Sport
Australia has a pluralistic sports culture. There’s no national sport and some sports are enjoyed more than others depending on who you speak to.
Australians will enjoy Tennis, Cricket, Swimming, Water Polo, Surfing, Hockey, Rugby, Netball, Basketball, and Australian Rules Football (this is a non-exhaustive list).
Football
You will hear people in Australia refer to “footy” regularly and this may refer to different football codes depending on where you are and who you speak to. Most sport fans within Australia will follow at least one code of football. Traditionally, the boundaries of these football codes were geographical. For example: Australian Rules Football would only be followed in Victoria and South Australia. Rugby would only be followed in New South Wales and Queensland. Fortunately, these boundaries are a lot more fluid.
Australian Rules Football
Australian “Aussie” Rules football is played only in Australia and is similar to Gaelic Football. This code of football attracts the most fans to stadiums. The two largest Australian competitions are:
Rugby Union
Rugby Union was traditionally followed in the northern and eastern Suburbs of Sydney, however it has expanded its reach in the last few decades. Australia doesn’t have an internal league, instead, 4 Australian teams participate in the Super XV along with teams from Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa
Rugby League
This is the “other” Rugby, it is an offshoot of Rugby Union that attempts to speed up play by changing rules around the ruck and scrum. Although this form of football doesn’t attract many attendees at stadiums, it is the most watched football code on television in Australia. The two largest Australian competitions are:
State of Origin
State of Origin is a yearly 3-game series played between the States of New South Wales and Queensland. These 3 games consistently rate as the highest watched games on television.
Association Football (Soccer)
Association Football “The World Game”, colloquially known as Soccer, increased in popularity during Post-World War II immigration to Australia. Australia currently belongs to the Asian Football Federation and has it’s own leagues, these are:
Participation
You can enrol yourself or your kids in local sports clubs. The most participated team sports, in order of popularity, in Australia are: