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HISTORY The game was probably first played in Australia by English immigrants during the 1860s , following the formation of the Football Association in London in 1863 , and the circulation of its rules, from that time onwards. However, the first recorded club was Wanderers, founded by a school teacher named John Walter Fletcher at Parramatta in 1880 . The first game known to have occurred in Australia under FA rules took place the same year, when Wanderers played the Kings School Rugby Football team at Parramatta Common on August 14 . However the oldest existing club is Balgownie Rangers , founded in 1883 , which still competes in the Illawarra regional league. Early Governing Bodies The early governing bodies of the sport in Australia had to distinguish themselves from Australian rules football and rugby football, rival sports which had became very popular in the various Australian Colonies during the 1860s and 1870s. The New South Wales (NSW) association was founded by Fletcher in 1882 as the ''English Football Association'' (later to become the ''Southern British Football Association''); NSW and the neighbouring Colony of Victoria played each other for the first time in 1883 . A Victorian association, the ''Anglo-Australian Football Association'' was founded in 1884 ; the '' Queensland British Football Association'' followed in 1889 ; the '' Western Australian British Football Association'' in 1896 (renamed the ''Western Australian Soccer Football Association'' in September 1925); the '' South Australian British Football Association'' in 1902 ; and a Tasmanian association in about 1910-1912. The first Australia-wide body was the ''Commonwealth Football Association'', formed in 1912 , although this folded two years later. Effects of Immigration While native-born Australians overwhelmingly played and watched Australian Football or Rugby football of either code, soccer was highly popular with the various , Scottish , Greek , Italian , Macedonians and Croatia n communities gave rise to most of the largest clubs. At the time, the game served as a bonding force within those ethnic communities, and as a point of identity amongst them and the wider Australian community. A similarly increasing number of British migrants also retained an interest in the sport. Johnny Warren , who was a member of the National Team at their first World Cup appearance, in 1974 , entitled his memoir ''Sheilas, Wogs, and Poofters'', giving an indication of how the wider Australian community viewed "wogball" in the 1970s. LEAGUE SYSTEM The league system in Australia since 1977 has involved a one divisional league controlled by the national body and many leagues run within each state below that with no promotion or relegation between the two. National Football League The National Soccer League (NSL) was established in 1977 and was arguably the first truly national football competition in Australia. This league, along with Soccer Australia , was disbanded in 2004 , and was replaced by the A-League and by Football Federation Australia respectively. The first season of the new league began in August 2005 , and has achieved very respectable crowds - the average attendance for the Inaugural Season almost tripled the highest average attendance for the NSL. State Football Leagues The following state federations are responsible for administering local football league systems, which sit underneath the A-League :
Cup Competitions There is currently no national FA Cup style knock out competition however each state has it's own cup competitions. NATIONAL TEAMS Australia enters national teams into women's and men's competitions including in all under age competitions, as recognized by FIFA . Men's National Team The Australian National Football Team is nicknamed the ''Socceroos'', although FFA now refers to the team simply as "Australia". Nevertheless, the name Socceroos is still popularly used. On November 16, 2005, the Socceroos Defeated Uruguay 4-2 in a penalty shootout to secure a place in the , the first time Australia has been in the World Cup since 1974 . Prime Minister John Howard asked employers to turn a blind eye to workers turning up late for work the following day, highlighting the widespread interest in the match. Women's National Team The Australian National Womens Team are known as the ''Matildas'' and regularly qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup and Olympics . FUTSAL See Also: Futsal in Australia Futsal (futebol de salão) activities in Australia, including the National Futsal Championships, are organised by a National Futsal Commission. The following Futsal State Federations are members of the National Futsal Commission:
''Note: Not to be confused with other forms of indoor football such as Five-a-side Football or Indoor Soccer .'' SEE ALSO
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