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In 2024, the Australian Football League (AFL) in Australia generated over  million Australian dollars in revenue. Between 2012 and 2019, the AFL's annual revenue rose steadily to a peak of almost *** million dollars before dipping in 2020. That year, the season was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, and games scheduled to be played at the country’s largest stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), were relocated to smaller, interstate stadiums due to COVID-19-related restrictions and lockdowns.

The evolution of Australian Football

Australian rules football, footy, Aussie rules — Australian football has played a significant role in the country’s culture since its inception in Melbourne in the late 1850s. Originally designed to keep cricket players fit during the off-season, the Australian Football League has evolved into a league with over *** million supporter members spread among the 18 clubs. The game is also a popular physical activity choice among Australian adults, with around *** thousand adults participating in the sport in 2024 and many more in AFL clubs across the globe. Since 2019, residents of Victoria have enjoyed a public holiday the day before the AFL Grand Final to observe the Grand Final Parade through the city of Melbourne.

Melbourne – the sporting capital of Australia

Aside from Australian Football, Melbourne is home to several other world-renowned sporting events, including the Australian Open, the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, the Boxing Day Test Match, and the Melbourne Cup. It is also the location of one of the biggest sporting stadiums in the world, the MCG, which can host over 100,000 spectators. Cricket events have drawn some of the largest crowds to the ground since the .