The Rise in Popularity of American Football in Australia
Being a sport closely resembling rugby and Australian Rules Football (footy), it is not that surprising to see more Aussies getting interested in American football these days. However, true fans know that the love for American football in Australia goes back by decades. That is where we will start because it was back in 1996 that the Gridiron Australia came to be.
Gridiron Australia
Australians prefer to call the sport gridiron, rather than American football, which makes more practical sense outside the US. Established way back in 1996, Gridiron Australia (GA) is the nationally and internationally recognised governing body for regulating all things related to American Football in Australia. A prominent member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the organisation formed the first Australian National Gridiron Team to compete at the IFAF World Cup from 1996 onwards. Later, they were also the ones to establish the Australian Gridiron League (AGL) in 2012, which has gained even more popularity in recent times.
The Australian National Gridiron Team: IFAF World Championship History
Formed in 1996 by Gridiron Australia, the team participated in what was the first IFAF World Championship in 1999. Six nations participated in the competition held in Italy, including Australia, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Sweden. USA refrained from participating for obvious reasons, especially since it was supposed to promote American football across the globe. Australia did manage to win a game against Finland, securing the 5th position, just ahead of Finland.
Unfortunately, the Australian National Team suffered the second worst loss of the tournament against the soon to be champions Japan (0 - 54). This had a negative impact on the team’s morale and Australia did not again participate in the following IFAF World Cups (2003 & 2007) until 2011.
The IFAF 2011 World Championship turned out to be an even worse year for the Aussie national team, as they ended up last (8th) in Austria, losing all their matches to USA, Mexico, and Germany. This time around, Australia did not give up and they managed to qualify for the IFAF 2015 World Cup Finals. They managed to win their 5th place game against South Korea (42 - 14) in the 7-nation championship, finishing ahead of South Korea and Brazil.
After the 2019 IFAF World Championship had to be cancelled due to global health safety issues (Covid-19), Australia is preparing to host and participate in the next event. The 2023 IFAF World Championship is scheduled to be held in Wollongong, Australia. It’s a big reason why gridiron is gaining renewed popularity in the country.
The Australian Gridiron League (AGL)
Launched back in 2012, the Australian Gridiron League is the biggest gridiron tournament in Australia. There are six teams in total that represent six Australian states:
- New South Wales - New South Wales Wolfpack
- Queensland - Queensland Sundevils (2-time Champions)
- Victoria - Victoria Eagles
- The Australian Capital Territory - ACT Monarchs
- South Australia - South Australian Swarm
- Western Australia - Western Australian Raiders (2-time Champions)
Viewership and Interest in the NFL
Outside of the United States, Australian bookmakers report some of the biggest surges in American football betting during NFL season. The bookmakers themselves keep livestream feeds going for their members to watch NFL games in real time and bet on them. Although the sport is certainly developing in Australia quite nicely, Aussies love the NFL much more than the still developing AGL. This is where the best players of the game are, so it’s only natural that millions of Australians tune in to watch major games in the NFL every year, and Super Bowl is an exciting prospect in the Land Down Under as well!
The 2021 – 22 NFL season has had more twists for fans than they can handle, which is what makes this season all the more interesting. Will the Arizona Cardinals win their first league at the Super Bowl this season? They have already outperformed all their previous outings by a country mile, and they might just be able to do it. Either way, the last few weeks of the NFL are going to be interesting, whether you are a Cardinal fan or not.
