First Nations people in sport | National Library of Australia (NLA)

First Nations people in sport

Football codes

Australian Rules

Alleged to have evolved from Gaelic football under the influence of Victoria's large Irish population, the first loosely ruled Australian football match was played between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College at old Richmond Park in 1858. Like many sports, it sought to extend its scope beyond its original Victorian stronghold, with successful leagues established in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania from Federation. The onslaught northwards across the border into traditional rugby territory continued with the founding of successful teams in Sydney and Brisbane.

In recent decades, there has been some speculation around the origin of AFL. While many believe that the game evolved either from Gaelic football or earlier rugby-like games, there is a growing movement that believes AFL is descended from the Aboriginal sport known as Marn Grook.

An eye-witness account from Robert Brough Smyth, a geologist in 1878, describes a game being played by Aboriginal people east of Melbourne:

"The men and boys joyfully assemble when this game is to be played. One makes a ball of possum skin, somewhat elastic, but firm and strong ... The players of this game do not throw the ball as a white man might do, but drop it and at the same time kicks it with his foot, using the instep for that purpose ... The tallest men have the best chances in this game ... Some of them will leap as high as five feet from the ground to catch the ball. The person who secures the ball kicks it ... This continues for hours and the natives never seem to tire of the exercise."

Robert Brough Smyth

Learning activities

Activity 1: Who gets to play?

Support students in investigating how accessible different sports are within your local area or school community. Facilitate a class discussion or small group task where students select a range of sports and rank them according to ease of access.

Encourage students to consider a variety of factors, including:

Financial barriers:

  • Cost of team membership or club fees
  • Cost of equipment (Can it be borrowed? Supplied? Required?)
  • Uniform or training expenses
  • Travel costs and location of facilities

Non-financial barriers:

  • Time commitments (e.g. weekend games or after-school practice)
  • Risk of injury or time off school/work
  • Cultural perceptions or gender expectations
  • Language or community engagement barriers

Use this activity to prompt reflection on broader questions, such as:

  • What are the most common barriers to entry into sport?
  • Are all sports equally accessible in Australia?
  • How do these barriers affect pathways to professional sport for different social groups?

Activity 2: Mapping Australia through sport

Using a mapping tool like Google Maps, Scribble Maps or a large paper map, divide Australia into regions by most popular sport. Many places play more than one sport; students can either choose the most popular or indicate regions where sports overlap. As an extension, students could then consider demographic data (age, ethnicity, socio-economic status) and investigate if there is any correlation between this data and the spread of a particular sport.

Consider:

  • Do some regions play more than one sport?
  • Do sport preferences change at different times of the year?
  • Is sport preference impacted by geography?
  • What influences the spread of sports in a single country?
  • What sources can you use to find this information?
  • How do we display data on maps?
Page published: 30 Apr 2025

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