History
The Carter Report titled “Investing in the Future of Australian Football (October 2001)”, identified segment gaps in Aussie Rules and its demographic reach. The research found that unlike codes such as rugby league with the successful touch football (rugby league), Aussie Rules did not have a recreational version of the game to cater for the growing recreational participation market. In the past, the nearest recreational form of the game was the casual pastime of kick-to-kick, rather than an organised team sport. AFL Recreational Football (Recreational Footy or Rec Footy) was developed by the Australian Football League to provide maximum involvement at all levels with a variation of the game that virtually anyone can play. It is often referred to as Auskick for adults and aims to increase participation in women.
The game was originally trialled in Western Australia by the WAFL in 2003. By 2004, the game has grown to 592 players (Western Australia: 34 teams & 344 players; Victoria: 16 teams & 248 players).
In 2005, the game grew quickly, especially in Queensland.
In 2006 several new teams began. The sport is now played in all Australian states, with a heavy involvement at universities. A small number of Women's Footy teams in the United States also began playing informal games of Recreational Football. Future representative games are planned.
Read more about this topic: Rec Footy
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