The Waikato AFL begun in humble fashion in 2004 when an ex-pat Western Australian started some training sessions in Hamilton.
Jim Lucy had been a coach and Administrator with Takapuna AFL in Auckland, but wanted to grow the game in the Waikato where he was based.
That first year saw 15-20 men meet at Eliott Park to learn the skills and game of Australian Rules Football.
With numbers too small to form a competition, players learnt the skills and played "scratch" matches amongst themselves using a rugby field.
Finding a permanent location for the sport is difficult due to the size of the field required - and oval 150m long by 110m wide.