The Great Britain men's national
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
team is known as the Great Britain Bulldogs. The team is made up of the best British born players selected from clubs of in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, and occasional appearances from British players playing for clubs in Australia. In
AFL Europe
AFL Europe is the regional governing body for Australian rules football in Europe. As of 2018, it organises the AFL Europe Championship and the Euro Cup, and previously managed the ''European Legion'' representative team as well being responsible ...
, separate national teams represent England, Wales and Scotland.
As well as regular international friendlies, the team has played in every
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open to ...
since its inception in 2002.
They also compete at the triennial
AFL Europe Championship
The AFL Europe Championship is an Australian football competition played between European national teams. The European Championship is played in a full traditional 18-a-side format (formerly 16-a-side) unlike the Euro Cup which has a 9-a-side f ...
, winning the 2016 edition in London after beating the
Irish Warriors 7.9 (51) to 4.5 (29).
The Great Britain women's national Australian rules football team are called the
Great Britain Swans.
History
![1888 British Lions](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/1888_British_Lions.jpg)
The first team to represent Great Britain in Australian rules was the
British Lions during the
1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia. The team played 19 matches of Australian rules winning six and drawing one.
A standout for the team was
Andrew Stoddart
Andrew Ernest Stoddart (11 March 1863 – 4 April 1915) was an English sportsman who played international cricket for England, and rugby union for England and the British Isles. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.
He has the unique ...
.
However following the tour the codes had diverged to a point that it was felt that such exchanges could not continue and Australia's policy was not to compete internationally in the sport.
The Great Britain Bulldogs played their first international on 2 October 1993 against Canada in Toronto.
They competed at the 2001 Atlantic Alliance Cup, recording wins over Canada and eventual runners-up Denmark. Great Britain's Best and Fairest player was Tyrone Hallam.
In 2002, the Great Britain Bulldogs competed at the first ever
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open to ...
in Australia, finishing sixth. Three years later they also finished sixth at the 2005 tournament.
In October 2005, the Bulldogs played against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in a curtain raiser at the
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football ...
vs
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
exhibition match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
at
the Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
in London. After this match head coach Matt Connell handed over the coaching role to Charlie Kielty.
In October 2006, the Great Britain vs Ireland fixture was repeated before the
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...
vs
Port Adelaide Power
Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...
match.
![Great britain vs nauru 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Great_britain_vs_nauru_2.jpg)
After coach Charlie Kielty resigned in late 2009, Mark Pitura became head coach, with Rob Fielder as assistant. The first test was against a travelling Denmark Vikings squad, which resulted in an 11.10 (76) to 9.9 (63) win for the Bulldogs on Putney Heath, London.
In 2010, the squad competed in the inaugural European Championships in Denmark and Sweden. The squad achieved a credible 4th place, losing out to losing finalists Denmark in the group and co-hosts Sweden in the qualification final. Three Bulldogs were named in the Team of the Tournament. These players were Adam Bennett (
Reading Kangaroos), Martyn Hinchey (Southampton Titans) and Gareth Blackstaffe-Turner (
Wimbledon Hawks).
At the 2011 International Cup, Paul Harris from the
Putney Magpies
The Putney Magpies is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Putney and Fulham area of South East London, England. The club fields teams in each of the three AFL London divisions — Premiership (1sts), Conference (2nds)and S ...
captained the squad to a seventh-place finish. Brendan McGeever (North London Lions), Ian Mitchell (Wolverhampton Wolves) and Paul Francis (
Wimbledon Hawks) served as vice-captains.
A marked improvement in performance culminated in a fantastic performance at the 2013 AFL Europe Championships, where the squad finished as runners-up to hosts Ireland.
In 2014 the Bulldogs once again travelled to the AFL International Cup and were placed in Pool A alongside Ireland, Nauru, Fiji, France and Indonesia. Victories over France and Fiji were achieved and Great Britain finished 9th overall, defeating Fiji 5.7 (37) to 2.7 (19) in the Qualification Final.
2016 was a successful year for the Bulldogs as they became champions of Europe for the first time. The bulldogs defeated Ireland 7.9 (51) to 4.5 (29). Six players made the team of the tournament. These were Luke Booth (Huddersfield Rams), Marc Cashman (Wimbledon Hawks), Jack Coughlan (North London Lions), Myles Hudson (Wimbledon Hawks), Michael Sharp (North London Lions) and Andrew Walkden (Manchester Mosquitoes).
At the 2017 version of the AFL International Cup, Will Worthington captained the squad and was assisted by Luke Booth and Sean Walton as Vice-Captains. The Bulldogs finished in a joint-highest position of six.
As of February 2018, Ross Denton, formerly of Birmingham University and currently playing for the North London Lions, was appointed captain of the Great Britain Bulldogs.
International competition
International Cup
AFL Europe Championship
Results (2010-present)
:''Scores and results list Great Britain's points tally first.''
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
See also
*
Australian rules football in England
Australian rules football in England is a team sport and spectator sport with a long history. The current competitions originated in 1989 and have grown to a number of local and regional leagues coordinated by AFL England. In 2018, these region ...
*
Australian rules football in Scotland
Australian rules football is played by a six-team league in Scotland, with clubs in Glasgow, Linlithgow, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Current competition has its origins in the 1990s with the founding of the Caledonian Sharks (later Gla ...
*
Australian rules football in Wales
Australian rules football has been played on an organised basis in Wales since 2007, Mae pêl-droed Rheolau Awstralaidd yn cael ei chwarae ar faes hirgrwn. Mae deunaw ddewisol bob ochr. with the league and representative teams run and managed b ...
*
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open to ...
References
External links
{{Australian Football International Cup
Australian rules football in Great Britain
National Australian rules football teams
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...