The Barassi Line Explained: A country split by sporting loyalty

AFL vs NRL the debate that splits Australia into two.
This video will explain what the Barassi line is and how Australia came to be divided into a half that prefers AFL and a half that prefers NRL. How did this happen and does this still exist?
#afl #nrl #footy #football #aussierules #rugbyleague #rugby #australia #states #sport #sports #barassi #line #barassiline #ronbarassi

[@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!

[@King2TheGames]

I agree, as a Territorian there is a lot everywhere and I love how its the wet and dry, but I don't really play rugby, I'm more a cricket guy. At the moment I can't get over how many cars that have been stolen and abandoned

[@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.

[@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.

[@jimmymadzcfc4836]

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.

[@timocarroll3954]

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

[@CharlieND]

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

[@user-we8ue9qy9l]

@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/

[@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

[@user-we8ue9qy9l]

@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/

[@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!

[@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.

[@user-we8ue9qy9l]

@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.

[@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

[@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!

[@joshymcsquashymusic4082]

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.

[@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.

[@kaynesworld4900]

I’m an nrl fan but I sometimes tune into afl games especially the lions Qlder at heart. I don’t see why we can’t support both codes makes sport in Australia a lot better.

[@willjones2788]

There are many people who support both codes. Generally more people in Sydney will watch both, than in Melbourne from my perspective. There is also rugby union which he doesn’t really talk about. Again that is mostly played in NSW and Qld, though it’s generally more Australia wide than rugby league.

[@PjRjHj]

Agreed, I still miss the Western Reds

[@gggumball]

thats what I'm trying to do. Always been an AFL fan but I do remember seeing NRL on the news and I even watched half a match while on a Queensland holiday around 2015.Now I'm trying the sport again and it's actually pretty good

[@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.

[@tigerden1908]

League fan, I disagree.i find myself watching more afl as the nrl has stuffed the rules.

[@Troublemaker2004]

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

[@jackbyrd783]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@MBCMurrayPlaysRL]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@CP0rings33]

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

[@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.

[@user-we8ue9qy9l]

@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.

[@plasticcraic8936]

Immigrant in Victoria, and I'm legit sorry for immigrants to NSW that they don't know the joy of AFL culture

[@Thechrisreece]

I can't watch AFL but I respect how fit they all are

[@Somchai007]

I can't watch anything related to NRL but I appreciate how tough their players are.

[@jibigcahoona5876]

@@Somchai007 Look at that were getting along. Who would have thought

[@StonedGossard_]

it's fantastic at the ground live, borderline unwatchable on TV imo

[@jibigcahoona5876]

@@StonedGossard_ Which sport are we talking about here jack? The few nrl games ive been too i spent more time lining up for a beer and even longer waiting to take a piss then i did watching the game. The worst thing was in tamworth where im from they only served XXXX enough said. but beyond that. Im an Nrl man myself but i dont think you have to sit there and bitch about other sports aye. Regardless of which sport you follow i can respect it. And thats how all of us need to be.

[@SilentHotdog28]

@@jibigcahoona5876 I watch both, I love both, I attend both. I grew up on AFL and lately got into the NRL as well. Both are fantastic and have their merits (and flaws) they offer something different each, they don't need to be mutually exclusive, I don't get why people hate on one if they watch the other lol.

[@gtaquizmaster]

Thank you so much for this content make, here take a subscribe, very well deserved

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@sefyaa]

afl fan in north qld, across the barassi line (up the tiges)

[@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.

[@user-we8ue9qy9l]

@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.

[@alexmiles7039]

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

[@kaynesworld4900]

I believe there the next team in line to join the comp the Perth pirates ☝️ got a ring to it.

[@growdaddy4281]

@@kaynesworld4900 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.

[@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.

[@V99899]

Good stuff mate. Earned a sub

[@jordanschaumkel7943]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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...

[@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

[@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.

[@reverend_wintondupree]

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

[@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

[@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

[@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?

[@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.

[@Angus-bn2ob]

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

[@EU_Red_Fox]

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.

[@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

[@Joshthepro67]

Great vid

[@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!

[@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

[@user-we8ue9qy9l]

@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/

[@BrissyFan321]

Live in Brisbane. AFL is my sport, can't stand NRL - however, my family has big Victorian heritage.

[@shielsy1]

You sound soft

[@TheBillABCTV]

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

[@carlbarron3087]

That second pub photo at the beginning was surely the New Syd in Hobart!

[@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?

[@imsyra]

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.

[@bestrafung2754]

I'm from England so this was interesting to watch because I didn't know any of it. You should a video on soccer in Australia and how that's going and what the future of it may be.

[@uncolouredsteve5839]

Nice vid mate

[@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

[@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.

[@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?

[@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)

[@callam4336]

I love how loyal we are to our games!! Both are awesome in their own different ways

[@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.

[@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.

[@user-fg2ow8cj7z]

Hawthorn too don't forget

[@LomuHabana]

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

[@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.

[@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]

🎉

[@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 .

[@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.

[@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.

[@user-fg2ow8cj7z]

WWWWWWWW

[@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.

[@bman3074]

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

[@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.

[@GaelicGuy]

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.

[@GaelicGuy]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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."

[@Animal_Mother]

I'm a league fan, so happy to see the Newtown Jets get a bit of footage in early. 💙✈️💙

[@jaylozza1197]

Grew up in Perth following West Coast but after spending some time in Sydney as a teen I was converted to NRL My son currently plays rugby league and they have a rugby league program at his high school. Can’t wait for a Perth team to get up and running again!

[@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

[@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! 😂😂😂

[@andrewmcloughlin8869]

2023 - 765,789 (Rd 1 392,248, Rd 2 373,541) Average attendance across the opening 18 matches is 42,543 fans a game and both rounds this season now sit among the best-eight attended rounds in AFL history. Go Blues!!!

[@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.

[@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! 😂😂😂

[@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.

[@alexmaccini6705]

I was always only AFL but our 2015 grand final was a fizzer. I watched the NRL grand final the following day out of frustration and it was a ripper! Been following both codes ever since 🏉

[@mitchellsmith300]

That was my second ever grand final, crazy game.

[@Skaffuh]

great video mate! I would highly recommend investing in a USB condenser mic, they're pretty cheap and would improve the quality of your content 10 fold. Keep up the good work!

[@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

[@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

[@brendancolley7353]

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.

[@SectorOne350]

me from brisbane who likes cricket, just thought this was interesting nice video

[@jontyrosenow9396]

I remember as a 10-11 year old first seeing Rugby League on TV during a visit deep into NSW, I thought I was watching American Football

[@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.)

[@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.

[@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

[@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