The History of Rugby League in Australia.

Rugby League is one of the most popular sports in Australia, where it has been played for over 100 years since 1908. It is arguably the most popular sport in both New South Wales and Queensland, as well as Australia's capital, the ACT.

The sport came to be in the early 1900's when the Northern Rugby Football Union broke away from the already established Rugby Football Union to start their own competition. Over time, the rugby played in these newly formed competitions evolved into a new sport, one that would be called Rugby League.

Teams were reduced to 13 players from 15, and the "play-the-ball" was introduced to lessen the need for scrums and to replace rugby union's scrappy rucks and mauls which some don't find appealing to watch. These changes made League the far more popular code in Australia for both spectators and players.

In 1907 the NSW Rugby League formed, and within a year later the first club, Glebe District Rugby League Football Club, was introduced. Glebe was shortly followed by Souths, Newtown, Easts, Norths, Balmain, Wests, Newcastle and Cumberland. The only clubs of these remaining in the national competition today are Easts (Sydney Roosters) and Souths (South Sydney Rabbitohs).

The game only grew from there on out, in 2008, a century of Rugby League in Australia was celebrated. In 2009, Rugby League's popularity in Australia was confirmed as it had the highest television ratings of any sport in the country.

Written by Brady Gerber, GEBRD1402.