What Is Australia’s National Sport?

It is a unique and fast-paced game that originated in the country during the 19th century. The sport is characterized by its oval-shaped ball and the absence of offside rules, allowing players to move freely across the field. The Australian Football League (AFL) is the premier professional competition for this sport in the country, attracting large crowds and passionate fans. Additionally, netball is a sport that was developed in Australia in the early 20th century. It is a variation of basketball played predominantly by women and has gained a significant following both domestically and internationally.

Latest Sports Added

The Library has a large collection of material relating to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, including books, journals, newspapers, photographs, oral history, music, maps, ephemera and more. Learn how you can use the Library’s eResources to dig deeper into the cultural portrayal of our Aussie sporting heroes. This guide will help you find resources and information on the history and role of sport in Australian society, and its unique place in the Australian cultural landscape. Australia has changed a great deal since the days of David Boon drinking 52 beers on a flight, which helped power the great myth of Australia as the land of the larrikin. Cricket in 2024 is equitable, inclusive, progressive and diverse, reflecting modern Australia in a way no other sport does.

Sport 2030 brings together the knowledge and insight of many people from across the sporting sector and the general public who provided submissions, attended consultation sessions and contributed ideas. The Australian Football League was founded in 1896 and enjoys more and more spectators and players over the years. While athletics are definitely not part of the top sports in Australia, they still gather more than 34,000 athletes and coaches. There are obviously even more Australians that enjoy running as a pastime.

Benedicte Bemet – principal artist with The Australian Ballet

• Often clubs which have been around for a long time will publish material celebrating a centenary (for example) which may feature first grade players.
• Australians also love water sports and has been a super power when it comes to swimming since the late 50’s.
• Australian football has been around since the early 1800s, and it is thought to have originated from a similar game that was played in England at the time.
• However, it is worth noting that cricket and Australian Rules Football have been recognized as official national sports by various organizations and associations within the country.
• When the sports exemption was introduced in the 1950s, it was designed to assist small community clubs.

While cricket, AFL, and rugby are the most prominent sports in Australia, the country has a strong sporting tradition that extends to other sports as well. Australian Rules Football, commonly known as AFL, is another sport that is deeply woven into the fabric of Australian society. Unlike cricket, which has British origins, AFL is uniquely Australian, with its roots tracing back to the 1850s in Victoria. The sport was initially created to keep cricketers fit during the winter off-season, but it quickly grew into a standalone sport with a massive following. Cricket has had a visit website limited presence in the Olympic Games, with its only official inclusion dating back to the 1900 Paris Summer Olympics. The competition featured a two-day match between Great Britain and France, with neither team composed of professional cricketers.

Australia has both men’s and women’s national cricket teams with nicknames as “Baggy Greens” and “Southern Stars” respectively. Both test cricket and one-day international cricket are widely popular – and Australia has a long successful history in both. BBL in its sixth season in 2016–17, drew an average crowd in excess of 30,000 for the first time in history, with overall count crossing 1 million for 35 matches. The most popular sport in Australia is, by far and away, Australian Rules Football. Australian Rules football is a sport that is overall quite similar to American football. It is played with teams of 18 players, on an oval field that resembles a cricket field.

The top sports in Australia

These sports were quickly adopted by the Australian population and became deeply ingrained in the country’s sporting culture. Rugby League is the more popular of the two codes in Australia, with the National Rugby League (NRL) being the premier competition. The NRL is especially popular in Sydney and Brisbane, where clubs like the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos have large fan bases. The State of Origin series, an annual three-match series between teams from New South Wales and Queensland, is one of the most fiercely contested and widely watched sporting events in Australia.