AFL Sydney is an Australian rules football competition based in metropolitan Sydney. Founded in 1903, the competition was originally known as the NSW Australian Football Association, before being renamed the Sydney Football League in 1980, then Sydney AFL in 1988 before eventually adopting its current name in 2009. The league comprises more than 100 teams representing 26 clubs which play across seven senior men's divisions, five women's divisions, a Master's Division and two under 19 men's competitions (as of 2023).The competition is technically Sydney's division of the NSWAFL
History
Australian Rules football has been played in Sydney since 1866 however organised competition did not commence until the formation of the first New South Wales Football Association which operated between 1880 and 1893 and included East Sydney (founded 1880) as well as Sydney's oldest Australian rules club Sydney University (founded 1887) .
New South Wales Football Association / New South Wales Football League: 1903-1950
After a decade in hiatus a new governing body was formed under the same name in 1903 as the New South Wales Football Association on 12 February 1903 at a meeting held in the YMCA Hall in George Street. The competition was known as the New South Wales Football League. John See, Premier of New South Wales was elected the NSWFL's first president, and along with Phillip Sheridan of the Sydney Cricket Ground trust who was elected president of the NSWFA, helped to secure access to enclosed grounds for club and interstate matches.
11 clubs contested the opening season in 1903 (including: East Sydney FC, Ashfield Electorate FC, North Shore FC, North Sydney FC, South Sydney FC, YMCA FC, Paddington FC, Redfern FC, West Sydney FC, Newtown FC, Sydney FC and Balmain FC), with East Sydney taking out the first premiership with a 6-point win over North Shore.
By the 1920s, popularity had reached a point where the league was charging spectators at the gate and players were being paid with attendance to each match was in the thousands. However at the same time rugby league was booming in popularity, dwarfing the popularity of the competition, particularly in representative matches between New South Wales and Queensland, but also at the local level.
In the mid-1920s, the competition was split into two divisions: League and Association. In 1926, each of the clubs: Sydney, Newtown, Eastern Suburbs, Western Suburbs, North Shore, and South Sydney had four teams across four grades including an Under 18 team.
New South Wales Australian National Football League: 1950-1952 By the 1950s, the competition had become highly popular with crowds for some matches attracting up to 5,000 spectators, however the league noted that there was a lack of juniors with no schools any longer playing the sport. However faced with increasing competition from the rugby league, the competition switched all finals matches to Sundays in 1950. It also faced increasingly bad behaviour of players, which it sought to curb through harsher suspensions. However the tough sanctions resulted in a decrease in players so an amnesty on suspensions was declared in 1952.
Sydney Football League: 1980-1997 In 1980 the 'NSW Australian Football Association' became known as the 'Sydney Football League'.
The impact of the introduction to the Sydney Swans into the VFL in 1982 on the Sydney Football League was heavy. By this time the competition had built up a strong following and was semi-professional.Sydney AFL Round 9, 16th & 17th June 2007 That changed with the Swans introduction as supporters left the local competition. Among the casualties was the historic foundation club Newtown which folded in 1987.Newtown Angels History
Sydney AFL: 1998-2008 The league was renamed the 'Sydney AFL' in 1998. The league consisted of 7 teams – Balmain, Pennant Hills, North Shore, St George, East Sydney, Western Suburbs and Baulkham Hills. In 1999, Campbelltown returned to the Sydney AFL after a 3-year stint in AFL Canberra. The Blues, as they were then known, were an exceptionally strong club at the time and dominated the league in their first year back in Sydney. In the grand final, Campbelltown 18.5 (113) were far too good for Balmain 13.13 (91) to take out the premiership by 22 points. In 2000, after the AFL's national reserve grade competition was abolished, the Swans fielded a team in the Sydney AFL, known as the Redbacks. This move didn't turn out to be successful, with the existing clubs unable to compete against full-time professional footballers who had far superior training resources. The games were generally one-sided, to the point where the rules were changed halfway through the season to allow other clubs to field an extra player against the Redbacks. The Redbacks finished top of the ladder, but elected not to compete in the finals; and in their absence Pennant Hills took out their first premiership with a 15.12 (102) to 12.7 (79) win over North Shore in the grand final. During the 2000 season, several Sydney AFL clubs had formed strategic alliances with clubs in the AFL. As part of this, some Sydney AFL clubs were to change their identity over the next few years. North Shore had always been black and red but took on the Bombers nickname of Essendon. St George renamed themselves the St George Crows and began wearing the navy, gold and blue strip of Adelaide. But the biggest change in identity was Baulkham Hills, who changed their colours to blue and gold and took on the new name of the East Coast Eagles. Other clubs were to follow suit. Another change in 2000 was the merger of traditional powerhouse East Sydney with the University of NSW club to form the UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs.
In 2001, with the Redbacks concept having not been considered a success, the Swans entered an alliance with Port Melbourne in the VFL and fielded their reserves with Port Melbourne. They continued to field a Redbacks team for the next 2 years, mainly as a junior development and talent-spotting team; but the Redbacks were never to make the top 4 again. Instead it was North Shore who led from start to finish in 2001, and although the grand final was tight the Bombers got critical goals when it mattered to record a 12.12 (84) to 10.9 (69) victory over Campbelltown. The following year saw a resurgent Uni NSW-Eastern Suburbs team return to the top, and despite a strong challenge from North Shore the Bulldogs finished the season as minor premiers. But the Bulldogs would have to go the long way into the grand final after North Shore came from behind to beat them by 3 points in the major semi-final. But UNSW-ES bounced back to win the preliminary final and earn a grand final berth, something that no major-final loser has managed to do in the 4 years since. On grand final day, despite the bright sunshine and perfect conditions, no side was able to score for the first 17 minutes as the defences of both teams held tight. But eventually it was to be North Shore that cracked, and although they fought back in the third term to come into the last break only a few points behind, they never led. Instead, it was UNSW-ES who ran away with the game in the last quarter to record a 16.10 (106) to 11.6 (72) win and their first premiership since the merger. This was the last grand final to be played at Macquarie University. The Redbacks finally withdrew from the Sydney AFL in 2003 and the competition was reduced to 8 teams. North Shore got the season off to a flying start and were undefeated for the first 14 rounds, the Bombers losing only 2 home & away games all season. Campbelltown returned to form early in the season, but after being badly beaten by North Shore at Gore Hill in round 7 they fell away and only just scraped into the finals and have yet to make the finals since. Instead it was St George that came in 2nd, with reigning premiers UNSW-ES coming third. North Shore qualified first for the grand final, while UNSW-ES eliminated Campbelltown. In the prelim final, St George were held goal-less in the second half and for the 4th year in a row had been defeated in the prelim final. And so the grand final in the league's centenary year, which was played at Monarch Oval in Campbelltown, would involve the same teams that played in the first grand final. And the result was to repeat. North Shore went in as the hottest of favourites, but poor kicking and excellent pressure from the Bulldogs saw them pull off a stunning upset. UNSW-ES 12.10 (82) defeated North Shore 10.16 (76), an exact repeat of the very first Sydney AFL grand final.
2004 In 2004, the Sydney AFL adopted Henson Park as its finals venue. In later years, the Marrickville ground which also hosts the Newtown Jets in the NSW Rugby League would play a bigger role in Sydney football and be the venue for representative fixtures and night matches. North Shore were again front-runners, remaining undefeated until the second half of the season and again losing only 2 home & away games. Tennis ace Patrick Rafter played a few reserve grade games for the Bombers during this season but was never picked in the senior team. North Shore finished top after the home & away season, with UNSW-ES finishing 2nd. But this time the Bulldogs were to miss out on a grand final berth and instead St George finally broke through the preliminary final hurdle to qualify for the big day. Having lost the previous 2 grand finals the Bombers were nervous, and even more so when St George led by 4 points at half time. But the Bombers pulled away with the wind in the third term and the Crows were unable to respond when they had the win in the last quarter. So it was North Shore who took out the premiership, with a 10.11 (71) to 7.4 (46) victory. In 2005, the Wollongong Lions were admitted to premier Division, creating a 9-team league. The Lions are well-run off the field, and proved competitive on it. Western Suburbs and Pennant Hills were the leaders for much of the season, Wests remaining undefeated until round 9 and Pennant Hills until round 10. The round 9 loss was to be Wests' only loss in the home & away season. Pennant Hills lost much of their edge after captain Barnaby Howarth suffered a stroke after training and was unable to play again, but bounced back to finish 2nd after the home & away season. Wests and Pennant Hills were a long way in front of other teams and were widely fancied to play in the grand final. Wests made it through in the major semi-final, but in a stunning upset Pennant Hills went down in the preliminary final to reigning premiers North Shore. The Bombers were to turn on an even more stunning upset in the grand final, getting on top after half-time to record a 13.9 (87) to 6.10 (46) win over Wests and take out back-to-back flags. Premier Reserves: UNSW-ES def East Coast Eagles 1st Division Seniors: Sydney Uni Students def UTS Bats 1st Division Reserves: Sydney Uni Students def UTS Bats 2nd Division: Nor-West Jets 10.10 (70) def Sydney Uni Blue 4.11 (34)
Before the 2006 season, East Coast Eagles recruited heavily in a bid to get to the top. The Eagles had been close to the finals for years without making it into the top 4, but this was to change in 2006 and the Eagles took all before them in an undefeated home & away season. Sydney's drought had a major bearing on this season, with several grounds being hardened dustbowls and the turf on many grounds going out of shape; so that even small amounts of rain caused puddles to form and the grounds to be closed. All clubs faced rising injury tolls due to the ground conditions.