Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club
Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club (often referred to as OUARFC) is an Australian rules football club representing the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The Club operates under the auspices of the Oxford University Sport Federation[1].
History
The club was founded in 1906 by Prescott Harper, a Rhodes Scholar (Oriel & Western Australia, 1905)[2]. The team was initially made up primarily of Rhodes Scholars from Australia and South Africa. The first match against a University of Cambridge team took place on March 18th 1911, in Oxford. The Oxford team was captained by Alfred Clemes, also a Rhodes scholar (Magdalen & Tasmania, 1908). The game was won by Oxford. There is no known record of other games against Cambridge until 1921, when the regular Varsity fixture commenced with the Cambridge University Australian Rules Football Club. The Varsity Match has continued without any missed fixtures through until 2020. This history makes the AFL Oxford v Cambridge Varsity Match one of the oldest varsity matches,[3] and an early example of the spread of Australian rules football around the world.
Since its inception in 2018 the Club has participated in the National University League of AFL England. Teams within this league include the University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham and a combined team of players from Universities of South Wales. The Club also plays occasional games against teams from around the Europe and the UK including Odense, Copenhagen, Malmo, Cork, Putney, Reading, and Edinburgh.
With the formalisation of the AFL London league throughout the 2010s the Club has played friendly games with teams in this league including the London Swans.
The Club has received sponsorship from Australian businesses in the past, most recently in 2017 from National Australia Bank (NAB).
Team composition and notable players
Players have included notable Australians such as Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Chris Maxwell and Joseph Santamaria, the prominent businessman Sir Rod Eddington, mining executive Andrew Michelmore, and former AFL Commission Chairman and former Carlton Football Club captain Mike Fitzpatrick.[3]
The team often included multiple Rhodes Scholars,[3] and Sir John Monash Scholars, while both teams also often attract an influx of rugby league and rugby union players of Australian heritage.[3]
In recent years, players from Ireland and Canada have become common as the sport's reach extends internationally, and due to the similarity of the game with Gaelic Football.[3]
Media coverage
Both ESPN and ABC News 24 covered the 2011 Varsity Match. Other news outlets in both Australia and the UK cover the activities from time to time.
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "OUARFC". OUARFC. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
