Australian rules football in England
Australian rules football in England is a team sport and spectator sport with a long history. It is home to the longest running Australian rules fixture outside Australia, the match between Oxford and Cambridge Universities which has been contested annually since 1923. All other current competitions originated in 1989 with the founding of what is now AFL London, the longest running Australian rules football league in Europe. The current governing body, AFL England, was formed in 2012 and expanded the game in 2018 to include the additional regional divisions: AFL Central & Northern England and AFL Southern England.
Englands two oldest clubs Cambridge and Oxford Universities contest centre bounce in 2008
Daguerreotype of Tom Wills, founder of Australian Football, from his years at the Rugby School
Tom Wills, founder of Australian Football, was singled out in the national press for his prowess on the football field at the Rugby School in the 1850s.
William Hammersley (standing, third from left), J. B. Thompson (seated, second from left), Jerry Bryant (standing, second from right) and Tom Wills (seated, far left), each having strong connections to England, met in 1859 to establish what is now known as Australian football.
Great Britain men's national Australian rules football team
The Great Britain men's national Australian rules football team is known as the Great Britain Bulldogs. The team is made up of the best British born players selected from clubs of in England, Wales and Scotland, and occasional appearances from British players playing for clubs in Australia. In AFL Europe, separate national teams represent England, Wales and Scotland.
The British Isles Australian rules team in 1888 at Scotch Oval, close to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, on both of which the team played Australian Rules Football against local clubs
British Bulldog manages to get a kick away despite being tackled by a Nauruan opponent during the 2008 Australian Football International Cup