Australian rules football in South Australia has long been the most popular sport in the state. It is governed by the South Australian Football Commission which runs the South Australia National Football League, the highest profile competition among the 24 spread across the state. South Australia has the third most players of any state and has the second highest participation rate per capita (4.8%).[2] It is the only state in Australia where Australian rules football participation is higher than soccer.[2]
Forms of football were played very early in the history of the Colony of South Australia pre-dating the organisation of Australian rules football in Victoria and rivalled football's popularity there. In 1877, the colony officially adopted the code in order to compete in the very first intercolonial representative football match in Australia against Victoria. The first governing body, the South Australian Football Association (now SANFL) formed on 13 April 1877, remains the oldest in Australia. Its clubs rivalled Victoria's in popularity and won 9 of 19 Championship of Australia titles from 1888 to 1975. Even with its current semi-professional status, it remains the second most popular and third strongest competition in the world in the sport.
There are two professional Australian Football League clubs based in the state: the Adelaide Football Club (1990) and Port Adelaide Football Club (1870), the latter having the distinction of being the only pre-existing club to have entered the AFL from another league, as a founding member of the SAFA (SANFL). These two clubs compete against each other in the "Showdown". South Australia was chosen to host 'Gather Round' a special round where all AFL matches are played in one state annually between 2023 and 2026.
It is the most watched sport and has the second largest television audience in the country.[3] From 1976 to 2003 the SANFL held the record for the largest attendance in the sport outside of Victoria. South Australia holds the world record for a non-VFL/AFL attendance with the 1976 SANFL Grand Final drawing an estimated 80,000 spectators which remains the record crowd for any code of football in the state and the third highest official attendance outside of Victoria. The SANFL remains the second most attended league worldwide in the sport and attracts a television audience larger than that of some AFL clubs. Since 1991 South Australia has attracted an average AFL premiership season attendance of 35,919, second in the country, boosted with the 2014 upgrade of the Adelaide Oval the state's flagship venue.
The South Australian state football team (the "Croweaters") have defeated every state in Interstate matches in Australian rules football and has an intense rivalry with Victoria inspiring the popular catchcry "Kick a Vic". The state has the second most State of Origin titles. 3 time South Australian captain Russell Ebert has the most caps in State of Origin. South Australia hosted national carnivals in 1911, 1930, 1953, 1969, 1975, 1980 and 1988.
The state has produced some of the greatest Australian Footballers of all time, including the Australian Football Hall of Fame legends: Barrie Robran, Malcolm Blight, Jack Oatey and Russell Ebert. Almost a thousand born and raised players have participated in the AFL/AFLW. Craig Bradley holds the record for the most AFL games for a born and raised South Australian with 375, while Stephen Kernahan has kicked the most AFL goals with 738. In women's Australian rules, current player Erin Phillips is arguably the greatest with 2 AFLW best and fairests and also has kicked the most goals, while Ebony Marinoff has played the most AFLW games.
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