Australian rules football in New South Wales has been played since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the state and traditionally lags in popularity as a winter sport behind the rugby football codes. Despite having been played continuously in most areas of the state, Australian Football has been lesser known in Sydney until the last two decades and this area are generally considered to be behind the Barassi Line. However, it has been the dominant code in the Riverina region (the part of NSW closest to Victoria), and the dominant code in Broken Hill (located near the South Australian border) for over a century.
The code's recent growth in popularity in Sydney (where the majority of the state's population lives) has been partly tied to the success of the Sydney Swans which moved to Sydney in 1982. Since 1996, when it first made the Grand Final and its popularity peaked, the club has generated a greater amount of media hype and public interest as well as much greater participation for the sport. Due to successive finals appearances the interest has been sustained for two seasons and again peaked in 2005 and 2006 with two successive Grand Final appearances and the first premiership since the club's relocation. At the height of its popularity, Aussie Rules has generated a following among the Sydney working classes where rugby league is most popular, competes heavily with rugby union for support in the middle and upper classes, and faces decreasing competition with the participation and growth of football (soccer).
Australian regional rivalries have played a large role in the Swans success in a national sporting competition. Ironically, the cultural rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne did significantly hamper the sport's growth in New South Wales. In 2008 the AFL stated their intention to establish a second team in Sydney by 2012, to be an expansion team based in the western suburbs. An Australian Senate enquiry in to the Tasmanian AFL Bid concluded that Sydney had "insurmountable cultural barriers" to the establishment of a second AFL team. In spite of this, the second Sydney club was successfully established and commenced AFL competition in 2012. In Sydney, parts of northern New South Wales and to the majority of the state's population, the sport is referred to as "AFL", but in the Riverina region, it is often referred to as "Aussie rules", "Footy" or "Football".
Read more about Australian Rules Football In New South Wales: Governing Body, Participation, Major Australian Rules Events in New South Wales, Notable Players From New South Wales, Representative Side, Principal Venues
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