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- Australian rules football in the United States (most commonly referred to simply as "Footy" but sometimes "Aussie Rules" or AFL) is a team and spectator sport which has grown rapidly since the late 1990s. It was originally introduced to the United States of America (USA) in 1906 and by 1910 "field ball" or "fieldball", as Australian rules football was called, in San Francisco Bay area schools, filled a niche that was later occupied by soccer. By 1911 with the rapid expansion to schools and colleges in three major cities the US overtook New Zealand to become the second largest Australian football playing nation in the world and there were three reciprocal tours with international matches played at junior level between 1909 and 1919. However availability of officials, large fields, squads of sufficient size and difficulty in differentiating the sport from rugby as well as a lack of support from the game's administrators in Australia stunted its growth and it went into permanent recess at the end of the 1920s. The sport was rekindled in the 1980s through interest generated mainly from television highlights from Australia. Prior to this, it has been confused with rugby football which is less popular than American football in the US. The world governing body, the AFL Commission has made efforts to differentiate it from rugby, producing educational videos such as "What is AFL?" aimed at a North American audience. The current national club competition and governing body, the United States Australian Football League (USAFL) traces its origins back to 1996. Today there are numerous leagues around the country. The USAFL National Championships is the largest club tournament in the world. The national men's team - the USA Revolution - debuted in 1999, its best result is bronze the 2005 Australian Football International Cup and has won the 49th Parallel Cup 10 out of 11 times. The national women's team, the USA Freedom - debuted in 2007 and reached bronze in the 2011 Australian Football International Cup. A national youth team has also been established and participation is growing in women's teams, junior teams and in modified and non-contact variations such as Metro Footy and Footy 7s. AFL clubs began taking interest in converting American athletes, particularly college basketballers into professional Australian rules footballers from 2010 through the AFL International Combine. While many moved to Australia to further their careers, only two have made the grade: Jason Holmes and Mason Cox, with the latter's success in the AFL contributing to a boom in American interest in the sport since 2016. (en)
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