Geography of Australian rules football

These account for more than half of the population, and are part of a cultural divide known as the Barassi line, however player numbers there have grown significantly in recent decades.

The first recognised contest between two open level national sides was in 1976 between Papua New Guinea and Nauru in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby which was won by PNG by 129 points.

The Barassi Line is used to the dichotomy in support for the code between the south west and north east of the country and areas where rugby football is significantly more popular.

[24] In terms of direct recruitment from community clubs, areas such as Queensland's West and Wide Bay–Burnett and New South Wales' Mid North Coast, Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven have produced no players since the inception of the national draft up to 2021.

New Zealand never competed against Australia, though it successfully lobbied to send a side to the 1908 carnival held in Melbourne to celebrate 50 years of Australian Football, defeating both New South Wales and Queensland.

[65] The Victorian and South Australian delegates believed that they could better defend their premier status in Australia by allocating all its promotional resources to grow its marketshare in New South Wales and Queensland.While it allowed voting member New Zealand to send a team to the 1908 carnival, the policy meant no touring sides and the phasing out of financial support which stymied the game outside Australia creating significant financial and logistic barriers for overseas sides to compete.

In 1907, then AFC president Con Hickey declared that despite the game being played overseas the primary focus should be on inter-state competition and that there was no intention to "oust rugby" in places where it was growing in popularity.

Coexistence with rugby and the promise of a universal football code was part of its ambition of keeping growth of the game in Australia under its national (and international) control.

[72][2] In 1911, the AFC withdrew all financial support to New Zealand which the delegate called a "death warrant for the sport" in the country[73] and by 1913 all of the remaining players had switched to rugby.

The return of many Australian expatriates from overseas gold fields and tours of duty, combined with Australia's low profile on the world stage, offered few opportunities for the game to grow during this time.

Concerned primarily with the growth of their own domestic competitions, the Australian leagues and governing bodies made little effort to develop or promote the game until the 1950s, and the council's role was mainly to oversee the growing importance of interstate test matches.

The first full international test played between the national sides of Papua New Guinea and Nauru in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby was won by PNG by 129 points.

In 1993, interest in South Africa increased to the point where plans were made for powerful WAFL club Subiaco and Norwood from the SANFL to play two games in Johannesburg in 1994.

Inspired by successful Arafura Games competitions, the inaugural Australian Football International Cup was held in Melbourne in 2002, an initiative of the IAFC and the AFL.

Its website states that it "was created to foster awareness of Australian Football around the globe and to aid communication between clubs, leagues and individuals playing and supporting Aussie Rules".

At various times between 2004 and 2007, other regularly updated sources included OziRulzGlobal, Fourth Quarter, and with slowly improving quantity, an International Leagues section of the AFL website.

[citation needed] The AFL hopes to develop the game in other countries to the point where Australian football is played at an international level by top-quality sides from around the world.

[citation needed] The AFL in the late 2000s and early 2010s began a significant overseas push in an effort to boost the value of its international television rights.

On 25 April 2013, the first premiership match outside of Australia was held at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, between the Sydney Swans and the St Kilda Saints, and attracted a crowd of over 22,000 spectators.

The AFL's New Zealand campaign was largely unsuccessful, with crowds and television audiences dwindling for the league's matches,[95] moderate growth in participation and athletes signed to the country's high performance program choosing to play professional rugby football instead.

In the Indian Subcontinent, the game there has boomed since 2010 due mainly to members of the Australia national cricket team who are major celebrities there, promoting it.

The second Australian Football International Cup was held in Melbourne in 2005, again under the guidance and funding of the AFL, with New Zealand defeating Papua New Guinea in the final.

In 2013 the East Asia Australian Football League was formed with Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Jakarta and Laos competing.

High profile Australian Football identities that are involved in, have expressed interest in or are passionate about international footy at some stage include Ron Barassi, Kevin Sheedy, Jim Stynes, Paul Roos, Robert DiPierdomenico, Michael Long, Garry Lyon, Peter Schwab, Guy McKenna, Glenn Archer, Jason McCartney, Wayne Schwass, and Mal Michael.

Other players who have expressed views or interest on the topic include David Rodan, Alipate Carlile, Jimmy Bartel, Jason Akermanis, Aaron Edwards, and Brad Moran.

The first semi-professional women's Australian football league, the AFLW was founded in late 2016, after the AFL had conducted several exhibition matches over the previous few years.

Internationally, women's Australian football is played at amateur level in several countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, North America and parts of Europe and Asia.

These countries include Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Nauru, Denmark, South Africa, England, Indonesia, the United States, and Canada.

The number of participants is quite high in PNG, RSA and NZ generally dependent on the level of AFL funding but some "private" endeavours in Canada and the UK have produced significant results.

The special teams position requires the long range kicking skills often used by Australian football players, particularly those playing centre half-forward and full-forward.