Australia Explained: What's ‘footy’? All you need to know about Australian sport (Ep. 4)

One of the first things you'll notice after arriving in Australia is how passionate Aussies are about taking part in or watching sport. Regardless of the season or the state you reside in, a sport that suits your preferences is always easily accessible.

Arka bahçelerinde kriket oynayan çocuklar Source: Getty / Getty Images credit:Karan Kapoor

The media plays an important role in the Australian sports scene, with many sporting events broadcast on radio and television free of charge. Many TV shows, radio programs and magazines are devoted solely to sports.

As a country, Australia competes in many international events, including the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The country has also hosted the Summer Olympics once in Melbourne (1956) and once in Sydney (2000), in addition to the Commonwealth Games on five other occasions.

In this episode of Australia Explained we talk about a few of the most popular sports in the country, Australian Football, Rugby League, cricket and tennis, and explain some of the rules of each.

Australian Football

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 17: Fans queue to enter the MCG during the round one AFL match between Geelong Cats and Collingwood Magpies at Melbourne Cricket Ground, on March 17, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Credit: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Australian Rules Football, also known as AFL or ‘footy’, is the most popular national sport in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

For these states, the AFL is one of the main topics of conversation at nearly every social event and is often an ongoing, yet enthusiastic, competition between colleagues and friends.

One of the most important AFL events is the Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which celebrates and recognises Indigenous players and culture. It was named in honour of Sir Doug, the first Indigenous person to be knighted. He played 54 games for Fitzroy, before becoming Governor of South Australia.

Strangely enough, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the home of footy.

Cricket

The Aboriginal team who were the first team from Australia to tour England, pictured at the Albert Ground, Sydney: (back row, l-r) Tarpot, TW Wills, Johnny Mullagh (front row, l-r) King Cole, Jellico, Peter, Red Cap, Harry Rose, Bullocky, Cuzens, Dick-a-Dick (Photo by S&G/PA Images via Getty Images) Credit: PA Images Archive/PA Images via Getty Images

Australia has an international reputation in cricket and for many Australians is the sport defining every summer. More than one million Australians participate in cricket competitions or programs, according to 2017-18 National Cricket Census data.

More than two million people attend cricket matches each summer, with numbers increasing every year.

Current female participation in cricket is at 30 per cent, with six out of 10 newcomers to the sport being female.

Netball

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Eleanor Cardwell of the Thunderbirds competes for the ball during the round one Super Netball match between Queensland Firebirds and Adelaide Thunderbirds at Nissan Arena, on March 19, 2023, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images) Credit: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

The Netball World Cup 2023 will take place in Cape Town in South Africa, from the 28th of July to the 6th of August. Based on matches up to 1st March 2023, Australia takes the first place at the INF world rankings.

 You can listen to all episodes of Australia Explained in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Australia Explained was originally created by Maram Ismail for SBS Arabic24.

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