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Articles on AFL

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The A-League is struggling to attract TV viewers and fans at matches. Would a move to the winter make any difference? Gary Day/AAP

Moving the A-League to the winter would improve the play, but will it attract the fans?

Many believe a move to the winter would be beneficial for football, particularly as our summers grow hotter. But competing directly with AFL and NRL could pose a serious risk to the sport’s future.
Snow fell during the AFL match between the GWS Giants and the Hawthorn Hawks at the UNSW Canberra Oval. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Snow at the footy? Just how unusual was last weekend’s weather?

Cold fronts swept south-eastern Australia, bringing snow and freezing temperatures. While snow is expected to decrease with climate change, cold snaps are likely to keep coming.
The AFL quickly aborted the deployment of Behavioural Awareness Officers to monitor unruly fans. But who should be making sure spectators don’t get out of control? Rob Blakers/AAP

Loud, obnoxious and at times racist: the sordid history of AFL barracking

Barracking has been a colourful and controversial part of Australian Rules football since the game’s inception. Now, the AFL is trying to maintain order – and fans are irate.
Junior sports clubs in Australia have policies in place for handling racial taunting and vilification, but punishments are rarely enforced. David Crosling/AAP

Racial abuse is rife in junior sports – and little is being done to address it

New research has found that racial vilification is a common occurrence in junior sport in Australia – and is rarely punished when it happens.
The Lake Tyers football team in the late 1930s. The club was incredibly successful, winning the East Gippsland League in 1934, 1938 and 1939. Colin and Paul Tatz, Black Pearls: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Hall of Fame

The long and complicated history of Aboriginal involvement in football

With the AFL’s indigenous round about to take place, it’s important to recognise the full history of Indigenous involvement in the sport, including the many obstacles players faced.
While watching this weekend’s AFL Grand Final between West Coast and Collingwood, listen out for ‘action’ and ‘digression’ in the commentary. RICHARD WAINWRIGHT

Why AFL commentary works the same way as Iron Age epic poetry

Like epic poets, AFL commentators improvise in short phrases, not sentences, because it creates vivid images of fast action.
Spirits were high when the Socceroos qualified for the 2018 World Cup, but the team’s chances in Russia are slim. David Moir/AAP

Why soccer is falling behind footy and rugby in Australia

Interest in the sport is starting to wane as the Socceroos have struggled internationally and the A-League has failed to evolve.

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