Despite football fans rarely agreeing upon anything, there is one belief that we all hold – Australian Rules Football is the greatest sport on earth.
With its laws forged from the Anglo-Celtic ethos of a fair go and its expansiveness born from the indigenous game of Marngrook, our game is more than simply entertainment – it is a true expression of identity.
It is quintessentially Australian, so why wouldn't we want to share it?
Due to this common agreement of sporting superiority and in an effort to spread the good word, we have seen our code exported to various far-flung locations around the globe.
Although these excursions may have ultimately proven futile, it is worth remembering the endeavors all the same.
As none of us will be able to jet off internationally any time in the foreseeable future, here is a list you can live vicariously through, comprised of the eleven countries Aussie Rules has officially been played in.
9.
South Africa
Having taken over from Ross Oakley as AFL CEO at the end of the 1996 season, Wayne Jackson wasted minimal time in reprising his predecessor's plans for global exposure.
Whether due to a discount from naming rights sponsor Ansett or not, two of the 1998 pre-season competitions first round games were played outside Australia – the aforementioned match in Wellington and the clash between Brisbane and Fremantle in Cape Town.
The match, played in the picturesque shadows of Table Mountain at Cricket venue Newlands, was attended by 10,123 intrigued spectators, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu who had the pre-game honour of tossing the coin.
It's now 20 years since Archbishop Desmond Tutu tossed the coin in Capetown declaring birth of new game! 30k now play pic.twitter.com/km6xKBKJVE
— Kevin Sheehan OAM (@AFL_Shifter) August 18, 2017
Although neither team featured in the finals that season, the pair played out a high scoring contest, with the Lions running out appropriate winners 18. 17. 125 to 16. 7. 103.
Despite their defeat, the Dockers returned to the continent a decade later for a practice match against the well-travelled Blues.
Freo's fortunes took a ‘180' on this occasion, as they edged Carlton by 14 points at Gauteng's Centurion Park.
Although the game has not been played on the continent in a professional sense in over a decade, our code remains popular within certain amateur circles.
