Welsh Australian Rules Football League Explained

Welsh Australian Rules Football League
Sport:Australian rules football
Formerly:Welsh Australian Football League (Aussie Rules Wales)
Headquarters:Cardiff, Wales
Inaugural:2007
Teams:4
Champion:South Cardiff Panthers
Most Champs:South Cardiff Panthers (3)
Country:Wales
Website:warfl.org.uk

Australian rules football has been played on an organised basis in Wales since 2007.[1] The sport is played by both men and women and there are clubs in Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, Cwmbran and Penarth. The main competition is the Welsh and England Australian Rules Football League (WARFL, Welsh: Cynghrair Pêl-droed Rheolau Awstralaidd Cymru) who is also the controlling body of the sport in the country. The WARFL runs a senior men's competition and a 3 team women's WWEAFL 9-a-side competition.

The original six WARFL teams were named after clubs in the South Australian National Football League. Prior to 2007 some clubs played in the BARFL though the proximity of these English clubs to the Welsh clubs helped facilitate the Welsh league.

Internationally Wales has fielded a standalone team at the Euro Cup achieving its best results for the women's with 4th place in 2022 and runners up in the men's in 2023 for all other international tournaments Wales is represented by composite the Great Britain team.

History

The earliest recorded match in Wales was in 1944 when the 462 Squadron played against the second Sunderland Squadron formed teams based on State of Origin (Victoria vs Western Australia) to play a match at Pembroke Dock.[2] [3]

Regular competition in Wales began with the formation of Aussie Rules Wales in September 2006. Thereafter three teams were formed in 2007 being Cardiff Double Blues, South Cardiff Panthers and Swansea Magpies and competed in a 9-a-side format with modified rules in the Welsh division (WAFL) of the ARUK National league. Also the Swindon Devils from England's West Country competed as a guest fourth side. The season concluded with the Swindon Devils defeating South Cardiff by 71 points to win the inaugural (and only) WAFL Premiership.

Aussie Rules Wales then ceased trading in January 2008 and was replaced by the independently run WARFL, which seeks to become the national governing body of the sport in Wales.

The inaugural WARFL Premiership season kicked off in May 2008, with the Cardiff Double Blues, South Cardiff Panthers and Swansea Magpies competing in 9 rounds in 9-a-side format with full AFL rules. The Cardiff Double Blues eventually defeated South Cardiff Panthers by 94 points to win the inaugural 2008 WARFL Premiership. South Cardiff Panthers' David James was awarded best on ground.

In 2009 Gwent Tigers based in Newport joined the league in a 12 round competition with the 9-a-side format unchanged. Also that year the WARFL introduced a pre-season competition known as the Cymru Clwb Cup played at Waunarlwydd RFC in Swansea where the three foundation clubs competed. The Cardiff Double Blues won the tournament winning both of their round robin matches.

At the end of the Premiership South Cardiff Panthers played Swansea Magpies at Llandaff Fields in Cardiff where South Cardiff won by two points to win their first Premiership after being runners up in 2007 and 2008. Swansea Magpies' Matthew Hopkins was awarded best on ground.

2010 saw further expansion of the league with the Vale Warriors based at Barry RFC entering. The second Cymru Clwb Challenge was played at Llandaff Fields with all WARFL clubs playing except for Gwent Tigers who did not field a team due to player unavailability. South Cardiff Panthers won all their matches winning the competition with Cardiff Doubles Blues player Rhys Morgan awarded player of the tournament.

That year the league ran as a 10 round competition with each team playing 8 matches and having 2 byes and continuing in the 9-a-side format. On 24 July the top of the league South Cardiff Panthers played against Swansea Magpies at Barry RFC where South Cardiff won by 71 points to be the first club in WARFL history to win consecutive Premierships. South Cardiff Panthers' ruckman Chris James was awarded best on ground.

The Bridgend Eagles and Bristol Dockers joined the league in 2011 with Gwent Tigers not fielding a team that year.

Welsh and England Australian Rules Football League (WARFL)

The league is organised in a similar fashion to the SANFL, with the top two teams at the end of the "home and away" season playing off in the Grand Final for the Premiership Cup.

Club Year established Home Ground Website Cymru Clwb Cup winners League winners League Premiership winners
1991 Facebook page 0 1 (2012) 0
2007 Facebook page 4 (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013) 4 (2009, 2010, 2011 & 2013) 4 (2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012)
Vale Vikings (formerly Cardiff Double Blues) 2007Facebook page 1 (2009) 1 (2008) 1 (2008)
Chippenham Redbacks (formerly Bath and Wiltshire) 2007 Facebook page

Former Clubs

Club Year established Home Ground Website
Bridgend Eagles 2010[4] Heol-y-Cyw RFC, Bridgend
Gwent Tigers 2008 Facebook page
2007 Facebook page
Vale Warriors 2009

WARFL League & Grand Final Results

Year League winners Premiers Grand Final venue Grand Final score
2007 Swindon Devils Swindon Devils St Peters RFC, Cardiff Swindon Devils 20.8 (128) def South Cardiff Panthers 7.15 (57)
2008 Cardiff Double Blues Cardiff Double Blues St Peters RFC, Cardiff Cardiff Double Blues 18.18 (126) def South Cardiff Panthers 2.20 (32)
2009 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Llandaff Fields, Cardiff South Cardiff Panthers 8.10 (58) def Swansea Magpies 8.8 (56)
2010 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Barry RFC, Barry South Cardiff Panthers 17.20 (121) def Swansea Magpies 8.3 (51)
2011 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Pontcanna Pitch, Sport Wales National Centre South Cardiff Panthers def Bristol Dockers
2012 Bristol Dockers South Cardiff Panthers Dings Crusaders RFC Bristol Dockers 6.7 (43) def South Cardiff Panthers 23.23 (161)
2013 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Pontcanna Pitch, Sport Wales National Centre South Cardiff Panthers (0) drew Chippenham Redbacks (0)
2014 South Cardiff Panthers
2015 Bristol Dockers
2016 South Cardiff Panthers
2017 Bristol Dockers
2018 Bristol Dockers Bristol Dockers 14.14 (98) def South Cardiff Panthers 5.17 (47)
2019 South Cardiff Panthers
2020 Not contested
2021 Not contested
2022 South Cardiff Panthers South Cardiff Panthers Llandaff Fields South Cardiff Panthers (96) def Bristol Dockers (30)

Player Awards

Year Best & Faires Top Goal Scorer Rookie of the Year
2007 Daniel Morgan-Kane South Cardiff Panthers Gareth Jones South Cardiff Panthers Ed Doe South Cardiff Panthers
2008 David Saunders Cardiff Double Blues Tom Judson Cardiff Double Blues Gareth Llewellyn South Cardiff Panthers
2009 Rhys Jones Swansea MagpiesAndrew Atack South Cardiff Panthers Gareth Sturge Cardiff Double Blues
2010 David GambleSouth Cardiff Panthers Leigh MerringtonSouth Cardiff Panthers Joshua DaveySouth Cardiff Panthers

League and National representative teams

Wales
Badge:Flag of Wales.svg
Nickname:Red Dragons
Union:AFL Wales
Ic Apps:0

Two representative sides are organised by the WARFL, one to represent the national league which is an all-stars side known as the "WARFL Red Devils" drawn solely from the WARFL regardless of nationality.

The other representative team organised by the WARFL is the Welsh national team known as the "Cymru Red Dragons". The Red Dragons is primarily made up of players from the WARFL, however does include Welsh players from other leagues around the world.

WARFL Red Devils

The Red Devils first played in the 2007 AFL Britain National Championships known as the Brit Cup, representing the first Welsh side in the tournament's history. Thereafter the Red Devils have played in every Brit Cup including the 2010 tournament but 2012 was the year the Brit Cup made Wales its home for next 12 months as the Devils made the Grand Final that year beating the Favourites the Midland Tigers taking top spot and making history. The Red Devils have also appeared at the 2008 "Haggis Cup" the first time a Welsh team had played in Scotland and again in 2009 but did not field a team in 2010.

Cymru Red Dragons

In November 2007, the Red Dragons became the first all-Welsh representative team when they hosted the England Dragonslayers in Cardiff for the "Dragon Cup", England winning by 30 points.

In the second series of the Dragon Cup, the Cymru Red Dragons defeated 2008 EU Cup champions England Dragonslayers in Reading and Newport by 92 points (aggregate score over two tests) to win the Dragon Cup for the first time. However in September 2009 England defeated Wales in Cardiff and London to regain the Dragon Cup.

The inaugural "Bute Series" for the Crichton-Stuart Cup with Scotland Clansmen (which was also Scotland's first ever Australian Rules football international) was played in Glasgow and Cardiff over two tests in October 2009. The Cymru Red Dragons won the series on aggregate of 30 points with Scotland winning the first test and Wales winning at home in Cardiff the following week.

Results

Date Competitor Tournament Venue Score Series winner
3 Nov 2007EnglandDragon CupSt Peters RFC, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 9.7 (61)England Dragonslayers 12.19 (91)England won by 30 points
18 Oct 2008EnglandDragon Cup - 1st TestKings Park, Reading, EnglandEngland Dragonslayers 7.7 (49) Cymru Red Dragons 11.13 (79)
25 Oct 2008EnglandDragon Cup - 2nd TestTredegar Park, Newport, WalesCymru Red Dragons 15.16 (106) England Dragonslayers (44)Wales 2-0
12 Sep 2009EnglandDragon Cup - 1st TestSt Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 6.13 (49) England Dragonslayers 6.18 (54)
19 Sep 2009EnglandDragon Cup - 2nd TestLondon, EnglandEngland Dragonslayers 13.10 (88) Cymru Red Dragons 3.3 (21)England 2-0
17 Oct 2009ScotlandBute Series - 1st TestBellahouston Park, Glasgow, ScotlandScotland Clansmen 8.12 (60) Cymru Red Dragons 7.2 (44)
24 Oct 2009ScotlandBute Series - 2nd TestSt Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons (66) Scotland Clansmen (36)Wales 1-1 (30 points on aggregate)
7 Aug 2010Scotland Bute Series - 1st Test St Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 9.8 (62)Scotland Clansmen 26.28 (184)
21 Aug 2010 Scotland Bute Series - 2nd Test Victoria Park, Glasgow, ScotlandScotland Clansmen 12.11 (83)Cymru Red Dragons 5.6 (36) Scotland 2-0
18 Sep 2010EnglandDragon Cup - 1st TestChippenham RFC, EnglandEngland Dragonslayers 6.14 (48) Cymru Red Dragons 4.12 (36)
26 Sep 2010EnglandDragon Cup - 2nd TestSt Colmcilles GAA, Cardiff, WalesCymru Red Dragons 4.4 (28) England Dragonslayers 15.12 (102) England 2-0
2 Oct 2010AustriaEuro Cup - 1st RoundParabiago, Milan, ItalyCymru Red Dragons 5.10 (40) Austria Kangaroos 0.4 (4)
2 Oct 2010CroatiaEuro Cup - 2nd RoundParabiago, Milan, ItalyCroatia Knights 7.9 (51) Cymru Red Dragons 4.0 (24)
2 Oct 2010SpainEuro Cup – Plate RoundParabiago, Milan, ItalySpain Bulls 5.1 (31) Cymru Red Dragons 3.6 (24) Wales (7th place) Croatia winners
1 Oct 2011Northern IrelandEuro Cup – Plate RoundBelfast, Northern IrelandSpain Bulls (Unknown) Cymru Red Dragons (Unknown) Wales (5th place) Ireland winners
Aug 2012EnglandHome Nations CupCardiff, WalesEngland Dragonslayers (Unknown) Cymru Red Dragons (Unknown) Wales (2nd place) England winners

Player Awards

Year Best & Fairest Top Goal Scorer Rookie of the Year
2007 Tom CaseSwindon DevilsEd DoeSouth Cardiff Panthers N/A
2008 David James South Cardiff Panthers Ed DoeSouth Cardiff Panthers N/A
2009 David Saunders South Cardiff Panthers Gareth SturgeCardiff Double BluesN/A
2010 Gareth Griffiths Vale WarriorsAndrew AtackSouth Cardiff Panthers George LlewellynPortsmouth Pirates

Great Britain Bulldogs

As of 2013, 15 players from the WARFL have been selected to represent the Great Britain Bulldogs, these being:

Andrew Atack (Cardiff Panthers), Tim Atkins (Swansea Magpies), David Carpenter (Cardiff Double Blues), Liam Corbett (Cardiff Panthers), Joshua Davey (Cardiff Panthers), Ed Doe (Cardiff Panthers), Tom Gillard (Cardiff Double Blues), Mark Horsman (Cardiff Panthers), Chris James (Cardiff Panthers) David James (Cardiff Panthers), Tom Judson (Cardiff Double Blues), David Saunders (Cardiff Panthers), Gareth Sturge (Cardiff Double Blues), Jon Saunders (South Cardiff Panthers), Owain Ryland (South Cardiff Panthers) & Eliot Rich (South Cardiff Panthers).

Notable Players

Men's

Currently on an AFL senior list
Player Club/s AFL Years* AFL Matches* AFL Goals* Connections to Wales, References
2015-2018 - - Mother[5]
, 2008-2020 169 60 Mother[6]
, 2005-2016 152 25 Father[7] [8]
, 1986-1996 163 178 Born, Parents[9]
1897 1 0 Born Bedwellty.[10]

Women's

Currently on an AFLW senior list
Player Club/s AFLW Years* AFLW Matches* AFLW Goals* Connections to Wales, References
Gold Coast 2023- 9 1 Born.[11] Father represented Wales in rugby union.[12]
Carlton, Richmond 2017- 55 7 Parent[13]
Carlton, Richmond 2017- 50 2 Parent[14]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: From New South Wales to South Wales: The rise of Aussie Rules. Eliot Raman Jones. The Cardiffian. 7 June 2022. en.
  2. Australian War Memorial
  3. Web site: Tair camp mewn un!. 26 June 2014. BBC Cymru Fyw. 7 June 2022.
  4. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/aussie-rules-comes-to-bridgend-1824850 Aussie rules comes to Bridgend
  5. Web site: Queensland clubs celebrate diversity. Grant . Hitzman. 11 July 2013.
  6. Web site: Queensland clubs celebrate diversity. 11 July 2013. Grant. Hitzman. AFL Queensland.
  7. "Lucky Jim to join the Saints", The Age, 21 November 2004.
  8. http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=56434 "AFL a diverse world"
  9. Web site: Other Nationalities . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607104255/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/other_nationalities.htm. 7 June 2011. Full Points Footy.
  10. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206939620 Deaths: Hall, The Age, (Thursday, 25 November 1920), p.1.
  11. Web site: Queensland’s 50 best teenage Aussie rules players. Courier Mail. 20 September 2022. 21 October 2023.
  12. Web site: Ex-Welsh rugby player's four daughters being hailed as 'superstars' on other side of world. walesonline.co.uk. 10 May 2023. 19 October 2023.
  13. Web site: 2021 AFL Players Association Multicultural Map. 2022-08-05. AFLPA.
  14. Web site: 2021 AFL Players Association Multicultural Map. 2022-08-05. AFLPA.