Indigenous Australian sports



Football Leagues email	Indigenous Australian Sports The Australian Football League (AFL) defines Australian football as "Australia's only indigenous game." (1) In truth, Australia has many indigenous games including polocrosse, touch rugby, indoor cricket, and arguably rugby league. Like Australian football, the sports came about as a result of changing the rules of existing sports. Although they haven't changed to the same extent as Australian football, and have an international presence that prevents them from being seen as unique to Australia, they are all clearly different from the sports that inspired them, and these distinguishing characteristics were Australian initiatives. To say these sports are not Australian on the grounds they were corruptions of existing sports would be like saying English is not a unique language on the grounds it is merely a corruption of German and French. Surf life saving is the only sport that could legitimately been seen as an Australian invention rather than a corruption of a sport already in existence. Whether a sport is a corruption of something already in existence or a completely new invention seems to be an emotive topic in Australia. In some ways, it reflects a value judgment between whether it is better to be influenced by another culture when creating something new, or better to ignore other cultures when reinventing the wheel. Some people will take pride in their ability to show respect to other cultures, but make some adjustments that can improve it further. Other people will take pride that they can do it themselves without any help or input from anyone else. Australian Football The first game of Australian football in 1858 Australia may have been a game of rugby. Since the first game, the rules wee altered to create something new. Inspiration for the new rules may have come from soccer, marn-grook or the Irish sport of caid. More Rugby League Just as rugby league is a different sport from rugby union, rugby league today is a different sport from the game initially played in Australia in 1908. The introduction of the six tackle rule, four points for a try, the sin bin and the 10 meter rule have shaped the sport into something new. These rule changes were Australian initiatives. More Touch Football Touch football follows the basic template of rugby league except it disallows tackling and kicking. More Indoor cricket On one hand, it seems strange that indoor cricket would be invented in a country such as Australia which has plenty of room and sunshine. On the other hand, outdoor cricket is not always enjoyable in 40 degree weather and can be a bit slow for those accustomed to quicker paced sports. More Surf life saving From 1838 to 1902 it was illegal to swim at public beaches during the day due to concerns about public morality. Once the law was relaxed, surf life saving clubs were established in Sydney out of concern for a population that wanted to swim, but didn’t know how. More 1)AFL Explained - Past & Present http://www.afl.com.au/AFLHQ/History/AFL101/tabid/1029/Default.aspx [Top]	Invention of Australian sports Australian football Calisthenics Indoor cricket New Vogue Dancing Polocrosse Rugby league Surf life saving Touch football Cricket Cricket icons Bodyline World Series Cricket Yobbo cricket fans Aboriginal cricket team

Indigenous Australian Sports