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The Australian Football League (AFL) has its historical roots in the southern states - Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania - with the national competition growing out of a competition largely based in Melbourne. Like American Football, Australian Rules Football has only really been played in Australia. Many compare it to Gaelic Football played in Ireland - so much so that international matches are played between Ireland and Australia with a hybrid set of rules that combines bits and pieces of both codes. AFL matches consistently draw the biggest attendances in Australia - with the biggest crowds attending local derby matches between Melbourne teams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Besides the AFL, there are several well supported state and city based leagues that remain highly popular. These include the VFL (the second tier competition that is the feeder competition for the AFL), the SAFL based in Adelaide and the WAFL based in Perth. Many of these Leagues had some of the best performing teams in Australia until the game expanded beyond Victoria into other states. The
AFL season
starts in mid March and the finals start in early September, with
the Grand Final in the last week of September. The
regular season is 22 games long. |
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