# New South Wales Football Association

The New South Wales Football Association was the governing body for Australian rules football in New South Wales between 1880 and 1893. It oversaw an Australian rules competition based in Sydney and governed the Laws of Australian Football in the colony. Matches were mostly played at Moore Park in Sydney. The competition is a predecessor to the current Sydney AFL, with some clubs, notably Sydney and East Sydney being reformed as foundation clubs of that competition in 1903. The game's early presence in Sydney is poorly documented, partly due to the bitter distaste that the Sydney media's displayed toward the Victorian code.
The first grade competition was known as the Flanagan Cup. Around 5 clubs competing simultaneously at any point the league's history. Many other clubs, particularly the Catholic schools participated in the association's junior grades.

## Background

Harry Hedger and George Walker, rugby players of the Waratah Football Club were among the first to agitate for the adoption of Australian rules in New South Wales, citing the enormous popularity of the code in the rival colony of Victoria. Having learned the game playing test matches against the Carlton Football Club of Melbourne in 1877 many others urged others to put aside their intercolonial rivalry and take up the sport.
   Some players, I am aware, can't swallow the idea of adopting the Victorian Game, simply because it is supposed to hail from the sister colony.
Reporter, The Sydney Mail
In late June 1880 a large ground of rugby players, dissatisfied with the British games rules, gathered to form a new competition that would adopt the Victorian rules. There was considerable opposition in the Sydney community to a Victorian Rules competition being established. However A. II. Gregory and G. A. Crisp called a meeting in Woollahra in 1880 with such a goal in mind.
The two founding member clubs were Sydney and East Sydney, formed on August 7, 1880. The first season commenced in 1881. The body saw it necessary to make rule changes to appeal to rugby followers, in particular, was vocal on the necessity of a Push in the back rule to reduce the game's roughness and make it more appealing to rugby players.
By 1883 there were 9 clubs in the association. Among the clubs that were formed were West Sydney, South Sydney, City, Our Boys, Granville, Wallsend, Merewether, Hamilton, St Ignatius and St Joseph college along with Balmain and Woollahra formed a year later.
The NSWFA began a sharp decline in interest from 1890 which Healy (2022) attributes to a combination of the departure of the president and Cricket Phillip Sheridan (trustee of what is now the Sydney Cricket Ground) and an Australian economic depression leaving the association without access to enclosed grounds. Poor management also impacted the long term sustainabililty of the competition.
The Southern Rugby Football Union (SRFU) instituted a ban on rugby players from playing Australian rules which impacted playing numbers. By 1893 there were no clubs left to continue the competition.

## Clubs

| Club | Formed | Participating years |
| Sydney | 1880 (7 August) | 1881-? |
| East Sydney | 1880 (7 August) | 1881-? |
| Petersham | | 1882-? |
| Maitland | | 1882-? |
| Waratah | 1873 (as rugby club) | 1882-? |
| Balmain | 1881 | 1881-? |
| Woollahra | 1881 | 1881-? |
| West Sydney | | 1882-? |
| South Sydney | | 1882-? |
| City | | 1883-? |
| Our Boys | | 1883-? |
| Granville | | 1883-? |
| Wallsend | | 1883-? |
| Merewther | | 1883-? |
| Hamilton | | 1883-? |
| St Ignatius College | | 1883-? |
| St Joseph's College | | 1883-? |
| Sydney University Football Club | 1865 | 1887-? |
| Kogarah | 1887 | 1887-? |