Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory has a history dating back to the formation of the territory in the 1910s.
Traditionally, Canberra was considered to be one of the points which define the Barassi Line, however the popularity of Australian rules football suffered substantially when teams from the national competitions were introduced in both rugby union and rugby league.
Despite Canberra not having a locally based team in the AFL, the AFL does schedule regular matches in the city. It remains a popular sport and as well as a strong local competition, national competition games are played there by neutral AFL sides. From 2012, Greater Western Sydney will act as a local side, playing four home games a year at Manuka Oval.
Read more about Australian Rules Football In The Australian Capital Territory: History, Great ACT Footballers, Governing Body, Principle Venues, Major Australian Rules Events in The ACT
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“Each Australian is a Ulysses.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)
“No rules exist, and examples are simply life-savers answering the appeals of rules making vain attempts to exist.”
—André Breton (1896–1966)
“People stress the violence. That’s the smallest part of it. Football is brutal only from a distance. In the middle of it there’s a calm, a tranquility. The players accept pain. There’s a sense of order even at the end of a running play with bodies stewn everywhere. When the systems interlock, there’s a satisfaction to the game that can’t be duplicated. There’s a harmony.”
—Don Delillo (b. 1926)
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When capital crimes, chewed, swallowed, and digested,
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)