Since the Australians took up rugby league for the first time in 1908, the game has gained immense popularity in the island continent. The country also boasts of a rich history in the sport having dominated over the other rugby-playing nations in the major part of their rugby playing history.
It also has a keen rivalry in the game with its neighbor New Zealand. In Australia, the game of rugby league is extremely popular, especially in the provinces of New South Wales and Queensland. These two provinces contribute about 85% of the number of players playing rugby league in Australia.
Australian Rugby League, the governing body for the sport of rugby in Australia, is in charge of the Australian national rugby team and the Rugby League State of Origin competition. It is an annual inter-state competition featuring the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons who play each other in a series of three rugby league matches. The National Rugby League organizes several other semi-professional and amateur competitions in the island continent. These include the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, Brisbane Rugby League and Metropolitan Cup. Apart from these city-based competitions, the National Rugby League also arranges a number of competitions in rural Queensland and New South Wales and Amateur competitions in states like Victoria and Western Australia. An annual competition between the players of the rural areas and those of the cities are held under the title of City vs Country Origin which owes its origin to a match played in 1911 between a Metropolitan team and a Country team. There are also different Premier Leagues played in the different states.
With rugby league gaining popularity in Australia, more and more players are leaning towards the game. The number of players in the year 2005 was 223,204 which saw a sharp increase in 2006 and reached the figure of 371,557. Statistics have showed that most of the rugby league players are aged between 18 to 24 years and the remaining are between 25 to 34 years and 35 to 44 years.
A number of steps have been taken to make the sport friendlier to the kids who are taking on the game. These include the introduction of Footy and Mod League. The popularity of the game in the country has also helped its spread among women and presently, a number of women players participate in the Women's Rugby League in Australia.
The Australian national rugby league team, commonly known as the Kangaroos, is among the best in the world of rugby. They have had a lot of success in the international arena which they would like to emulate in years to come. Their success also helped the spread of the game in the island continent and take its seat there as one of the most popular games.
