The Barassi Line Explained: A country split by sporting loyalty

[@yoshiimagawakiwi]

G’day. It’s an interesting video. I am Japanese and live in the west of Japan and am a St Kilda member. Not just only an AFL lover, I am also playing Aussie Rules in my region. I’m out of both areas of Barrasi Line but love AFL!

[@julianfoster3581]

Where do you play?

[@CharlesFreck]

There's an Aussie Rules league in Japan? I must know more

[@yoshiimagawakiwi]

@@CharlesFreck AFL Japan governs Aussie Rules in Japan. We Osaka Dingoes only play occasionally though…

[@lzrdwzrd999]

Thats awesome, Japan has had a pretty decent squad at the IC in the past. Surprising how many countries have full leagues!

[@yoshiimagawakiwi]

@@lzrdwzrd999 Cheers mate!! I think AFL Asia clubs hold many footy matches in the region.

[@kaylee3772]

I'm from the NT, and we are pretty big on both sports. Its probably because we play AFL during summer (the wet season) and rugby during winter (dry season) so most people play both or at least support both sports.

[@fcukgogle9213]

I already got my ticket for the Eels and Broncos coming up next month, GO THE BRONCOS!

[@jibigcahoona5876]

Geez man its funny we dont live that far away (im a nsw boy) but its almost like polar opposites when it comes to the weather aye 😅

[@angusthompson2110]

wouldn't most people play cricket in the summer?

[@Mrsquiggley]

@@angusthompson2110 “summer” isn’t really the season in the NT, it’s the wet season and it’s unreliable to play cricket through the monsoons, AFL isn’t impacted as much by the field turning into a swamp.

[@discomute]

I think it's because so many of us aren't born here. Most people come from somewhere else.

[@fr.davideynon6984]

I live in the U.S., was introduced to Aussie Rules as a kid through ESPN in its early days and have followed the league ever since, adopting the Blues as the team I root for most; however, NRL fascinates me because its code is much closer to American Football than is Union (though I think Union is more fun to watch). Recently, I was wondering why most of the AFL teams were from Victoria and why most NRL teams were from New South Wales. Now I know...thanks!

[@prussianpolydactyl836]

The more specific reason why most AFL teams are in Melbourne and NRL teams in Sydney is that those were the local competitions that grew nationally. There are/were local comps for both Rugby League and Aussie Rules in most cities and states, but the Syd/Melb ones expanded to include teams from other areas, making them larger. Plus, they were the richest comps in their sports (part of Queensland/NSW rivalry was the richer Sydney clubs poaching Qld's best players for decades). The AFL was originally the VRL, and the NRL was the NSWRL.

[@JimmyMadzCFC]

As an Australian I am happy to see that you support the Blues 💙🤍💪

[@ChubbsterBrown]

YES MAN!!! Up the Blues. You legend.

[@basedxennial6269]

You root for the blues? With who and how often?

[@fr.davideynon6984]

@@basedxennial6269 I live in rural America, so I don't have access to a lot of coverage or other fans; however, I watch whatever I can and I have rooted for the Blues since the 80s.

[@BKRsport]

Great video, however a tad unfair in regards to the Northern Territory. It's actually the most 50/50 state of the lot, specifically in regards to television numbers which very very slightly favours the NRL. Being someone who follows both codes, however growing up on the Gold Coast, NRL always is my preferred sport, however people who can't watch/enjoy/respect both and proceed to hate on the other are just tribalistic and refuse to watch/enjoy/respect because they feel it's defending "their code". NRL TV numbers is also up over the AFL by roughly 11 million viewers annually, and this isn't counting State of Origin which pulls in gigantic viewership. All in all, AFL is the largest sport in Australia because it covers more states in Vic, Tas, SA and WA, whilst NRL covers QLD, NSW and ACT. Neither are "better", both are unbelievable to watch and great entertainment. AFL receives larger membership numbers and ticket sales due to the fact that 1. The culture surrounding attending a game is way more prevalent and 2. The game is MUCH better to watch live due to the larger field not being able to be fully captured via the TV. NRL is effectively played on a 10 metre surface throughout TV coverage, minus kicks, which makes it much easier to watch at home and not have to attend the game. Love the Titans, love the Cats because of my Step-Dad at the time being a mad Cats fan who got me into the AFL, and am happy to enjoy both.

[@Mitchconner2001]

The nrl has more rounds than Afl that’s why the viewership is up

[@BKRsport]

@@Mitchconner2001 by 11 Million?! You clearly don’t understand whatsoever.

[@AZ2PM]

Per game the AFL out rates the NRL by every barometer. Your 11 million more is incorrect - but the NRL PR do everything to make it seem like it is. But if you have any doubts, look at the ratings in september when it's head to head finals, live across all markets (as the most accurate base measure). The AFL finals games outrate NRL head-to-head by 2 to 1. They double them in the ratings. It's not even close.

[@BKRsport]

@@AZ2PM In 2022, the AFL viewership 125.5million across the season, with Pre-season, Home & Away + Finals included. The NRL viewership 137.3million across the season, with Pre-Season, Home & Away + Finals included. That's 12million more viewers. A simple data search will help you understand what you're saying a bit better, and we're not including State of Origin in these numbers. Total Attendance + Viewership AFL 2022: 133.2million viewers (This includes Ticket Sales & In Person Attendance). Total Attendance + Viewership NRL 2022: 140.8million viewers (This includes Ticket Sales & In Person Attendance). None of this data includes New Zealand for the purpose of the Australian debate.

[@AZ2PM]

​@@BKRsport Yeh nah, sorry mate, this is just flat out wrong lol For one, I checked your source and it includes NRLW (a whole other league), SOO *and* international games to get that inflated number - it looks like u missed this line "2022 NRL year will see an estimated 137.452m viewers across NRL, NRLW, Preseason, Origin and Rep fixtures." - That's a lot of extra shiet thrown in just to appear to beat the AFL lol NRL/Channel 9 and News Corp/Foxtel have been doing this for years to appease NRL fans and pretend NRL has more ratings. They were recently flagged for doing so, and even making up ratings. So how much higher is AFL out rating NRL? The key is to take the games played in September when both finals - the best games - are being broadcast nationally and head to head. When you look at this, you see the AFL is 60-120% higher ratings (more than double) that of the NRL. It's not even close. Example 1: Sept 9th, 2022 Seven’s AFL: Friday Night Football Finals with a viewership of 800,000 fans watched on as The Brisbane Lions defeated Melbourne to claim victory. vs Rugby League Final Series, which brought in 509,000 tuned in to watch the Panthers take on the Eels *Thats AFL having nearly 300,000, or 60% more viewers* Example 2: Sept 17th, 2022 Seven’s AFL finals pulled in 1,084,000 views as the Sydney Swans beat Collingwood. vs Rugby League Final series claimed the next top spot reaching 424,000 people. The semi-finals, which saw the Rabbitohs defeat the Sharks *Thats 660,000 more viewers, or about 120% more watching AFL* And you see the same thing on the radio. "Triple M’s AFL coverage and expert commentary across Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth reported a cumulative audience of 626,000, while Triple M’s NRL coverage and commentary by the best has an audience of 471,000 across Sydney and Brisbane" (source: RadioToday) I'm sorry but you had to hear the truth eventually. I know its not easy when the NRL/V'landys and Channel 9/foxtel do everything to massage the numbers. But there's a reason why the AFL gets hundreds of millions more in TV rights. The money never lies.

[@ytQrash]

Being north of the Barassi Line in Canada has not stopped me from watching and loving AFL for almost 20 years. Go Cats!

[@laurencebyron9183]

Gold

[@willch.2259]

Cats fan from England here!

[@polskiogorki-zp7ks]

up the cats

[@billba]

Our Antarctic supporter base is rising here in AFL land

[@GaryLorenz-t7c]

@ytQrash Yes very indeed so that hasn't stop you watching & loving our Aussie Rules Footy Code but I also really do love all of the (3 Three) other different Football Codes like Football (Soccer), Rugby League Football & Rugby Union Football but although however along with (2 Two) other Football Codes of both Soccer & Rugby Union Football but how ever also did you know that you have another Rugby Football Code in your Country of Canada called Rugby League Football which also being played in Canada as well too (???????). Both Rugby Union Football & Rugby League Football Laws &/or Rules are both Very Completely Different from each other altogether but although even they both Very Similar to each other of course. They both English Rugby Football Codes were originated from England, RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CODE, the History of Rugby Union follows from various football games long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that the rules were formulated and codified. The code of football later known as rugby union can be traced to three events: the first set of written rules in 1845, the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. The code was originally known simply as "rugby football". RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CODE, the History of Rugby League is mainly being played in both Lancashire & Yorkshire as a separate form of rugby football goes back to (1895) in North of England in a place called Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire when the Northern Rugby Football Union broke away from England's established Rugby Football Union to administer its own separate competition. Rugby League Football Code has been established & being played in Australia in (1908) & in New Zealand in (1909), & in France in (1934) & in Papua New Guinea in (1949) & finally even into South Africa sometime in the (1950s) as well too. (NOTE) Northern Union Football was the very old name for the Rugby League Football Code when it broke away from Rugby Union because it wanted to become Professional instead of remaining to be Amateur of course. Yes, there's a different in both Rugby Football Codes is that, (1 One) Rugby Union Football has only (15 Fifteen) Players per Team in which means that there is the total number of (30 Thirty) Players with each team has only (15 Fifteen) Players out on the field during their game matches of course. (2 Two) Rugby League Football has only (13 Thirteen) Players per Team in which means that there is the total number of (26 Twenty-Six) Players with each team has only (13 Thirteen) Players out on the field during their game matches of course. (3 Three) Rugby Union Football is more a Free-Flowing type of a game THAN Rugby League Football of course. (4 Four) Rugby League Football is more of a Stop & Start type of a game THAN Rugby Union Football of course. Here are (2 Two) Canadian Rugby League Football Websites which are, www.canadarugbyleague.com/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_national_rugby_league_team Finally, here's the American version of the United States America Rugby League Football which is, www.usarl.org/

[@theflyingcircusmen3726]

As a Queenslander, it’s always been the NRL no questions asked. Funnily enough, my friend’s family is really into AFL, so much so that his younger brother goes ballistic anytime the NRL is mentioned. AFL just never appealed to me, and given my family is just so immersed in NRL, I don’t see that changing.

[@GaryLorenz-t7c]

@theflyingcircusmen3726 Iam also a Banana Bender Queenslander myself is that I always do Follow & Support the Queensland Maroons in (SOO State of Origin) regardless either Win, Lose &/or Draw against our opponents the New South Wales Blues & also do love both of the Brisbane Broncos & the North Queensland Cowboys & the Brisbane Lions & the Gold Coast Suns & also in our Super Rugby of Rugby Union Football is our Queensland Reds & also in our A-League Soccer is our Brisbane Roar in which they were use to be called Queensland Roar and there other Queensland A-League Soccer Teams which were called North Queensland Fury who were based in Townsville who coached by an Englishman of Robbie Fowler & also the Gold Coast United who were from the Gold Coast they both had folded up & had been long gone from our A-League Soccer scene for so many donkey's years ago of course. But however the very best thing about being a Queenslander Banana Bender is that when we both of Australia & New Zealand who had shared & hosted both together the (2023 Twenty Twenty Three) FIFA Women's World Cup Football (Soccer) Tournament Event from July to August from &/or of last year is that most of the players from our Australian Matildas National Women's Soccer Squad Team who happened to Banana Bender Queenslanders from Queensland of course.

[@saintjohnno]

He goes ballistic because he knows NRL is the superior code..

[@CharlieND]

As a Canadian who's trying to get into the AFL, this was pretty informative. Great explanation.

[@GaryLorenz-t7c]

@CharlieND Yes very indeed so about AFL in Canada but along with (2 Two) other Football Codes of both Soccer & Rugby Union Football but how ever also did you know that you have another Rugby Football Code in your Country of Canada called Rugby League Football which also being played in Canada as well too (???????). Both Rugby Union Football & Rugby League Football Laws &/or Rules are both Very Completely Different from each other altogether but although even they both Very Similar to each other of course. They both English Rugby Football Codes were originated from England, RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CODE, the History of Rugby Union follows from various football games long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that the rules were formulated and codified. The code of football later known as rugby union can be traced to three events: the first set of written rules in 1845, the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. The code was originally known simply as "rugby football". RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CODE, the History of Rugby League is mainly being played in both Lancashire & Yorkshire as a separate form of rugby football goes back to (1895) in North of England in a place called Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire when the Northern Rugby Football Union broke away from England's established Rugby Football Union to administer its own separate competition. Rugby League Football Code has been established & being played in Australia in (1908) & in New Zealand in (1909), & in France in (1934) & in Papua New Guinea in (1949) & finally even into South Africa sometime in the (1950s) as well too. (NOTE) Northern Union Football was the very old name for the Rugby League Football Code when it broke away from Rugby Union because it wanted to become Professional instead of remaining to be Amateur of course. Yes, there's a different in both Rugby Football Codes is that, (1 One) Rugby Union Football has only (15 Fifteen) Players per Team in which means that there is the total number of (30 Thirty) Players with each team has only (15 Fifteen) Players out on the field during their game matches of course. (2 Two) Rugby League Football has only (13 Thirteen) Players per Team in which means that there is the total number of (26 Twenty-Six) Players with each team has only (13 Thirteen) Players out on the field during their game matches of course. (3 Three) Rugby Union Football is more a Free-Flowing type of a game THAN Rugby League Football of course. (4 Four) Rugby League Football is more of a Stop & Start type of a game THAN Rugby Union Football of course. Here are (2 Two) Canadian Rugby League Football Websites which are, www.canadarugbyleague.com/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_national_rugby_league_team Finally, here's the American version of the United States America Rugby League Football which is, www.usarl.org/

[@timocarroll3954]

What a sports nation Australia is. Pound for pound best. Congrats from Ireland.

[@bakerpauldavid]

From the UK. AFL is pure gold and deserves much more love worldwide. Unique and entertaining. Lions for the flag in 2023!!!

[@tropic2860]

I agree and it’s good to see AFL is growing a lot in Qld as well!

[@JoshyMcSquashy_Reviews]

Glad to here that AFL has an international supporting. An uncle of mine who lives in Switzerland is very interested in going to a game when he comes to Australia

[@bakerpauldavid]

I have always been a big football (soccer) fan since childhood (now I'm 41 yrs young). But since checking out AFL properly a few years back I've been hooked and now I prefer it to soccer. It's a much more honest sport, and not ruined by commerce. You Aussies should be very proud 👍

[@normaamar7642]

got toweled up by port 😂

[@Aaronwhatnow]

Hope game one was just a one off. Lions can win it this year. An amazing full team.

[@slingblade8963]

The afl has done all it can to decrease its popularity with rule changes. I'm a fan of both codes, but I find myself more interested in NRL these days as it's far less frustrating to watch. Also, try explaining afl to potential new fans.. especially when the rules are changing year to year.

[@Ozwombats]

League fan, I disagree. I find myself watching more AFL as the NRL has stuffed the rules.

[@blackfreethinker2525]

@@Ozwombats I hear you. Not a fan of the "six-again" rule at all.

[@Ozwombats]

@blackfreethinker2525 that's a bad one but there are plenty more. The shoulder charge interpretations, captains challenge, confusing obstruction calls.

[@blackfreethinker2525]

@@Ozwombats I'm OK with the abolition of the shoulder charge, because it is what makes rugby distinct from the other football codes. As for the other changes, I have to agree. It makes league less simple and straightforward, which is the true strength of the the game. If I have a taste for something more complex, I have American football and rugby union to choose from.

[@slingblade8963]

@tigerden1908 so you actually feel the rules for the afl are better than nrl?

[@TheGingey]

Thank you for explaining something I've wondered for a while. Having grown up in Victoria it was quite strange when I moved to Queensland. People would talk to me about football and it wasn't till they mentioned a tri that I realised they were talking about rugby and the whole conversation I'd just had was about something entirely different.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

I sometimes call Rugby Union union football

[@PoppinC-l3w]

@oscarosullivan4513 The people s/he spoke to were probably talking about Rugby League though. RU isn't that popular in Australia, even less in recent years.

[@Buggerlugs1424]

I live in Melbourne but was born in Sydney (specifically Penrith) so I really like both sports. My heart does lie with NRL but the AFL Culture in Melbourne and spectacle is unmatched.

[@sulty0310]

Panthers 🐾

[@asjeot]

Check out the Rugby League culture in Queensland. Go QUEENSLANDER!

[@SilentHotdog28]

I'm Victorian and about 5-6 years ago I got into the NRL, loved the journey since, AFL is still number 1 in my heart, but really enjoy NRL. One thing I got to experience in NRL which I haven't in AFL is go to a suburban ground to watch a match. Bulldogs vs Storm at Belmore, it was fantastic, even though I was far outnumbered by the Dogs supporters, it was great to experience. Storm got up for the win and loved walking out amongst the sea of blue with all the glares and unhappy faces haha. I also have got to experience the Graveyard, the overwhelming Storm home crowd, boos echoing out at the opposition, opposition players getting unsettled and losing the plot, belting teams off the park. love it. (I get all that at the M.C.G. for Pies games too, just thought I'd mention it, it's really kool.)

[@shriekinleada794]

@@asjeot it’s not the same thing.

[@realeststeps5271]

League in Sydney is just as passion driven as AFL in Melbourne...legit ask anyone they all have a team!

[@thecagermacleod]

I'm melbourne born and bred. Mad Richmond fan but back in '99 as a 9 year old girl my neighbours were St. George fans. I liked the dragon and decided I would go for them too. So I am also a mad st. George fan as well. I am a member of both Richmond and St. George and will try to fly to sydney/wollongong a couple of times a year to see the dragons play while I go to every Richmond game on Melbourne. I love both sports because they are different to each other and have different skillsets. I don't get the whole dick measuring arguments about which code is better.

[@geohawk7]

It’s crazy how much attention this video has had over the last week! So interesting hearing everyone’s stories about what sport they follow and where they’re from. Thanks so much for the support from those who’ve liked and commented on this video! I hope to make a few more videos soon so stay tuned 🙌

[@enterpassword3313]

Rugby union has entered the chat

[@AB_223]

I don’t watch any sports related videos yet this popped up in my recommendations today. An interesting subject never the less. Nice video 👍

[@lm_b5080]

what's goin on with rugby union in Aus? has it sort of just fizzled out since the days of greagan and john eales?

[@AB_223]

@@lm_b5080 Pretty much. 20+ years ago a Wallabies game would be a big TV event on weekends. Now it’s never mentioned anywhere.

[@mmmbiscuits1211]

DO every sport! Futsal is ripe for a map based video!

[@andrewnotgonnatellya7019]

Speaking as a Serb who mostly knows sport in Europe and the US, I'm intrigued in this. The one naturalistic divide anywhere in the world between two sports. EDIT: I'm leaving this for posterity as I was wrong. Rugby league and union in England are also split up.

[@mitchellsmith300]

How did this video pop up in your recommended?

[@andrewnotgonnatellya7019]

@@mitchellsmith300 I do not know

[@wonton8983]

Google the map of Super Rugby League teams in England, all the teams are from two counties in the North.

[@poppinc8145]

Rugby League and Rugby Union have a geographic division in England as well.

[@blackfreethinker2525]

@@poppinc8145 and much of that is the fault of the RFL and Super League. League should have a much bigger footprint, esp. seeing that union runs from fall-spring, and league runs from winter-fall.

[@alexmiles7039]

I’m a big afl guy but I would love to see an WA NRL team develop. I know I’d tune in

[@growdaddy4281]

@Kayne's World Perth bears would make more money

[@_peepyopee]

Perth pussies?

[@StonedGossard_]

Perth Bears with 1 or 2 home games a year played at North Sydney oval would really work im9

[@gerardvinicombe470]

Wow, i'm v. surprised no-one this far has mentioned/knows this was already tried ... The Western Reds. Think Mark Guyer was lured from Penrith(?) to start as capt. having plenty of league exp.

[@TheKinky4ever]

Watch the Force

[@jonnies]

One other weird difference between NRL and AFL is the geographical spacing of teams within their primary city. In Sydney the clubs’ home bases are spread out very distantly - Parramatta, Bankstown, Campbelltown, Penrith, Cronulla, Manly, etc. Whereas in Melbourne the big clubs Richmond, Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton etc are all very close to the city centre. I wonder how it came to be this way?

[@eddielong8663]

Sydney has always been more polycentric and tribal. To my knowledge, Parramatta and Penrith were their own separate townships at one stage before being consumed by the sprawl. But local loyalties remained strong. The Sutherland Shire and the North Shore are the most obvious examples as they're physically separated by rivers. Whereas Melbourne's growth was more straight forward (for the most part), with it simply starting off huddled together and then rapidly expanding outwards. People who moved to its outer suburbs already had loyalties to whatever club they grew up supporting, and hence didn't change. Most people today don't even care about blue collar and white collar representation of any particular club as the once working class inner suburbs are gentrifying anyway. One would think that Sydney's more organic demographic growth would make for a more fierce rivalled atmosphere at NRL games than what Melbourne's AFL games would provide. But all evidence suggests otherwise.

[@JimmyScalan]

Hawthorn too don't forget

[@LomuHabana]

Plus the oldest of them all: Melbourne FC (Demons).

[@MBCMurrayPlaysRL]

AFL became quite popular in Canberra's formable years due to government departments moving in from Melbourne.

[@simonfowler8991]

As a Victorian I am an AFL fan, but I also support Melbourne Storm in the NRL and do enjoy watching all NRL macthes! Go footy, no matter which code you prefer!

[@MasterQ18]

Same

[@jaydennewman9628]

It's not very often you can chat about the AFL with people in Brisbane, really sucks - but I think whenever the Brisbane Lions do well there seems to be a bit more interest. 2020 was certainly an interesting year when QLD hosted lots of footy games.

[@phoarey]

Good point except ex southerners.

[@paulfri1569]

🎉

[@jeremylangloisproperty]

Great video. As a kid growing up in Brisbane, I was obsessed with NRL, but over time I switched over to AFL as I started finding it way more fast-paced and exciting and nowadays, I can barely watch a game of league. I think my disinterest in the AFL as a kid was due to the prevalence of rugby league all around me at school… I’m Brisbane bred and a big Lions supporter. They’ve recently re-located their training base to my town, Springfield Lakes which is awesome. 🦁

[@yt.damian]

I played AFL at school. But for the last 30 years its Rugby League and only Rugby League. Go Manly!

[@firesideshats]

​@@yt.damian wanker manly supporter

[@poppinc8145]

Rugby League is still the second-most entertaining major code of football behind Australian football IMO.

[@TheBronJaime]

The traffic in springfield when the centre was being built was terrible, but it’s pretty cool that it’s there now

[@oscarosullivan4513]

I prefer union football but then league does not really exist in Ireland

[@jobdone3700]

Growing up in NSW, everyone was aware of Aussie rules/ Hot Potato and both sports could be played on the weekend although most kids chose to play rugby league or soccer. In Victoria no one knew about rugby league because their media purposely would not acknowledge its existence for fear of people converting to a far superior game .

[@Punksarepunk]

This is so interesting. I am from Canada, so I had no idea this divide was a thing. I knew about AFL being historically a Victorian sport, but I didn't know this much of a split existed nowadays. In North America certain areas value different sports more but for the most part they're all popular nationwide and the same areas tend to have professional teams so it's not like this

[@anthonyf3680]

Believe me most aussies didn’t either. Growing up in Victoria I use to think Aussie rules was popular in every state until I went to Sydney as a kid for the first time since I was a baby. It was a massive culture shock to know afl isn’t big there and that they call rugby league footy and what we call footy they call afl which was really weird

[@GaryLorenz-t7c]

@Punksarepunk Yes very indeed so about AFL in Canada but along with (2 Two) other Football Codes of both Soccer & Rugby Union Football but how ever also did you know that you have another Rugby Football Code in your Country of Canada called Rugby League Football which also being played in Canada as well too (???????). Both Rugby Union Football & Rugby League Football Laws &/or Rules are both Very Completely Different from each other altogether but although even they both Very Similar to each other of course. They both English Rugby Football Codes were originated from England, RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CODE, the History of Rugby Union follows from various football games long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that the rules were formulated and codified. The code of football later known as rugby union can be traced to three events: the first set of written rules in 1845, the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. The code was originally known simply as "rugby football". RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CODE, the History of Rugby League is mainly being played in both Lancashire & Yorkshire as a separate form of rugby football goes back to (1895) in North of England in a place called Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire when the Northern Rugby Football Union broke away from England's established Rugby Football Union to administer its own separate competition. Rugby League Football Code has been established & being played in Australia in (1908) & in New Zealand in (1909), & in France in (1934) & in Papua New Guinea in (1949) & finally even into South Africa sometime in the (1950s) as well too. (NOTE) Northern Union Football was the very old name for the Rugby League Football Code when it broke away from Rugby Union because it wanted to become Professional instead of remaining to be Amateur of course. Yes, there's a different in both Rugby Football Codes is that, (1 One) Rugby Union Football has only (15 Fifteen) Players per Team in which means that there is the total number of (30 Thirty) Players with each team has only (15 Fifteen) Players out on the field during their game matches of course. (2 Two) Rugby League Football has only (13 Thirteen) Players per Team in which means that there is the total number of (26 Twenty-Six) Players with each team has only (13 Thirteen) Players out on the field during their game matches of course. (3 Three) Rugby Union Football is more a Free-Flowing type of a game THAN Rugby League Football of course. (4 Four) Rugby League Football is more of a Stop & Start type of a game THAN Rugby Union Football of course. Here are (2 Two) Canadian Rugby League Football Websites which are, www.canadarugbyleague.com/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_national_rugby_league_team & the American version of United States America Football Website which is, www.usarl.org/

[@shayneoflaherty3488]

As a Kiwi I grew up with Rugby and Rugby League, and I'm mad about both. But it only took me a couple of months of living in Melbourne to develop a love for AFL. Still love all three, albeit distantly from Canada these days.

[@olivertodd732]

How come you ended up moving around so much?

[@ss2gora0]

And an Irish surname

[@shayneoflaherty3488]

@@olivertodd732 Lucky to have a job as a Trainer where I drifted around Australia for nearly a decade, then South East Asia and North America after that.

[@GaryLorenz-t7c]

@shayneoflaherty3488 Yes also I grew up with & also played only (3 Three) Football Codes of the Football as in Soccer & also both Rugby League Football & Rugby Union Football in the (1980s) but however is that I have Never Ever did play the Australian Rules Football Code at all of course. But I do love your New Zealand National Teams all of, (1 One) From Football as in Soccer which are the Men's All-Whites & the Women's Football Ferns Teams & the Men's Futsal Team of the Futsal Whites & the Women's Team of the Futsal Ferns. Although beside that both our Countries of Australia & New Zealand actually did shared & hosted our (2023 Twenty Twenty Three) FIFA Women's World Cup Football (Soccer) Tournament last year from July to August which was the real biggest sporting event as an achievement in this whole Oceania Region. & speaking on Soccer is that New Zealand will have (2 Two) A-League Soccer Teams instead of (1 One) which is Wellington Phoenix that we got already & now very next new A-League Soccer Team which is Auckland towards the end of the year for our new (24/25) A-League Soccer Season and as a fact is that Soccer is (1 One) of most very most popular Football &/or Sporting Codes in participation wise among the Juniors, School &/or College Students & also Youth as well too of course. (2 Two) From Rugby League Football which are the Men's Kiwis & the Women's Kiwi Ferns Teams of course. (3 Three) From Rugby Union Football which are the Men's All-Blacks & the Women's Black Ferns Teams of course.

[@billybray25]

Being from Sydney, I feel like most people here are NRL fans (obviously) but are pretty open-minded about the AFL and will vaguely follow it/watch the odd game. I could be wrong but from a NSW perspective it seems like many Victorians are weirdly parochial when it comes to sport and therefore tend to pretend the NRL doesn't exist.

[@markdp1983]

Plenty couldnt care less; but the Storm have a moderately decent following; enough to have the club exist 25+ years now!

[@anthonyf3680]

As a Victorian this is very true. Growing up in Melbourne, nrl is rarely ever mentioned and barely gets tv news coverage

[@benkirkby1931]

I grew up in country NSW where it was rugby territory, but I never really saw its appeal. When I moved to Melbourne as an adult I'd only watched a couple of AFL games on TV, but I knew how nuts the fans were for it. I had extended family down here that followed AFL and they were the ones who said "If you're going to live here you'll have to go to the footy at some point". I've never been a very sporty guy but I figured I'd go along and see what all the fuss was about. And... I bloody loved it. AFL was way more entertaining than rugby, at least to me, and I got sucked in. Followed it ever since.

[@Apis4]

Then it is good you left the country, traitor.

[@JimmyScalan]

WWWWWWWW

[@neumanmachine3781]

As someone who has lived their life north of the Barassi Line but follows Association Football (soccer) rather than either of the dominant codes (fell out of love with League in the '90's when all the Super League war, rule changes and player bad behaviour turned me off for good) it goes deeper into the culture than this video touches. Things like conversations in casual or business settings will include different sporting allegories and a pick up game in the park will mostly always see a football of the type of the dominant code used. Growing up in Brisbane in the 1970's and 1980's both codes were shown on tv, but League was more popular. After moving to Sydney in adulthood I noticed that Australian Football appears to be played less than it is in Qld. For example in my high school in Brisbane there were four football teams - one for each code, where I rarely see this in Sydney. Another thing is that NSW + Qld + ACT has a slightly bigger combined population than the rest of the nation. That said, as the video notes the AFL has been better at gaining fans on the NRL side of the line than the other way around. Qld was never as strongly anti AFL as NSW was as the Melbourne rivalry isn't a thing there - State of Origin takes care of rivalry in Qld. I am now living in SW Sydney and League dominates and Australian Football barely has a presence. You never see anyone wearing AFL Jerseys but West Tigers (based in Campbelltown) are everywhere. The most commonly played game here however is soccer. The next most popular jersey I see worn around SW Sydney is Western Sydney Wanderers in the A League, despite Macarthur now having its own team the Bulls - maybe it's too early for them to have built much of a fan base but I have seen a few people wearing their gear. Other sporting gear is overseas soccer clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester Utd, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan; with NBA jerseys and sports wear also popular as are V8 Supercar teams. Having worked many years in planning in local government, there is constant demand for new soccer fields and new basketball courts, but very limited demand for additional Australian Rules Football grounds and demand for Rugby League grounds is stagnant while demand for Rugby Union grounds is falling. Longitudinal surveys show that Rugby Union has lost about 3/4 of its playing base over the last 30 years, and that Rugby League is rapidly declining also. Rugby League has an ageing fan base as younger people aren't taking it up or watching it in the same numbers as previous generations, with interest shifting to soccer and basketball, especially as both these sports have a big e-game presence with huge titles. But the average Rugby League fan is now in their mid 50's and the sport may start slipping off its perch in the coming decades, but AFL isn't the code likely to benefit, that would be the A League as soccer increases its popularity. Pretty much all the migrant children who follow sport follow soccer and they are adopting their local teams in growing numbers. While the A League may struggle for attention in the short term, its longer term prospects are looking good. AFL looks like it will maintain its market share as it appears to be successful in offsetting losses in support in its traditional areas with enticing enough people from the other side of the line to make up the difference, but is unlikely to ever take over nationally.

[@marooncity1]

Yeah, the video does acknowledge that football (soccer) is well followed across the nation, but it's Sydney where it probably has had the most devotees for the longest. This has had a couple of impacts - but especially, it means that there's not just one game in town dominating media, conversation, etc. Union is on the decline but that was part of the picture too for a long time. So what you get is what has been called the most competetive sporting market out there. So to go back to that first question in the video - if someone in sydney says they're going to the football... it's a bit of a harder thing to know what they mean than might be suggested by the vid.

[@DabDabGoose]

idk though, I've lived in western sydney most of my life as a gen Y and while soccer is definitely popular basically everyone my age and younger watches NRL, if they want to watch Soccer they would prefer the Premier league to A league because the standard is low, and because the time zones are bad NRL takes the rest for them, even as a kid who played soccer everyone was talking about NRL and Prem barely any a league talk.

[@LomuHabana]

Soccer and A-League are two different things. Interest in soccer may be rising, that doesn’t mean the interest in the A-league will strongly increase as well. NRL and AFL are the by far biggest and best competitions in their respective code. They are often used almost synonymously for the sport itself. A league is a far below average league with little talent. If there are good Australian soccer players, they’ll leave as soon as they can to play in a better/bigger/richer competition. Same goes for every smaller/minor soccer league. Soccer is pretty popular in countries like Sweden, Denmark, Austria or Switzerland, but their domestic leagues are pretty much on life support.

[@simon.hughes3009]

I'm a Central North Island New Zealand base fan I'm a fan of the AFL and the NRL and Union and most football codes I am GWS fan in the AFL and Canberra Raiders fan in the NRL but I follow majority of most football codes in the world I like them all.

[@LomuHabana]

Same, I am a mainland European based and therefore come from a Soccer background of course. But now I watch pretty much every major football code, even Gaelic football and sometimes Rugby League.

[@dreadlord7526]

I grew up in Victoria in the 80's and 90's. I cannot stand AFL because I got so sick of hearing about it. The newspapers and TV was all just AFL, you got belted over the head with it. Even during summer the news was mostly about AFL players with articles about some player stubbing their toe, or some other BS like that. Prior to the internet becoming mainstream, it was very difficult to get any info on other sports due to how biased the media was in Victoria.

[@Leeviii2024]

South Australian here: AFL - North Melbourne NRL - North Queensland and Maroons. I started barracking for NQ in 2004 after watching my first full game. Country South Australia is Aussie rules in winter and cricket in summer, however basketball is also big

[@willjones2788]

Marshall skips away, Marshall skips away, Marshall still going, Marshall got Richards coming up outside, now inside, Richards pursued, he puts Rod Jensen away, Pat Richards, PAT RICHARDS, has scored one of the great Grand Final tries, length of the field stuff - Ray Warren, during the 2005 GF West Tigers beat North Queensland Cowboys

[@paulfri1569]

Haha me too in 2004 after watching Matty Bowen score tries from nothing. Was the year I finished highschool and use to watch at my local truck stop before my work shift started .

[@geelongstrong5024]

Really enjoyed this video. I find the Barassi Line quite fascinating and always thought it had something to do with Victoria having a higher number of Irish immigrants who may have bought Gaelic football with them. Your vid does a really good job of explaining the history behind it.

[@TopFix]

Australian Football is actually very inspired by an indigenous game called "Marn Grook", which early cricketers had taken notice of and expanded on over time with additional rules and ball changes.

[@chook2870]

Aussie rules is older than Gaelic in terms of Codeified, by about 28 years

[@04loulo]

​@@TopFix ya learn somethin new every day ey. this adds so much history to the greatest sport on earth.... like they woulda been playing this ten thousand years ago. i wonder what kinda freak athletes there woulda been, takin speckies on farkin everyone.

[@presidentxijinpingspoxdoct9756]

@@TopFix that is a bullshit myth.....

[@rajivmurkejee7498]

@@TopFix There is no evidence for this. It's just wishful thinking by certain people. Plenty of material exists covering the history of the game. Plenty of football games were being played at the time. Every English public school seemed to have its own game so there was nothing special in Englishmen in Melbourne having a game of their own. (Australian rules is most similar to the now defunct game of Sheffield Rules in England)

[@kurt5406]

I'm a bit of an odd ball Victorian who lives and breathes Rugby League, however I also love AFL. I just simply consume the game of Rugby League more than i would with footy. And grew up with it despite being surrounded by AFL. Love both codes for different reasons, I also understand why both codes are "boring" to watch compared to the other, as well as understanding how comparing two codes of "which is harder to play" is apples and oranges. Can't stand the code shills from both sports, because i feel they are attacking my identity, my childhood and upbringing and my means of an escape. Its also why I don't attack other people preferred code, because all in all they love either code or both for the same reasons. Both sports are woven into the fabric of Australian culture, one may be indigenous to the country, however that doesn't mitigate Rugby League's cultural footprint in this country either

[@willjones2788]

Yeah exactly, and rugby league is more popular in Australia than it is anywhere else. I also follow both codes, being from Sydney. Wests Tigers and Sydney Swans

[@mrconfusion87]

​@@willjones2788PNG when it comes to Rugby League: Am I a joke to you? We even riot over that shit! 😂😂😂

[@codysodyssey3818]

As a native of Albury I played both growing up but eventually settled on NRL because that was the sport more of my friends and family were playing. I can confirm that the Barassi goes straight through Albury, almost every sport is well represented there: AFL and Soccer are definitely in the lead but NRL has been growing steadily.

[@swansbear]

Albury is south of the Murrumbidgee, so you are south of the Barassi Line

[@codysodyssey3818]

@@swansbear bruh, it's not a hard border. There's a fuzzy grey area.

[@DabDabGoose]

@@swansbear the southern parts of NSW that are south of the line are very grey because the Riverina Area is where alot of the best rugby league players came from at the same time the next town might be totally AFL.

[@charlie_-lm9rn]

I am from the UK. I love AFL. I have tried rugby but is not my sport. But AFL is my sport to play when I am not playing football or soccer as you Australian's call it

[@noodlesandcrackers]

I'm a Tasmanian that moved to Brisbane last year. I could count on one hand the amount of people that follow League back home, but in Brisbane there's a decent segment of the populace which follow AFL (obviously smaller than the League segment) but is still present nonetheless.

[@Jahkeems]

It's tough man. As a recent migrant, afl looks like kids playing at lunch time.

[@RARDingo]

Far North Queensland is a little more even with popularity of both codes. However between Cairns & The Sunshine Coast NRL is very dominant. Brisbane is a bit more mixed these days too.

[@cstubberfield29]

Excellent video mate!! I'm a huge AFL fan, born and bred in Brisbane, but definitely find conversation hard with the league supporters being prevalent here. I appreciate that sport too, but it'll never be as exciting as Aussie Rules Footy...

[@LomuHabana]

Could Brisbane support another AFL club given that it only has one NRL team?

[@AussieRoos]

Great video, I do prefer AFL but also respect Rugby, the cultural differences between the codes is quite different. Funny how most Aussies will agree on Cricket 🏏 especially backyard cricket in Summer

[@leoefron]

Fascinating stuff! Great video, always loving learning a bit of AFL history.

[@Highlands73]

Afl and am from Scotland. Soccer fan all my life until I start watching and understanding afl. Now afl is my number one sport.

[@alexwatkins1931]

I live in america. I know more about the nrl because of Jarryd Hayne and his journey into the NFL. Seeing his highlights really got me into NRL, that being said I am still looking for a team to support as well as knowing the positions and more of the star players so any help would be great! great video!

[@lukekennedy2295]

I'm glad you mentioned the Riverina as I'm from Wagga and I've found that people who live here can either love Aussie Rules or NRL and neither code is dominant over the other

[@lukekennedy2295]

@Maiyn I dunno man, Wagga's pretty chill, I like it here for the most part, it's the place to be if you love sport. The roads are shithouse but I can't give you to much advice outside of that as I don't really know what criteria your looking for. Hope that helps 🤷‍♂

[@willjones2788]

@maiyn2y housemate who is also proudly Wiradjuri has always stated to me that Wagga Wagga was full of racists. Hahah but I dunno how true that is, he’s has just always maintained that as fact… though he has never lived there himself.

[@sfb7247]

I honestly think that Wagga is the border of where the Barassi line is.

[@puffitale]

I'm a Central West girl with my dad and his family being from the Riverina and we’re a true blue NRL family. It might be because my grandparents and dad lived in Sydney at some point during their early 20s (mum’s family are *spits* Manly supporters), but we’re NRL through and through.

[@reverend_wintondupree]

I miss the days when you could watch both leagues for free on their respective apps.

[@fr0stynut695]

I’m from NSW and like both sport, my dads side of the family were raised in Penrith and he is a cult follower of rugby but on the other hand my pop was a professional AFL player for the south Melbourne swans ( all be it only from 18-24 ) but I enjoy both sports.

[@LomuHabana]

Funny for you that of all clubs it was the STHM Swans that moved to Sydney/NSW.

[@DaisyChesneysGirlfriend]

Am from northern England so naturally will always love rugby league. However my parents are from Ireland and I have always been exposed to Gaelic football, the international rules series and players like Conor McKenna, Zachary tuohy, mark o Conor moving and succeeding in the afl have deffo pumped my interest in afl.

[@SilentHotdog28]

Both League and AFL are fantastic sports. League in my opinion shits all over Union and AFL is my favourite sport of all, Rugby League is probs 3rd after Cricket.

[@DaisyChesneysGirlfriend]

@@SilentHotdog28 I have a lot of respect for afl, the crowds at the mcg are insane.

[@shauntheobald8546]

Watching from Wellington, New Zealand . I remember when they tried holding AFL games here. Some decent interest as a novelty in the first year, but quickly flopped in the following years. Not a surprise that the rugby codes easily outpace Aussie Rules, but still kind of interesting that it couldn't even sustain what was effectively an anuual exhibition game here.

[@jackphillips6742]

Wellington is such a great football city. Urban football with the regions playing rugby is so good for NZ Sport.

[@geohawk7]

Interesting, bit of a shame it didn’t work out. Do you think it’s because people didn’t know what AFL was (like in America) or they knew what it was but didn’t like it (like in parts of NSW, QLD)?

[@shauntheobald8546]

@@geohawk7 I think it's the former more than the latter. I wouldn't be surprised if most NZers had a vague awareness of the AFL, but there's a lot of unfamiliarity with the rules or what exactly is going on in the game. Certainly didn't feel like there was any resentment towards AFL like there seems to be in QLD and NSW, it just couldn't overcome disinterest from it being a game we didn't know or feel any attachment to. Nonetheless, it does seem to have its niche, and I feel like it's been a more regular sight on tv in the decade since that Wellington experiment

[@geohawk7]

@@shauntheobald8546 interesting, from memory the saints played home games there when they weren’t playing very well so maybe that had something to do with it too

[@dan.prosser]

I love more niche Aussie content like this, top stuff mate! I'm unfortunately a die hard Aussie rules fan that grew up in the greatest state of Queensland (an NRL state).

[@zackp8201]

So as a Canadian that married a Melbourne native, when i arrived her family informed me my team is now the magpies. But I have a very close friend who lives in southern downs and a close buddy of his was a professional footballer once upon a time. We moved to Brisbane recently and at a party I asked him about "football" in australia since the word is used to describe both games, he then went on a rant about how rugby league is the greatest and rugby union is gay. When I asked about AFL he didn't have much to say, so it seemed to me, here in QLD that's the real rivalry, league vs Union. In high school in Canada I played rugby union, but that's only because few canadian high schools have the money to field grid iron football teams, so they settled on rugby union, i suspect because it's the bigger international game. Still, hockey is king there and grid iron/american football is huge which i played for 10 years in my youth. as a spectator i prefer AFL, which I enjoy immensely although i've never played as I'm too old and decrepit to play. I'd also like to add that it boggles my mind that cricket fans actually exist outside of india and pakkistan.

[@wade2bosh]

cricket is much bigger than india and pakistan. like curling many older ppl play

[@Angus-bn2ob]

I’m a Victorian and absolutely love both codes, although I do slightly prefer Aussie rules over rugby I enjoy watching both

[@kurtsharpe]

I’m from NZ, follow and watch both sports. Only problem with AFL is limited international competition/appeal.

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

For now.....

[@poppinc8145]

@@geofftottenperthcoys9944 How long is that "for now" going to last? In the future, countries will have become even more entrenched with different sports and there's going to be less room for large team sports whether among the public's attention or among TV channels.

[@Mostpunchable]

@@geofftottenperthcoys9944 lol nah no one else wants to play that 🐱 sport that’s why . Keep that rubbish in Australia

[@Mostpunchable]

@@geofftottenperthcoys9944 If nfl can’t break into the international arena what makes you think gayfl has a chance 😂 . “For now” head ass

[@PoppinC-l3w]

New Zealand deserves a second NRL team. Along with PNG, Western Australia and what else, I think the NRL could do with a North conference and South Conference. A two-tier pyramid structure could work too.

[@jackbyrd783]

as an american getting into rugby and footy this is a good video to watch

[@michaelmalervy9066]

Excellent video! I have often wondered why the AFL is so strong in Victoria in comparison to NRL's dominance in NSW and Queensland. I am in Southern California. I will watch both but prefer the AFL and am a fan of the Suns. Why the Suns? When I started watching the AFL on TV I enjoyed watching the game but never really became a fan of any team. I looked upon the expansion as my opportunity to choose a team to root for and it is often sunny where I live.

[@no15minutecities]

zzzzzzzzzzzz

[@yiannicart]

@@no15minutecities Looking through the comment section, it seems you like commenting 'zzzz' on many people's posts. It's great that you like contributing constructively to conversations. Well done on being a very kind, well adjusted human, who isn't screaming for attention. But honestly, I hope things are going great for you and that life isn't treating you too bad.

[@darrenwilliams4938]

I live in Wagga Wagga and have lived in the Riverina area all of my life. Up till around 20 years ago I would have said that both League and AFL enjoyed a similar amount of support. However, in more recent times it has become increasingly clear that AFL is winning the war - as more and more League clubs fold or move to other competitions that require clubs to only have one team instead of several different grades. The local AFL competitions don't seem to be suffering from the same problem - because as League clubs shrink or even disappear the AFL clubs seem to be powering on.

[@realeststeps5271]

Group 9 is trying to change this 🤞🏽

[@jamesroberts7339]

Riverina might be a good location for a 20th AFL team. Quite a large population when you add it all up. What town would be most central to transport and/or has the best faciltities?

[@realeststeps5271]

@@jamesroberts7339 nowhere...it's still a small population and split territory. Mildura would be a better choice as it is the same size as Wagga, 80-20 AFL over league, and too far from Melbourne (6 hrs) for fans to go to the MCG when compared to Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Wodonga.

[@Austin_Niepołomice]

From the states AFL is just far more accessible in so far as time zones. More often I can watch a game at 10pm or so meanwhile NRL is often 1am or later. When I attempted to watch more NRL it seemed even if I picked a shithouse like Wests I’d be able to reasonable see 3-4 games max. I also find it interesting in other reading I’ve done how aggressive the VFL/AFL was in not just expansion, but media rights. They used the size of Melbourne to generate more funds and improve the quality of play. It did end up causing financial issues hence relocation of South Melb and merger of Fitzroy along with needed cash infusions in expansion fees with SA, QLD, and WA sides. Meanwhile you see the NRL fumbled about being scared of taking risks and more conservative. They could’ve done Perth decade ago yet their tactic has been circle the wagon. Their inability to maximise the Storms success is just another sign that the league isn’t lead by people who know how to grow its fanbase. I also doubt they go to Perth next becuase knowing their inbred they’ll do another NZ side to keep it in their bubble. At the end of the day I don’t see NRL ever coming close to AFL. One has funds to not only grow the game but a vision to do so.

[@Mishishere]

I grew up in rural WA, I had no idea NRL existed let alone that Rugby was a sport until I moved to Canberra.

[@anthonyf3680]

It’s the same for rural nsw and Queensland! I’m from Victoria and went on a road trip up the east coast of Australia. I stopped at some country towns and they don’t even know what afl is. Massive culture shock 🤯

[@Mostpunchable]

@@anthonyf3680 nice to know there is no LGBTQ in rural Aussie

[@Johnhrop]

Was raised in an NRL family south of Sydney and supported the Broncos (Mum is a QLDer) when I moved to the Gold Coast and met my wife (she is from a Vic/SA family) I was introduced to the AFL. We are both Lions Members now however we will still watch a Broncos game every now and again. I still love the NRL however I think the AFL has marketed their code at families better. Our daughter has no interest in NRL however plays soccer and Auskick. I will say that due to stadium sizes the NRL will outsell the AFL especially when there are 2 QLD teams playing. If the Gabba redevelopment is done right the influx from southern states due to covid boom will mean that the AFL will have a pretty large following in SEQ.

[@PaulHaesler]

I moved to Canberra (pretty much bang on the line) from Melbourne (AFL heartland) about 10 years ago. Suddenly I found I didn't have to pretend to be interested in sportsball any more. I could just say "I don't follow AFL" to the AFL fans and "I don't follow NRL" to the NRL fans and that was that! They both just assumed I followed the other code that they didn't care about and the conversation could move on. It's hard to put into words just how much of a load off my shoulders this was. I'd got so used to faking an interest in AFL that I had no idea just how much mental energy was being wasted on it.

[@conorb7208]

Stand up for yourself instead of lying

[@Bennyboy1985]

My (late) Aunt moved to Melbourne in the 70's and had to "adopt" a VFL team just so she could join in regular conversation. That's the thing about NSW/ Qld- if you follow the NRL, awesome, but if you don't that's cool too. There's plenty of other things to take an interest in.

[@danny89620]

Lol why fake an interest in the first place?

[@PaulHaesler]

@@danny89620 Lol. You've obviously never lived in Victoria.

[@shearerforgold]

Why you expending so much energy watching this video then lol

[@tlf7674]

I tell ya, growing up as a League kid in Melbourne is certainly an experience. Never got the appeal of AFL, it just felt so messy and all over the place; lacking the structure of Rugby. And this was before the founding of the Melbourne Storm, so I couldn't even go to a game.

[@paulfri1569]

Agree I hate the chaotic nature of the game.. you and me both. No wonder the country will never be united. Only Cricket does I guess

[@poppinc8145]

@@paulfri1569 Cricket is a snoozefest. That's why most people in the UK stopped caring for it ages ago.

[@GaryLorenz-t7c]

@tlf7674 but however is that Melbourne Storm Rugby League Football Team who are in Melbourne but also the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union Football Team in their Super Rugby Competition & I do also love & support the Melbourne City in the A-League Soccer Team as well too away over their cross-town rivals of Melbourne Victory of course.

[@refsmithy]

I was born in Wagga (right in the "buffer zone") but grew up mainly in south of the line where Aussie rules is the dominant sport. I now live north of the line, but I still can't quite get my head around rugby league...

[@bumble435]

The sporting divide in Ireland between hurling and Gaelic football is similar to the NRL/AFL divide in Australia.

[@wade2bosh]

gaelic is better. hurling is as trash and field lacrosse.

[@LomuHabana]

To my knowledge it’s different. It is not the case that some provinces strongly prefer Gaelic or Hurling, it differs among counties. You can ‘t really draw clear lines like the Barassi line as far as I am aware.

[@c0wqu3u31at3r]

yep and geography plays a strong part in which one is the more popular

[@pavementpounder7502]

From WA live in Vic now. Aside from the odd Wallabies game or the NRL grand final, they never showed any rugby games when I was growing up (yes, to most of us rugby league and union might as well be the same, most know little about the rules). Most knew about as much about rugby league as American gridiron football, just wasnt on the radar. Went to an NRL game here in Vic and the atmosphere was so different. More American with the cheerleaders, fireworks, rock music etc.

[@timdixo]

Absurd how “Aussie Rules” is now termed “AFL”. It’s akin to asking someone “Do you play EPL,ATP etc?”

[@pavementpounder7502]

Guess its cos Aussie rules is pretty much an Australian sport whereas soccer is not, hence its become almost synonymous.

[@timdixo]

@@pavementpounder7502 I can’t think of a another major sporting code named after it’s top tier competition whether it be NRL,NFL,PGA,La Liga etc etc. You have to hand it to the slick AFL marketers for altering the nomenclature of a 175 year old code!

[@marcel_stinks]

Imagine a sport named Yanky Rules or Brit Rules, it sounds like a game you play in primary school

[@timdixo]

@@marcel_stinks It’s “Australian Rules”,only colloquially “Aussie Rules”. Imagine the absurdity of asking a German child…“Do you like playing basketball or Bundesliga?”

[@marcel_stinks]

@@timdixo it’s still a Micky Mouse sport supported by 4 states in a tiny populated country. It just irks me the same way the “ World Series” irks me in baseball. It’s a niche sport followed by a couple of million people in only 1 country yet the fans have you think it’s the most popular sport in the world

[@Stokie99]

Perth used to have an NRL team the Western Red but they didn't succeed. We now have the West Coast Pirates who were meant to enter the NRL in the mid 2010s but that never happened but are now expected to enter the NRL in 2026. The Pirates played in the S. G. Ball Cup and were terrible earning 6 out of 7 wooden spoons between 2013-2019 before withdrawing in 2020 due to COVID. There is enough interest in Rugby in WA to support an NRL team since we have the Western Force in the Super Rugby (Rugby Union) and they at times get good numbers despite years of mediocrity. Having said all that, AFL and WAFL will continue to more popular than NRL, West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers receive huge support and West Coast Eagles always rank high in membership numbers. there is potentially a chance that a 3rd team could succeed in WA. In conclusion there is a place for Rugby in WA but AFL will always be King.

[@BKRsport]

Western Reds were unfortunately cut due to the Super League War in the late 90's. They actually were quite financially stable and had support, but unfortunately due to greediness and the political battle, were dropped to simplify the league.

[@kurt5406]

​@@BKRsport they also had to pay airfares for other clubs after the airline deal fall through

[@gerardvinicombe470]

Damn, I missed your comment when I scanned them to see mention of the Reds. Disregard mine, ...😊I defer to your more indepth report good Sir/Madam

[@sriley064]

The western reds were stupid and went to sewer league,which is why they are dead,the west coast pirates is a shit name and you'll have the Western bears sooner or later,since Florimo the ambulance chaser is on the case

[@peterpiper831]

Rugby was actually more popular in WA in the late 1800's....until several leading clubs defected to Aussie Rules.

[@kyrosluck]

Born and bred in Melbourne I've always been amongst AFL. I have friends in Brisbane, and they have always stuck to Rugby League & Union. I think it's just a matter of what you have been raised upon. Like they look at AFL as if it's a peasant sport and vice versa with me.

[@yiannicart]

Well done on the very interesting video! One extra thing that could've been mentioned was Marn Grook contributing to the creation of AFL, keep up the great work

[@no15minutecities]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@yiannicart]

@@no15minutecities goodnight

[@SuperTah33]

Great video, but when talking about the Barassi line it should be noted that rugby union has had permanent professional teams in Melbourne and Perth for many years now (Rebels & Force). However, there have been discussion to disenfranchise both teams, with the Force even going under for a couple of years until Covid. We’re not as big as NRL, but it’s quite interesting that rugby union has in some ways been more successful in branching out beyond the line, likely due to a countrywide private school preference for rugby union.

[@mitchellsmith300]

Even at private schools tho, everyone follows the more popular sport either league or AFL, even the coaches.

[@SuperTah33]

@@mitchellsmith300 I think you're speaking for yourself there, as it depends on the private school. At least where I was in Sydney, kids either followed either rugby union or football (soccer). AFL was practically non-existent, with the only rugby league anyone paid attention to being State of Origin. Although the Wallabies definitely had more interest than the Waratahs, it was rare for anyone to mention NRL.

[@mitchellsmith300]

@@SuperTah33 You may it may depend but out my school, on the North Shore, union heartland few people probably 10 to 15 out of 200 prefer union to league, for watching at least, that number would be about 30 to 50 for playing.

[@SuperTah33]

@@mitchellsmith300 Hmmm that's interesting... did your school force people to play union?

[@AClockworkYokai]

I’m from goulburn and the first time i travelled to Albury and saw those four posts i honestly thought i was in a different country.

[@telltellyn]

As an AFL fan, I wish I had grown up with NRL as well, because maybe then I'd enjoy it. I've tried many times to get into the sport, but I don't find it engaging. I've heard vice versa from many rugby fans.

[@daleviker5884]

That's a fair comment. I've said elsewhere that as an NRL fan, I've seen live AFL games and I can see why people would enjoy it, but I don't have any engagement. I know exactly where you're coming from.

[@waukivorycopse2402]

I think having two strong codes is healthy for Australia. A bit of competition usually leads to higher quality in business and sport and life. I've never seen the appeal of a monopoly particularly in a deeply felt culture like sport in Australia. I am from NSW and have followed football of many codes since 1981 and I can't imagine what good it would do to make my beloved Newtown Jets play AFL or become extinct. One thing that always struck me about the Barrassi Line is that most people on either side did not want to enforce their code on unwilling people of the other code. Only administrators and megalomaniacs want to do this, and Barrassi seemed set on the idea, not just expansion but expulsion of the "enemy". Old Ron was fantastic player, an even greater coach, but as a representative of his code he always struck me as a humourless, mealy-mouthed fanatic, just like Ken Arthurson.

[@JRPete]

AFL and NRL helped to boost each other. The Melbourne Storm made ariel plays by taking advantage of their AFL terms by getting the AFL guys to coach the back line and half's. Even cricket is crossing our code, Cam Munster credits his cricket background for helping him with his slip like catches from a grubbers and low hanging forcefull kicks.

[@mickdawson8422]

Great video! I'm Sydney born and bred, and I still live in the 'harbour city'. I was raised on Rugby League, and I started following Aussie Rules in 1990 at the age of 20. Today, I still love both codes, and my respective teans (Go Crows and Titans) during winter take up most of my weekend attention, except Saturday arvo, when the races are on!

[@daleviker5884]

Here's a man who has his priorities in order!

[@LomuHabana]

How are supporting clubs from Adelaide and Gold Coast when Sydney has some of the best teams in both codes?

[@whocan_duncan]

Kind of off topic, but I just want to point out Victoria's love of all sports. They get out for everything. AFL, NRL, boxing day test, Australian open, Australian GP, the world cup celebrations at 3am, state of Origin, rugby tests, the list is huge. I would say they could support a second NRL team with their sports fanaticism.

[@fergusporteous-gregory2557]

Im a kiwi, ive always been a rugby union/league fan. But my ozzie mate has gotten me into AFl and i'm really enjoying it

[@robertqld]

I have always said Wagga Wagga is on the border of the line, where one code starts and the other end, as it seems to be pretty evenly devided between both sports and produced big names in both codes The 1996 AFL Grand Final also had the honour of both side's Skippers being from Wagga

[@BrendanColley]

I agree. I grew up in Nyngan NSW and AFL did not exist until you got to Dubbo (160kms away). My sister lived in Wagga and it was the first time I heard people speak about AFL.

[@mikelward]

2:14 That sign appears to be in Victoria, so is a bit far South of the Barassi line shown on the map. Edit: apparently it's between Corowa and Wahgunyah on the NSW-Vic border.

[@bman3074]

Live in Queensland and AFL is 1,0000% a better sport and is growing really fast in Queensland

[@djt6012]

I'm northof the Barassi line, and follow AFL but also Union, which puts me on the outer with League fans on two fronts. For those south/west of the Barassi line, Rugby League and Rugby Union are two different sports, rarely do fans of one follow the other. I find lots of Victorians assuming that Sydney is a "Rugby" city, which it isn't. Sydney one has one professional rugby team: the Waratahs, which is on par with Melbourne, which also has one: the Rebels, and viewership from both cities is pretty even.

[@EarlJohn61]

An interesting point was made by a friend... On the AFL side of the Barrassi line, the emphasis is on bums on seats, getting people to attend the game, on the NRL side, my understanding is that it's more designed to provide a good TV experience. Also on the North side, a trip to the clubhouse for a meal is almost a mandatory weekly event but such culture doesn't exist in as great an influence when west of the line.

[@jontyrosenow9396]

The NRL having better TV numbers has always been... suspect for me, considering the AFL blows them out of the water with TV rights

[@bfure1]

​@@jontyrosenow9396 the AFL blows them out of the water on TV rights for 2 reasons, 1, Rupert Murdoch hates the NRL, and always hardballs the negotiations, and 2, NRL management is too far up channel 9s ass and always gives them sweetheart deals. Hell, this last TV deal the NRL CEO gave Foxtel a discount because "they needed to have programming or they would go bankrupt" which is so bad that it should be seen as collusion

[@mrconfusion87]

​@@jontyrosenow9396Yup! Prolly the only NRL event that can legitimately come close is State Of Origin!

[@savageduck4487]

@@mrconfusion87 Well yeah, the 2 Showdowns can fill Adelaide Oval.

[@avo616]

I’m from W.A and this the most footy and rugby I’ve watched

[@drumdust]

I'm originally from Melbourne where I followed VFL (The Bombers), we moved to Brisbane when I was 7. None of my new mates new what Aussie Rules was so by default I got into League. Been a Broncos fan since 1988 and I can't imagine still following Aussie Rules. Great video!

[@XTrapolis942M]

I’m an Edensor Park (Fairfield NSW) Victorian-at-heart boy who’s a thick-skinned Collingwood barracker, and in my house it’s full-on footy [Aussie Rules]. Yeah, I seriously can’t be stuffed dealing with the NRL (and neither can a whole lot of Fairfield, who are mainly soccer followers [because of the mass European immigration here], and some Fairfielders I know of are indeed footy followers [granted, some of them barrack for GWS, but still…]. In fact, during the NRL finals, I don’t recall ever seeing any more than 2 Penrith and Parramatta jerseys each around here.)

[@jimmyrobinson5699]

its a one way rivalry. a lot of AFL fans like myself also don't mind NRL, and support the local team (as seen with the Storm having such a big following) and happily enjoy the State or Origin. There is no cultural disliking of NRL. NRL fans seem to be a lot more insecure about their sport and will go out of their way to call it GayFL, pussy sport, Aerial pingpong, etc all over Western Sydney, Newcastle and country QLD. AFL fans don't really care about a rivalry, NRL fans are the one's that hype it up as a rivalry.

[@BKRsport]

This just isn't true. As a supporter of both, and a content creator that has covered both in the past but has gone more down the NRL path, it is very much both sided. Love my Cats, love my Titans, but to attempt this dribble is ridiculous.

[@bigtomivan]

It's not about insecurity at all and we don't hype up the "rivalry". The truth is most NRL fans don't care about AFL at all, the topic never comes up. NRL is just simply the better game by any metric. You probably didn't grow up with it, which is why you're an AFL fan, but you can still appreciate League because it's just so entertaining to watch. However, as someone who didn't grow up with AFL, and because it's inherently a more boring game, it doesn't cross over for League fans as much. All the best things about your game, the great kicks and marks etc, NRL has as well, plus a whole lot more. To us, it's like watching just the 5th tackle plays over and over again, it's literally 1/6th our sport. I've tried to get into it, I really have, I just don't see the appeal at all. Granted however, NRL referees must be the worst in the world, so you probably at least have that over us.

[@ajsaces5211]

Yep totally agree. Their insecurity only second to soccer fans. They get so upset as soon as they hear something positive about AFL. Watch some of the Yanks reacting to a What is the AFL video and read all the jealous/insecure comments

[@bigtomivan]

@ajsaces telling someone "Hey, if you think this is good, wait til you see THIS" is not insecurity, it's excitement to promote something you love. Again, with all the best things about AFL, NRL has as well, plus a whole lot more. Watch whatever you want, but stop pretending like this is an actual debate, we both know if we took a random person who grew up in neither sport and exposed them to both, they're more likely to prefer NRL.

[@ajsaces5211]

@@bigtomivan "plus a whole lot more"? Debatable there is anything more actually but I digress. Eg: Insecurity/Jealousy is going to a "What is AFL" reaction by an american learning about the game for the first time and NRL or Soccer fans trolling AFL fans is my point. It's actually funny for most AFL fans seeing you guys emabarass yourselves

[@edwinwan02]

I'm from Melbourne, but I have lived in Canberra for work. And many people who come to live in Canberra for work come from states where AFL is more dominant sport. AFL gets big crowds whenever a game is played in Canberra. However, if there is ever a Canberra AFL team in the future, I think it is because the crowd will want to go see the Magpies or the Bombers or Crows or Eagles play, not for the Canberra team.

[@JimmyScalan]

Canberra Koalas

[@lachlanjetta3464]

I’m from Canberra but moved to brisbane a year ago. I adore AFL, it’s my #1 sport and I love it. I don’t hate NRL, but in my opinion it’s far too simple. I get so bored watching it even though the games end up shorter than AFL.

[@chrisbarraza7700]

Grew up in Westerdn Sydney. NRL was life until I discovered AFL. AFL is a better sport fullstop.

[@braxtonholloway772]

AFL is a bunch of ladies fumbling for the ball

[@Andrew-df1dr]

Why do you think AFL is better?

[@DefDre]

Speaking from Sydney. Just like some people in NT, we also did the AFL in the summer and NRL in the winter in primary school with the same people playing both sports. We do recognise both although we only gave the Swans some love when it looked like they would win the last premiership. Growing up only with free to air, I only saw Union as the "holy shit big banging Bledisloe Cup" time.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

Union football

[@gabegraetz4559]

Im from the ACT. I think you hit the nail on the head here. AFL and NRL are both pretty popular but because of the raiders NRL is bigger. We barely have a stadium for AFL games. But I’m a place like Griffith it’s pretty even between all sports- but then Albury-wadonga is completely AFL

[@EarlJohn61]

South Aussie here. I'm a member of an AFL club, but I *don't* "hate" the NRL. I've just never taken the time to learn about it.

[@hedonismunderstands2469]

when you find the time, you'll learn to hate it too... ;)

[@realeststeps5271]

There's a State of Origin in Adelaide this year. You should go, you'll love it!

[@ChrisAnderson42]

Having been born and raised in Country Victoria, Aussie Rules was my game. I'd seen a bit of Rugby League, but knew nothing about the game, till a friend took me to the first ever State of Origin at the MCG (her dad had a superbox and I got to spend the evening drinking crownies with Bobby Skilton and Reg Gasnier, two legends of their codes. It was a magic night with a huge brawl and an amazing finish to the game) That year I moved to Queensland and for some reason never really got into the NRL. Actually the Broncos annoyed me with their media saturation. And I actually found myself going for The Blues in State of Origin, just because if Queensland lost ya didn't hear much about it haha. I've been able to follow Aussie Rules up here thanks to the Internet mainly and also it's got more popular up here, especially since the Lions Threepeat of Grand Final Wins. (Sadly 2 of those 3 winning grand finals were against my team.) I don't mind the NRL, I just don't really watch it as there's other things I'd prefer to do. Wheras I'll make plans to watch AFL. I think it's just what you were raised on. When I meet fellow AFL fans in Qld, which I do more and more every year, it doesn't matter who they barrack for, if they're passionate like me, I love chatting with them. I always say, "I don't care which team you support, as long as you like the same code as me, I could chat with you all day."

[@jirskyrjenkins1959]

I live in Sydney. I tried to start watching AFL in the 90s as a teenager but just couldn't take to it. As a born-bred rugby league supporter, I found the codes simply too different to enjoy AFL, and the things I love most about league don't really exist in AFL. Now as a tired parent I haven't time for 2 codes and they are played at the same time. So I watch English Premier League in Summer as my second code.

[@planetx1595]

I guess it depends on upbringing and where in Australia you were born, as a person who lives in VIC I grew up with the AFL, who knows, if I was born in NSW perhaps the NRL would have been my choice, different strokes for different folks I'd say, but I know plenty of people in VIC that only like the NRL (obvious Storm supporters), but good on you for trying to like the AFL

[@DabDabGoose]

@@planetx1595 it's pretty much how it works, alot easier to follow a game when you can talk about it with others and are around it more.

[@albertbatfinder5240]

I’ve always questioned the folklore that Aussie Rules was “invented to keep cricketers fit in winter”. When have cricketers ever fretted about being fit? Given when Aussie Rules was invented, and given that until the 1980s plenty of cricketers at the highest level would have a ciggy while waiting to bat, I doubt fitness was ever an issue. It was possibly more about keeping the pavilion clubhouse open during winter, so they could get away from the missus and have a beer.

[@mrconfusion87]

That theory sounds very Aussie to me! 😂😂😂

[@PoppinC-l3w]

You're probably right. The primary motivation was likely social gathering and the secondary one physical fitness.

[@yoosh9034]

I find that NRL fans often outwardly hate AFL, and AFL fans usually just don’t care about NRL very much.

[@geelongstrong5024]

That's a good way to put it. AFL is growing, NRL is dying and Rugby League fans are just being stubborn at this point.

[@Mitchconner2001]

@@geelongstrong5024 that’s why Peter vlandys think he beat the afl with nrl expansion 🤦‍♂️

[@tayloryermolaev7969]

I've had the exact opposite experience, AFL fans constantly rage on the NRL to the point of coming to the NRL reddit page and posting about the AFL. Don't see League or Union fans doing that.

[@jake567100]

@@geelongstrong5024 nrl is the most watched code in the country by a long shot so far this year. Grew by something like 20% in viewership over the first few rounds. I think your comment kind of proves the OP wrong

[@chadchadderton]

@@tayloryermolaev7969 just depends on your view on things... you don't see league or union fans doing it because not only are you one of them... but rugby is conditioned into you. I see plenty of union fans and HEAPS of league fans going out of their way to hate on AFL... I also see AFL fans doing the same, typically to league more than union.

[@adrianbarichievich7756]

First and foremost, the Barassi line is totally incorrect. In the USA is the only nation that that does not have a loyalty line. American Football is the only Football code referred as Football and is one of the 4 national sports in the US. The Definition of a home grown Football code is where it is the main code referred to as Football whilst World Football might be the World game it is not popular, Home grown or referred to as football. In England whilst Association Football might be the oldest Sport in England it is not the major code or national sport it is the code in the south of England. In northern England it is Rugby which referred to as Football that is why Association Football is also called Soccer. In two Neigbrouing separate Counties in England Leeds and Yorkshire, they are separate because in English Domestic County Cricket sides Yorkshire and Leeds. Also the definition of a Football Club in Yorkshire and Leeds is Rugby, Leeds is Rugby League and Yorkshire Union. The Definition of Leeds FC and SC is Leeds FC which Leeds Rhinos Rugby League affiliated with the Leeds Rhinos CC and Leeds Soccer is Leeds United affiliated with Leeds United CC the only club up there. The difference Between Barnsley Football Club and Soccer club is that Barnsley FC is Rugby Union and Barnsley SC is Soccer although Sir Michael Parkinson said the opposite. All Football Leagues and Football Clubs up there is Rugby referred to as Football and there are also some parts of Europe eg Genoa, Italy. In Republic of Ireland, it is Gaelic Football which is referred to as Football, Ireland is the only country in Europe that does not have World Football as their homegrown Code or referred to as Football. The same also follows with Rugby contrary to most people Rugby is not popular in Ireland, nor is it a homegrown code referred to as Football. In Northern Ireland it World Football called Football the difference between Gaelic Football and Football in Rep of Ireland Football is Gaelic referred as Football and Soccer is World Football as Association Football, Rugby Football and Cricket were banned from the elite level. In Northern Ireland they play some Gaelic but is referred to as Gaelic not Football. In South Africa which is a northern English settlement is Rugby referred to as Football. The South Africa national Football team is the South Africa Springboks as the South African Rugby team should be the Football Team not Rugby. It is the two national sports along with Cricket and there was a time when the Cricket team was called the Springboks. Finally in Australia there are two Major Codes Australian Rules Football and Rugby Football they are the two homegrown codes referred to as Football in respective Geographical areas. Under no circumstances is Soccer a third code nor is it Referred to as Football nor should it be called Football which I will go on to explain later. Rugby Football is the oldest Football code homegrown in Australia called Football in New South Wales and Queensland because of the northern English inheritance in New South Wales and Queensland. Australia is a Rugby League territory although Rugby Union is also called Football and this nonsense that Rugby Union is played posh schools is Crap because its still Called Football. NZ is Union referred to as Football and League as well but it is Secondary and one 2 National Sports in England. Australian Rules was Founded because one of the reasons being was to keep Cricketers Fit and when it became Clear the World Football would not became a code in the Southern States and although Rugby and Cricket are adopted Australians sports and Rugby is an Australian adopted code. It was felt to create a Indigenous true authentic code. Football was founded as Australian Rules Football Fuck you Fucken Kane Fucken Cornes not as Victorian Rules in 1858. In 1860 the game was introduced in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania and under no circumstances is it Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Also the Barrasi line is wrong he described in book Aussie Rules is Victoria , South Australia , Western Australia and Tasmania. New South Wales and Queensland is Rugby. The line is the boarder between Victoria and New South Wales the is no such Thing as Victoria ,South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Southern NSW which Football is Rugby referred to as Football although is a revised View it is Slightly recognised with the possible exception of Cowra and Albury and the same in Broken hill Rugby is Football. In NSW all footy competition and clubs are Rugby a Football Club in Sydney is Rugby League or Union and an AFC club is Aussie Rules. All Football comps are Rugby called Football minus the NRL formally the NSWFRL. Before the 1950s no Aussie Rules was played in NSW all those clubs are rugby as it was the oldest code in 1843. 1908 was when the NSWFRL was formed. In 1882 there was an attempt to Introduce Aussie rules in NSW but because of the Culture which was northern English, Because Victoria and NSW are big rivalries minus Aussie Rules and because definition of NSW Football is rugby and vice versa. Then the British Government decided the Victoria , South Australia , Western Australia and Tasmania is Aussie Rules. Also one of the 3 reasons why we need 10 Victorian clubs is because the Clubs in Victoria are evenly spread and that is why the 3 clubs in trouble Footscray, St Kilda and North Melbourne survived. In Sydney it a hilly area and not flat and the clubs are all close eg the Western Suburbs why they were able to survive was because of most NRL clubs have their home ground although unlike Optus Oval and Skilled Stadium they harder to redevelop and that is the only reason why Sydney Swans get bigger crowds. The one of 10 reasons why GWS don’t exist and the only reason why GWS Soccer will survive is because even though Soccer is not popular nor is it called Football therefore Sydney SC should not be FC the real Sydney FC is the roosters in the NRL is because even though the Western Surburbs is big on Rugby is because in Sydney all the migrants live the West and unlike Aussie Rules it is not multicultural so therefore in NSW yes you can call Soccer a Wog ball not Melbourne and in a revised yes I do believe we need a team in NSW one team only as it doesn’t make sense for 2 teams and Sydney Swans are a state team. In Queensland under no circumstances was Auusie Rules played before the 1950s all Football Clubs in the 1900s was Rugby. Then Tom Wills tried to take the game into Queensland but the same things happened. The only reason why Brisbane Lions gets bigger Crowds is because the Brisbane Broncos don’t have their own ground. Also Brisbane are a state team therefore in SA ,WA it hard to have second team and it doesn’t make sense to have a second side in New South Wales and Queensland. Canberra is Rugby League which is football under no circumstances is Aussie Rules Popular and there is no such thing as being closer to Victoria. Still to this day people care about Rugby League not AFL. Apart from JEZZA the only homegrown as James Hird Dad is Victorian. Canberra was formally part of NSW and in any Sport doesn’t matter if it is NSW/ACT or NSW Canberra can be selected. There 10 reasons why Canberra and why GWS will never have a team is because Munka is only for teams like Kangaroos, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs playing Fremantle or Port Adelaide on Sunday at 1:10. Also even though he is an advocate for the game up north he said they have already grown the game and there no need any more and it doesn't make sense for 2 teams. Also Football is a unique Australian game and leave it that way. Both Ron and I are in the belief that AFL commission must go because part the reason Jackson, Demetriou and Macca have an obsession with NSW and Queensland they don’t need and it will never be the main code as Barrassi said. As a Victorian I don’t hate Rugby I hate Rugby and overseas Soccer fans insulting our game. Not only Footy is a code in Victoria its part of the culture and part is the social side it is a multicultural game and that is one the many reasons why Soccer will never take over. It is very important to our game.

[@shawnbenson7696]

Grew up in Swan Hill, no rugby over the border till Hay, so Moulamein, Balranald, etc were all AFL.

[@realeststeps5271]

Up the Hay Magpies!

[@Rekker1]

NRL fan from Sydney, but I also love AFL they're both amazing sports.

[@mrconfusion87]

Speaking of loving both, Steve Irwin I heard supported BOTH codes! 😊

[@SportsFan838]

​@@mrconfusion87 Wait he did?

[@realEpenguin]

Also interesting the league union divide. Most places where AFL is the predominant sport, league is more popular than union (and in NSW) but in WA, league is pretty much only played by people from NSW or QLD or NZ, union is way more popular here.

[@LomuHabana]

League as whole is much more popular in Australia. Regarding WA, I don’t if this is true but I heard that Union is relatively popular due to immigrants from countries like South Africa and NZ.

[@PoppinC-l3w]

@LomuHabana WA doesn't have an NRL team. That's the primary reason at this point. If the NRL starts an expansion team there then it immediately becomes on par with and eventually bigger than RU there.

[@gary1201]

I'm from Melbourne and definitely an AFL fan. I've never even watched one NRL game. I wouldn't say I hate NRL, but hearing the hate from NRL people towards AFL people puts me off trying to get into it. As well as anything Sydney-centric turns me off.

[@jesuispretentieux]

As a South Australian, the only time I ever heard about rugby was the state of origin results on the news. Otherwise, it's basically non-existent here.

[@paulfri1569]

Must be why not many Qlder or NSW people migrate to SA.. sucks you been so close to Victoria. The AFL game got force fed down your throat..

[@realeststeps5271]

NRLSA local comps are recording record growth this past few years so you may have an NRL side soon

[@Mitchconner2001]

@@realeststeps5271 hope not

[@TheBillABCTV]

I am from Sydney, Australia I like many sports including Aussie Rules as well as Rugby League.

[@DabDabGoose]

I grew up in QLD and NSW and have always been an NRL fan with the Broncos, but I have always found it weird how there has been such a split between the sports given they are soo different. It's hard though for someone in my position to watch AFL, I know exactly no one who watches AFL and all my friends and family watch NRL heavily, even if I did watch it I would be alone in that endeavour and there is no fun in that. The only time I really remember watching AFL is back in the early 2000s when the Lions were good and I watched their GF games, the last one against Port Adelaide and that was 2004 I think. I got to say though when I visited Melbourne and I saw lots of AFL billboards and such it does feel like your in a different country even if everyone talks like an Aussie it can be a weird experience, I can assume the opposite applies.

[@fmkwvejf]

The opposite definitely applies! I remember as a kid being on holiday in NSW and seeing a TV ad for "The Footy Show". My tiny little mind was blown seeing that it was the NRL Footy Show, not the AFL Footy Show that I knew. I was like, that's not footy! That's rugby! Truly felt like being in another country hahaha.

[@anthonyf3680]

@@fmkwvejf Growing up in Victoria I use to think afl was popular in every state until I went to Sydney as a kid for the first time since I was a baby. It was a massive culture shock to know afl isn’t big there and that they call rugby league footy and what we call footy they call afl which was really weird