when was the first australian football competition held
1858 31 July
title: History of Australian rules football text: History of Australian rules football Australian rules football was invented in Melbourne, Australia, in 1858. The first match identified as a direct precursor to the codification of Australian football was organised and umpired by Tom Wills and contested on 31 July between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College, adjacent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground at the Richmond Paddock. The oldest surviving set of rules of Australian rules football were drawn up on 17 May 1859, three days after the formation of the Melbourne Football Club. The origins of Australian football before 1858 are still the subject of much debate, as title: Australian rules football in Australia text: Australian rules football in Australia Australian rules football originated in Melbourne in 1858. It has been played continuously in every state and territory of Australia since 1915, and is particularly popular in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory where it is the most watched and most played sport. The national professional competition is the Australian Football League, which grew out of the former Victorian Football League (not to be confused with the present-day Victorian Football League), changing its name in 1990 after expanding into other states. The AFL now governs the code nationally. Football is the most title: History of Australian rules football text: match. Shortly after the game was invented it began to spread from Victoria into other Australian colonies and over seas, beginning with South Australia (1860), Tasmania (1864), Queensland (1866), New South Wales (1877), New Zealand (1868) and Western Australia (1881). By 1916 the game was first played in the Northern Territory, establishing a permanent presence in all Australian states and Mainland territories. In Newcastle, New South Wales the Black Diamond league was founded by Victorian goldminers and the Black Diamond Challenge Cup remains Australia's oldest sporting trophy. The first intercolonial match was held between Victoria and South Australia in 1879. title: Origins of Australian rules football text: Origins of Australian rules football The origins of Australian rules football date back to the late 1850s in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. There is documentary evidence of "foot-ball" being played in Australia as early as the 1820s. These games were poorly documented but appear to have been informal, one-off affairs. In 1858, cricketers, sports' enthusiasts and school students began to regularly play variants of English public school football in the parklands of Melbourne. The following year, when the Melbourne Football Club was formed, four members codified the first laws of Australian rules football. Professional historians began to take title: Football in Australia text: a result of contact occurred 71% of the time compared to other causes of injury. Early forms of football were played in Sydney by 1829. Regular football competitions were organised in New South Wales by 1850 (an early form of Rugby), with organised competition being played in Queensland (Rugby) and Victoria (Victorian Rules football) soon after. Victorian rules football was codified in 1858. Australian rules football clubs still around in the current Australian Football League were founded by 1858. Australian rules was first played in Australia in 1859. A rugby union team was established at the University of Sydney in