Not long ago, AFL and NRL nearly exclusively monopolised the rights to the words football and footy – so long as you knew which state you were standing in.
However, Aussie rules and rugby league’s exclusivity has become increasingly eroded in recent years even in the sense that more people recognise that the word “football” can refer to other sports.
In Australia, calling soccer “football” in addition to other codes AFL, NRL, and union, has increasingly become the norm. Professional soccer rebranded itself as the latter after the 2004 season, major news companies now refer to the soccer as football nearly exclusively.
This phenomenon is not unique to the lucky country. In America, the increasing Hispanic and Latin American population has also provided good reason for there to be more awareness of Fútbol instead of Jarryd Hayne’s temporary code.
But how did we end up here with some many types of football? Why are there so many different codes calling themselves by the same name when each are played so differently?
The answer: “football” is merely a word used when referring to the most popular local code.
This may seem a bit too obvious when someone says, for example, “turn on the footy,” in Sydney to watch NRL as opposed to AFL when in Victoria. The same applies to the NFL in America, CFL in Canada, GAA in Ireland, Soccer in the UK, and rugby union in New Zealand/Wales etc.
But this does not explain why.
Originally, “Foot-ball” was a pejorative term in England used to describe the sport that common folk played. As opposed to riding a horse, these people played on foot with a ball.
Yes, despite popular belief and other old wives’ tales about William Webb Ellis, the actual history has nothing to do with kicking the ball.
Sorry soccer, but the exclusive rights to the name football are not yours and they never were simply because players don’t use their hands. In fact, your actual name, association football (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), is merely a British nickname created to avoid confusion and wasted travel time for travelling teams over a century ago.
This clear differentiation between soccer and rugger meant that there would be far fewer mistakes in setting up teams to play different sports, which may not sound like the biggest deal but is quite frustrating when the next town was 26 miles away on foot or horse.
Later, when rugby league (previously known as Northern Rugby) broke off from the rugby union governing body in favour of professionalism, the two would then go by the names union and league and the nickname rugger was phased out. In England, so was soccer since it could clearly be the code known as football but it other areas of the Empire and former colonies, the nicknames stuck with “football” being use to describe whatever style was most popular.
It is important to note that older football codes that predated the Association/rugby rules divergence such as Wales’ Cnapan, Ireland’s Caid, and other Celtic/Gaelic codes frequently used their hands in play.
Here with sport, we see Australia at another crossroads in its identity. Unlike the switch from Imperial units of measurement to Metrics and Fahrenheit to Centigrade (Celcius), which provided a global standard for the sake of uniformity in maths and the sciences, there is no present or historical reason to justify handing over the name football to soccer aside from conforming for the sake of conformity.
Sports are great entertainment but they also reflect the cultures that play and watch them.
Willingly handing over the rights to a generic word is just as bad as the attempted trademarking of “UGG” by Decker and, from this Yanks perspective, absolutely un-Australian.
Planet Football
Guest
The Australian national football team. You can insert 'men's' or 'women's' between 'Australian' and 'national', depending on which team is being discussed.
Freddie
Guest
Ah diddums anon. Are the nasty immigrants not calling the sport the name you want to hear?
Spencer Kassimir
Roar Pro
#Perry Bridge Very true. Even Peyton Manning was just in China to help American Football there. Actually the young league there is called the CAFL / AFL Global but with the "A" referring to the 100 yard outdoor American gridiron variety and not Australian AFL or the Arena Football League (also AFL and AF2). The latter is summer season indoor American gridiron for those new to the version of the game. The fun thing about Chinese is that soccer, rugby (no distinction between union or league), American gridiron, and Australian football codes are known by the following names respectively: 足球 Zúqiú lit. Foot Ball and 橄榄球 Gǎnlǎnqiú lit. olive ball (put English, American, or Australian in front of the character for "olive" for the minority of those that know the difference. Point being, there is a linguistic barrier/learning curve that requires education and must also be taken into account. @BallsOutPhd
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Sydnersider Easier said than done. There's been a bit of dipping toes in water such as playing the first premiership matches in NZ and this year heading for China.
The word
Guest
That was post 399 and this 400
anon
Guest
Wouldn't be easier for everyone just to call it soccer here in Australia considering there are four football codes played, with the A-League having the smallest attendances of those four football codes. How ridiculous that the worst attended football code in Australia demands exclusive right to the word 'football'. I think some of these first and second generation Johnny-come-lately Aussies don't realise that Aussie Rules and Rugby have been the dominant codes by a significant margin for over a century in this country and continue to be so. To me to have these people demanding that soccer have sole domain over the word football shows contempt for Australia's history and culture.
Caltex & SBS support Australian Football
Guest
You Real Soccer fans are sooo gooood! Perhaps now, we can take this article off the Real Football Tab and load it up onto the Real Soccer Tab... AFL (League Association of Australian Football) :)
Perry Bridge
Guest
I touch type. Others must only doggy paddle.
Lancey5times
Guest
So, so, so ,so close to 400
Fayyaz Ahmed
Guest
Nice article i must say, with love from Pakistan (a Team which doesn't even play soccer or Football for that matter :P)
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Post_hoc I'd appreciate if you could indicate your sources. Even by 1866 - the year recognised as the move from Melbourne rules to Victorian rules the generally accepted rule set was that of the MelbourneFC - however - there was some slack in that as evidenced below: Consider the March 3 1866 article in Bell's Life in Victoria (Page 4) looking at 'Football - the coming season'. "It is all very well to state that there were established rules of the Melbourne club last year ; but, when certain clubs (who ought to have known better) did just as they pleased, it was no wonder that there should have been some unpleasantness created." So - you can see that in general the Melb FC rules were accepted - but when not adhered to - it became necessary as below to urge 'the Melbourne' to take care of it: "Foremost amongst these is ' running with the ball, and this was a very sore point in some good matches. Now, if the various suburban clubs were to send a deputation to the Melbourne, requesting them to frame a code of rules for the regulation of football in Victoria" Granted Melb FC like other clubs only sent 2 delegates to the May 1866 rules meeting - however H.C.Harrison chaired it and was responsible for the distribution of the published rules. It was a meeting for the purpose of the revision OF the Melb FC rules and their adoption as Victorian Rules. The Geelong reference is interesting - Geelong lost to Melbourne in a Challenge Cup game in May 1865 and the only complaint was that while Geelong all wore scarlet - the MFC wore no uniform in particular and the winning goal kicked by a MFC player wearing much the same as Geelong. I haven't seen any direct evidence even of the Geelong having a concern about it. Apparently and ironically it was H.C.Harrison - very athletic as he was - was prone to running. There was seemingly a trial around the bouncing in 1865 with the rule adopted in 1866 - be the meeting chair by Harrison. As it was the 1865 early season in-house revision of the rules made no mentions - but that was when Wills lobbied for a cross bar (H) goals (vote tie - the chair voted that down).
Spencer Kassimir
Roar Pro
Thank you AZ_RBB. Even if Midfielder ends up being correct about most commented, I'm still thrilled that people on The Roar have been so passionate about the subject matter! @BallsOutPhD
The Word
Guest
I use its full name "Australian football" when talking to people outside of Australian football heartlands
Sydneysider
Guest
"I might argue that the thing to hold against soccer is that so few people get the experience of scoring. For participants Aust (R) Footy provides more scope. You don’t have specialists (i.e. the penalty kicker takes every hot spot shot). There’s pros and cons." Perry, take the game of Australian Rules football to the world. Show the rest of the world what they are missing out on. A game for all, with the scope for all to score and get a kick. Like I just said, take the game to the world. If it's a great game, people will catch on and like it. For some reason, it doesn't. I'm not arguing football/soccer is a better game, but you continue to espouse your theories on Australian Rules football being a great game. Good for you, so take it to the world. Show them how great the game is.
Caltex & SBS support Australian Football
Guest
It has come to my attention that, Perry Bridge of Real Soccer (League Association of Australian Football) and his compatriots have contributed to more than half of the comments to this discussion. What is wrong with you Football fans, how did you let this happen?
clipper
Guest
Sorry, Josh - that was meant to be a rhetorical question,I know there is now way you'd attend a game, but your answer (which BTW did not address my reply) is quite quizzical - don't think AFL is out to kill Football in Sydney - it may be damaging Rugby, but Football keeps growing, and you may well be right, could be the No. 1 code here in years to come, especially as it eats away at league. Still like to see the evidence that the Swans only have 'rusted on geriatrics' as fans when the average keeps growing and memberships keep climbing - do they clone themselves?
Nemesis
Guest
FACT If the AFL fanboys never came to the football discussion, the majority of football fans on this website would have ZERO interaction with them. That's how it is in life. People who offer nothing, are never invited to any conversation. Unfortunately, with social media, the ignorant, annoying people whom I shun in daily life are omnipresent. Nothing to do so they live each day to annoy others. Truly pathetic, lonely, boring people. The churn out the same nonsense every post, every day.
The Word
Guest
@ Perry 1. First you pick the fight with them 2. then you quote Gandhi 3. First You pick the fight with them 4. Then you quote Gandhi etc... Midfielder in April 2008 "Football is just as much a part of the Australian fabric as AFL, Union and League, with a long history in Australia. In time it will come out and JW words will come true. Ghandi (sic) once said “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win.” Football is no longer ignored, not laughed any more (well most don’t), so I guess we are in that attack phase, as I have posted earlier we can do nothing about offsiders and those established media programs as my guess is they receive thousand of letters." Freddo December 2016 "Well clearly you are more than a little fearful, otherwise you wouldn’t spend so much time here trying to defend your code on the “football” tab, now would you? Gandhi’s quote, first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you. Then, you win. We’re at stage three."
punter
Guest
Perry, I asked the Vietnamese why they called 'what the world knows as the Vietnam war, the American war?' If America doesn't come here no war. Likewise with the French war in Vietnam.
clipper
Guest
I'll second that!