Every country has their own preferred sports, and Australia is no different, with several popular sports becoming definitively more ‘Aussie’. Whether you like footy, rugby, soccer, or cricket, here’s what fellow Aussies consider the best of ‘down under’.
Football
We do love our footy. During the colder months, Aussies flock to football stadiums to watch their favourite teams. A bit confusingly, Australia has four major football bodies, with a professional league for each. They include the Australian Football League (AFL), Australian Rugby Union (ARU), National Rugby League (NRL) (more on these in a minute), and the Football Federation Australian (FFA).
Actually, in each state, football can mean something different. In areas like the North, the South, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australian, football means Australian rules football. Australian football rules refers to a contact sport played between two teams of eighteen players with a oval shaped ball in a modified cricket ground. In the capital area, New South Wales, and Queensland, it might mean rugby. The word ‘soccer’ refers to the game played by the FFA’s rules.
Rugby
Of course Rugby makes the list of the most popular sports in Australia, with mostly the eastern states of Australia play in the NRL or The National Rugby League – in fact, the majority of the 16 teams in the NRL are based in and around Sydney. Australia also has the Rugby Union (the Wallabies are the most popular team). Each year the Wallabies compete against rivals South Africa and New Zealand in the Tri-Nations Series. There’s also the international Rugby World Cup between the world’s top teams to look forward to – first held in 1987, the Rugby World Cup was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Australia has taken home the William Webb Ellis Cup twice. Because obviously.
Cricket
In the summer months, Aussies enjoy a game of backyard cricket or watch some matches on TV. Between BBQs and beach trips, Australians all over the country like to play cricket – it’s kind of our thing. The sport has lost some steam in recent years, but the launch of the Big Bash League has become popular. Played in games of under four hours, each team bats for 20-overs each in the Big Bash League competitions.
Basketball
Basketball has become one of the most popular sports in the world and that includes Australia. In fact, a whopping 1 million + Aussies play basketball. This number continues to grow as more Australians succeed in America’s NBA. Players like Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, Andrew Bogut, and Andrew Dellavedova have made a name for themselves as Australian NBA players.
Australia Sports Betting
Whether you like football, rugby, or cricket, you can bet on them all at Australian betting sites. Sports betting gets you in the game more than ever before. You can make money using all your knowledge about sports by betting on the winning team. The best sports betting sites in Australia have all kinds of features like free betting bonuses, live betting, and more.
Enjoy all of your favourite sports from anywhere. Sports betting sites not only offer betting, but they also keep track of all the latest stats and even stream the games. Get in on the action and make smarter bets with updates available on your computer or mobile phones.