Names of Australian rules football

However, as late as 1954, the term "Melbourne Rules" was used by newspapers in New South Wales and Queensland due to a long-held cultural rivalry.

[8] The term "Bouncing Football" was introduced by West Australians early on to both the United States and Canada.

Dropping reference to Australasian also officially acknowledged that the sport was no longer being played competitively in New Zealand.

Most notably Australian rules football in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s was known simply as "Field Ball" or "Fieldball",[13] during its revival in the 1990s, clubs chose to adopt the "Footy" moniker to differentiate it from rugby which many Americans associated with Australia.

[15] The sport's popularity plummeted shortly after the NFL mandated that the Papua New Guineans call it Australian Rules.

[17] In the 19th century, there was also a distinction made in most leagues between "senior" and "junior" football; this was not to do with age, rather with quality of play.

In December 1948, a controversy occurred when Dame Enid Lyons, the Member for Darwin, referred to Australian football as "our national game" in Parliament.

[18] This was rebuffed by the Prime Minister at the time, Ben Chifley, a New South Welshman, who suggested Lyons was "treading on dangerous ground".

For much of the middle part of the 20th century, particularly in Canberra, the latter was shortened further to simply "Rules",[22] this usage is generally obsolete in Australia.