Famous Sports in Australia

Soccer (Football)• In the past, many people in Australia did not consider Soccer a suitable sport for boys. • It was mostly played by Italian and Greek immigrants and not very popular.• This has changed. But Soccer still is not as popular as in Spain.

These are the Socceroos, the Australian national team.Last year they won the Asia Cup. But they are not very good.

In Australia “Football” or “Footy” generally refers to three different sports.

Can you guess which ones?

In Australia “Football” generally refers to three different sports.

• AFL• Rugby League• Rugby Union

Rugby Rules Differences

• In League there are no Rucks or Malls • The Scrum is more ritual than competitive• They have to hand over the ball every six tackles

Social differences• League is generally played by people from poorer

neighbourhoods• Union is preferred by wealthy private schools

Rugby League• Every year in Australia Queensland and New South Wales play

three games against each other.• This is called the State of Origin or Origin. • NSW wears blue and are called the ‘Blues’.• Queensland wears Maroon (red) and are called the ‘Maroons’.

Since 2005, Queensland has won every Origin series except 2014.

This is Josh Doogan.I went to school with him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF_lqc8FLtA

Rugby UnionThese are the Wallabies, Australia’s national Union team.

This is George GreganHe was the captain of the Wallabies when they used to win all the time.He is from Canberra. When I was a teenager I used to watch him play local games on Saturday nights during Winter.

AFL (Australian Football League

AFL

• AFL is native to Australia• It’s played on a massive oval• That’s because the game was originally by

Cricket players as a way to keep fit in the Winter.

• The object of the game is to kick the ball between the three sets of posts.

• The posts in the middle are worth the most. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbWDly9hspc

Cricket• Cricket is played in the summer• Professional cricket matches are played over three to five days with

around six hours of cricket being played each day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIFLAGb9E0o

The Bathurst 1000

• Every year in Bathurst there is a 1000km race on Mount Panorama.

• Australia’s two native (now defunct) car manufactures, Holden and Ford Australia, battle for supremacy.

• In the past many types of car used to race.

Peter Brock “King of the Mountain”

Peter Brock won the race nine times Between 1972 and 1987

Holden Torana XU-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC9NAhlsxUU