition matches played outside Victoria
Australian rules football was introduced early in the 1880s to most of the states of Australia through a series of exhibition matches.
Leagues quickly formed in all states, and in many of these states, the code has become the most popular sport.
Although drawing significant crowds and interest early, the states of Queensland and New South Wales elected at official level to adopt the rugby codes in 1908. This was widely recognised as being due to the game's association with the tag "Melbourne Rules" or "Victorian Rules" and the fierce rivalry that Sydney has with Melbourne. With a lack of players, and grounds, support for Australian rules football decreased dramatically.