Auckland Australian Football League

The Auckland Australian Football League which began in 1974, is an amateur Australian rules football competition in Auckland, New Zealand currently consisting of 6 clubs and is one of the leagues governed by AFL New Zealand. The league has a men's competition and affiliated women's competition known as Auckland Women's AFL featuring some of the same clubs. The competition runs from September to December to avoid clashes with the rugby football season.

Auckland Australian Football League (AAFL)
FormerlyAuckland Australian Football Association (AAFA)
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1974 (1974)
No. of teams6
CountryNew Zealand
Most recent
champion(s)		North Shore Tigers
(2022)
Most titles18
Official websitewww.aafl.co.nz

An earlier league which existed in Auckland from 1904 until the outbreak of World War I was also known, for a time, as the Auckland Australian Football League.

History

The Auckland Australian Football Association (AAFA) was founded by former Australian professional player Terry Gay in 1974, North Shore Tigers were one of the foundation clubs.[1] Four teams were playing in 1988 and it shifted its season to spring.[1] It was renamed Auckland Australian Football League (AAFL) in 1990.[1]

In 2012 the AAFL established a 2nd Division for less competitive clubs however this lasted only one year before all clubs were to play in first division.[2]

The league has gone through a period of strong growth in the 2010s with players like Te Kopa Tipene-Tomas, Andriu Sucu and Jackson Clince among the players selected to represent New Zealand on the international stage helping to attract more media exposure for the sport in the city.[3][4][5]

Season 2021 was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.[6]

In 2022 the North Shore Tigers became the first team to go undefeated for an entire season, going 12-0 including finals.

Current clubs
Location map of current clubs in the league.
Club Location Formed Men's Premierships Women's Premierships Notes
North ShoreOnepoto Domain, Northcote1974Tigers1977, 1978, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2008, 2017, 2020, 2022Tigers-Official website
UniversityColin Maiden Park, Glen Innes1981Blues1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2018, 2019Eastern Blues (affiliated)-
Mt RoskillWar Memorial Park, Mount Roskill1991Saints1997, 2005, 2012--Official website
South City (formerly "Manurewa")Mountfort Park, Manurewa1991Raiders---
WaitākereParrs Park, Oratia1999Magpies2010, 2013, 2016Norwest Magpies (affiliated)2020, 2022
Howick (formerly "Pakuranga Panthers")Paparoa Park, Howick2012Hornets---Part of a rugby league club

Former clubs
Club Location Formed
Takapuna EaglesTakapuna1981

Results

Men's
Year Premier Runner up Result
2022North Shore TigersUniversity Blues[7]
2020North Shore TigersUniversity Blues
2019University BluesNorth Shore Tigers
2018University BluesMt Roskill Saints
2017North Shore TigersWaitakere Magpies[8]

Women's
Year Premier Runner up Result
2022Waitakere MagpiesNorth Shore Tigers54-5[9]

Historic League

The 'Auckland Football Association (under Victorian rules)' was formed at a meeting at Foresters' Hall, Newton on 28 April 1904. The initial subscription rate was 2s 6d, and forty members were enrolled at that meeting.[10][11] At the 1906 AGM, the name was changed to 'The Australian Football League of Auckland'[12] in order to differentiate the league from Rugby Union and Association (soccer) football. After several active seasons which were covered in some depth in the local papers, the league went into decline around the end of the decade due to the departure of a number of the Australian players back home. In 1912 the senior competition was put on hold due to the lack of players, with only a junior competition continuing.[13]

Clubs
Eden Football Club. Australian Football League of Auckland premiers 1907
ClubFormedParticipating yearsNotes
Imperial19041904[14]-1911Formerly Auckland Imperial.
Austral19041904[14]-1910
Eden19041904[14]-1911Formerly Victoria, name changed in 1906[15]
Newtown1908[16]1908
Mt Roskill19091909-1911

Players

A number of the players in the league were immigrants from the southern Australian states. Regular mention was made in the newspaper reports of the arrival of these gentlemen and their intentions to play football in Auckland.

Four VFL players played for the league at various times, including Vic Cumberland who was rated one of the best VFL players of the day:

PlayerYears in AucklandVFL Club details
Ben Sandford[17]1904 –St Kilda 1901-03
Vic Cumberland[18]1905–1906Melbourne 1898–1901; St Kilda 1903-04 1907-08 1912-15 1920
Hughie Webb[18]1905Geelong 1900-03
Hughie Callan[19]1906Essendon 1903–05; South Melbourne 1907-1910

Administrators

The inaugural president of the league in 1904 was a Mr McNamara. He was supported by a large committee that included 5 vice presidents; Messrs Hale, McKeon, Walsh, Kneebone and McVeigh.[20] At the 1905 AGM, Dr Tracy Inglis was elected president,[21] a position he held for a number of years. The league had a number of prominent people involved during it existence. Patrons of the league in 1905 included politicians George Fowlds and F E Baume.[21]

Competition

The new league's first game was a scratch match held on 30 April on the outer Domain.[17] Several rounds of practice matches followed prior to the start of the competition. By the end of the 1904 season Austral and Imperial were "on a level footing",[22] with Austral taking the honours, 29 to 18, in the final which was held at the Domain Cricket Ground.[23]

References
  1. History of the Auckland AFL
  2. Howick Hornets AFL bringing Australian Rules Football from the Hornets Nest from Howick Hornets Rugby League
  3. University Blues determined to retain Auckland AFL premier title by Torika Tokalau-Chandra for Stuff.co.nz 29 November 2016
  4. Australian Football League continues to grow in Auckland by Anna Thompson for Stuff.co.nz 1 September 2017
  5. University Blues out to make it three in a row by Torika Tokalau-Chandra for Stuff.co.nz 26 September 2016
  6. COVID-19 Update 15 February 2021 from AFL New Zealand 15 February 2021
  7. North Shore Tigers are Back to Back Premiers from Auckland AFL 5 December 2022
  8. Year of the Tiger: North Shore crowned 2017 AAFL Premiers from AFL New Zealand 4 December 2017
  9. "Waitakere Magpies complete their perfect season". AAFL. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. New Zealand Herald, 29 Apr 1904, Auckland Library Copy
  11. The Argus, 11 June 1904
  12. Auckland Star, 24 Mar 1906, Auckland Library Copy
  13. New Zealand Herald, 4 May 1912, Auckland Library Copy
  14. New Zealand Herald, 14 May 1904, Auckland Library Copy
  15. Auckland Star, 7 April 1906
  16. New Zealand Herald, 4 April 1908
  17. New Zealand Herald, 2 May 1904
  18. New Zealand Herald, 8 May 1905
  19. New Zealand Herald, 28 April 1906
  20. New Zealand Herald, 29 April 1904
  21. Auckland Star, 30 March 1905, Auckland Library
  22. NZ Herald, 15 Aug 1904, Auckland Library Copy
  23. NZ Herald, 29 Aug 1904, Auckland Library Copy
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