New Zealand
Australian rules football was introduced to New Zealand by Australian emigrants in the early 20th century and a New Zealand national team took part in one of the first State of Origin carnivals (1908). The game then died out in the country around the time of the First World War, later resurrected in the 1970s. The game is currently governed by the New Zealand Australian Football League, with regional leagues in Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch. The New Zealand national team, dubbed the Falcons, are one of the strongest outside Australia, finishing third in the first Australian Football International Cup in 2002 and winning the competition in 2005.
Read more about this topic: Australian Rules Football In Oceania
Famous quotes containing the word zealand:
“Teasing is universal. Anthropologists have found the same fundamental patterns of teasing among New Zealand aborigine children and inner-city kids on the playgrounds of Philadelphia.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)