International rules football (Irish: Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland) is a hybrid code of football, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players.
The first tour, known as the Australian Football World Tour, took place in 1967, with matches played in Ireland, the UK, and the United States. The following year, games were played between Australia and a touring County Meath Gaelic football team; Meath being that year's All-Ireland football champions.[1] Following intermittent international tests between Australia and Ireland, the International Rules Series between senior teams from Australia (Australian Football League) and Ireland (Gaelic Athletic Association) was played annually between 1998 and 2006, and has generally been a closely matched contest with the early series generally going to the visiting team, and later titles almost always going to the host team.
International rules football is one of few team sports or football codes in the world without any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by men's, junior's and women's teams only in tournaments or once-off test matches.
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The first games were the idea of Australian sports broadcaster and media personality Harry Beitzel, who organised a tour in October 1967 to play County Meath after Meath had won that year's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The Galahs defeated County Meath 3-16 to 1-10 at Croke Park, and then defeated County Mayo 2-12 to 2-5. The following year, Beitzel organised a second series, the Australian Football World Tour, in which an Australian representative team played six matches against Gaelic sides London, Dublin, Meath, Kerry, and New York. In 1968, Meath visited Australia for a five-match tour, winning all the games by an aggregate score of 26-43 to 3-29.[2] The feature game of the tour was their victorious rematch with the Galahs at Princes Park in Melbourne. Kerry also won all their games when they toured Australia in 1970.[3] Beitzel returned in October 1978 and his team played UCD, Dublin and Kerry.[4] It wasn’t until after Australian schoolboy teams toured Ireland in 1981 and ‘84 and a Dublin Colleges team toured Australia in 1983 that a full-blown international rules series was arranged.[5]
During the 1980s, at times both teams wore sleeveless Aussie Rules jumpers, with the Australians in a sleeveless yellow (gold) Aussie Rules styled jumper and Ireland at times wore a green sleeveless jumper with a white trim. Prime minister Bob Hawke and wife Hazel toured Ireland with the Australian team in 1987.
| Year | Host Country | Results | Stadium | Location | Crowd | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17 1990 | Australia | Australia 50 d. Ireland 44 | WACA | Perth | 7,700 | |
| Nov. 10 1990 | Australia | Ireland 52 d. Australia 31 | Bruce Stadium | Canberra | 7,000 | |
| Nov. 2 1990 | Australia | Ireland 47 d. Australia 38 | Waverley Park | Melbourne | 18,332 | |
| Nov. 1 1987 | Ireland | Australia 59 d. Ireland 55 | Croke Park | Dublin | 27,023 | |
| Oct. 25 1987 | Ireland | Australia 72 d. Ireland 47 | Croke Park | Dublin | 15,485 | |
| Oct. 18 1987 | Ireland | Ireland 53 d. Australia 51 | Croke Park | Dublin | 15,532 | |
| Oct. 24 1986 | Australia | Ireland 55 d. Australia 32 | Football Park | Adelaide | 10,000 | |
| Oct. 19 1986 | Australia | Ireland 62 d. Australia 46 | Waverley Park | Melbourne | 10,883 | |
| Oct. 10 1986 | Australia | Australia 64 d. Ireland 57 | WACA | Perth | 24,000 | |
| Oct. 28 1984 | Ireland | Australia 76 d. Ireland 71 | Croke Park | Dublin | 32,318 | |
| Oct. 28 1984 | Ireland | Ireland 80 d. Australia 76 | Croke Park | Dublin | 12,500 | |
| Oct. 21 1984 | Ireland | Australia 70 d. Ireland 57 | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | Cork | 8,000 |
The current senior International Rules Series is played each October, after the completion of the AFL grand final and GAA football final, which are both played on the last weekend of September.
The Irish team is selected by the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Australian team is selected by the Australian Football League.
The series alternates host countries each year between Ireland and Australia. Between 1998 and 2006, the average attendance was 48,199. Ireland had won seven matches, while Australia had won five, with a further two being drawn. The 2006 series sold out both matches in Ireland and set a record for international sports in Ireland with a crowd of 82,127 at Croke Park.
Following controversies in the 2006 series, including an Irish player being knocked unconscious in a tackle, the Irish team coach and GAA president again cast doubts on the future of the series. The AFL's chief, however expressed optimism. The two organisations agreed to meet to once again discuss the series.
The International Rules series resumed in October 2008 with Ireland defeating the Australians by 5 points on aggregate (the series was played in Australia).
Among the first schoolboys international test was played in Melbourne in 1983, when a Victorian under 17 team played Ireland. An interesting twist in these compromise matches is that the ball used was the oval shaped Australian football rather than the round ball.[6]
In 2005, in addition to the annual senior international series, Australia and Ireland began to play an under 19 and under 17 contest. Australia won the 2006 series.[7] The junior series was largely instituted by both leagues as a means to identify emerging talent.
The Australian Amateur Football Council has sent an amateur All-Australian team to Ireland in both 2005 and 2008. Unlike the professional vs amateur matches between the AFL and GAA, these matches are fully amateur which has typically meant stronger Irish sides. The Australian amateur team wears a different jersey to the AFL representative side, dark green and gold, with a kangaroo emblem.
| Date | Teams | Stadium | Location | Crowd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Ireland vs Australia (U23) | Donaghmore-Ashbourne stadium | Ashbourne, County Meath | 2,500 | [8] |
| 2008 | Sydney AFL: 4.3.10 (43) def NSWGAA: 3.6.6 (42) | Mahoney Park | Marrickville, New South Wales | [9] |
Ladies' Gaelic football has been growing almost exponentially in Ireland since the 1970s with over 100,000 women and girls playing in 2006 and figures expected to reach 150,000 by 2010. Women's footy has far fewer players, but numbers have grown strongly since the 1990s. In early 2006 representatives of the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and Women's Australian Football Leagues met at a Ladies' Gaelic football festival in Singapore, and agreed to compete in the hybrid version of the two football codes to coincide with the senior men's series.
| Date | Teams | Stadium | Location | Crowd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 October, 2006 | Ireland 3-5-6 (39) def Australia 0-4-6 (18) | Parnell Park | Dublin | broadcast live on Irish channel TG4 and Australia on Setanta Sports Australia[10] | |
| 4 November, 2006 | Ireland 6-26-16 (130) def Australia 1-2-3 (15) | Breffni Park | Cavan | broadcast live on Irish channel TG4 and Australia on Setanta Sports Australia |
International rules also has a masters category with several competitions. There is also a Masters International Rules Series which follows the format of the senior men's series and involves many retired AFL and GAA players.
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The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with Gaelic footballers being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field (Australian rules uses an oval ball and field), while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark, from Australian rules football, with a free kick awarded for any ball caught from a kick of over 15 metres.[11]
A player must bounce, solo or touch the ball on the ground once every 10 metres or six steps.[11] A maximum of two bounces per possession are allowed, while players can solo the ball as often as they wish on a possession.[11] Unlike in Gaelic football, the ball may be lifted directly off the ground, without putting a foot underneath it first.[11] Players however cannot scoop the ball off the ground to a team-mate, nor pick up the ball if they are on their knees or on the ground.[11] If a foul is committed, a free kick will be awarded, referees can give the fouled player advantage to play on at their discretion.[11]
The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a crossbar and goal net as in Gaelic football.
Points are scored as follows:
Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 behinds, the score is written as 1-4-10 (28), meaning one goal (six points) plus 4 overs (4 × 3 = 12 points) plus 10 behinds (10 × 1 = 10 points), for a total score of 28 points.
An international rules match lasts for 72 minutes (divided into four quarters of 18 minutes each).[11] Inter-county Gaelic football matches go on for 70 minutes, divided into two halves, and Australian rules matches consists of four 20 minutes quarters of game time, athough with the addition of stoppage time, most quarters actually last between 25 and 30 minutes.
As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules (with no keeper).
A number of rule changes were introduced before the 2006 International Rules Series:
International Rules is played in various locations throughout North America and the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, Australia and New Zealand between fledgling Australian rules football and Gaelic football clubs.
In 2006, an exhibition match between South African youth teams and an Indigenous Australian touring side composed of players from the Clontarf Foundation, led by Sydney's Adam Goodes, was held at Potchefstroom.