AFL/VFL Creation
How the Nations Game Became
The Creator
• One of the creators of AFL or VFL as it’s
was know, was Tom Wills who was
actually a good cricketer but wrote a letter
to Bell’s Life a magazine in Victoria to say
that cricketers during the winter should
keep fit, he actually wrote about starting
football clubs so they could join these and
play and keep fit.
Where Did It Start
• On the 17th of May, 1859, at the Parade Hotel in East
Melbourne a set of rules was decide by William
Hammersley, James Thompson, Tom Wills and Tom
Smith. William Hammersley had a lot of college
experience in England which help create the new game
and James Thompson was able to promote through the
Newsprint as he was a reporter, this help the game grow.
The game actually started by getting people to come
down and play with a rugby ball which people provide
from them. Most of these games were played on
Richmond Paddock (Yarra Park) their not much that
survived from these matches but we know that Wills
played and umpired in the games.
This is picture by Cartoonist Mark Knight showing the first rules of Football Being Decided
Melbourne Grammar V Scotch
College
• This was a famous match as it was a start in the growth
of the game. The full rules used are unknown but we
know that there were 40 men a side and the two post
were situated half a mile away from each other 4 four
times the MCG. Wills umpired this game with McAdam.
Those days the game would finish the game when a
team scored two goals. This game went on for another
two days were it was called a draw after both teams
scored only one goal each. This is believed to be one of
the first games of Australian rules football but it only a
game in the process of development.
This is a drawing of a game played on Richmond Paddock
The Growth of the Game
• By 1896 the VFL was created, in 1897 was
when the first games were played by foundation
clubs- Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy,
Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South
Melbourne. In 1990 VFL Became Australian
Football League (AFL) despite the national
name they still lack a team from South Australia,
Australia second largest football state. But on
March the 1st, 1991 the Adelaide crows joined
the league which caused a bye to be emplaced
and a final six was to play it out in the finals.
Importance in Australia History
• The creation of the Australian Rules
Football shaped our Nation by giving
Australia a past time that has been come
from being a form of fitness to a
competitive sport that is played nation
wide for 150 years. This Sport also shows
the courage, determation and belief in the
players and supporters that anything can
happen in this game all nothing is over till
the final serin sounds.
How to Teach it
• First the teacher would start by sitting the students in
table groups and tell them to do a think pair share
activity on what they already know about AFL/VFL
creation. After they have finished ask one student to
share what the table was able to come up with. Then the
teacher ask students to give a number to everyone on
the table in preparation for a Jigsaw activity. The reading
sheet will be on these topics: Tom Wills, The first official
game, VFL creation and AFL creation. After 30 minutes
students return to table group and share what they learnt
from the sheet. After all table groups have shared the
students speared around the room for a reflection on the
task. The teacher start by throwing a ball or footy around
to any student who can say how they work today or what
they learnt today.