This information is taken from the AFL 2009 Annual Report
Participation
Total Australian Football participant numbers in 2009 were a record 732,803. This was an increase of 5 per cent on 2008 participation, which numbered 693,052.
The Australian Football participation census is compiled annually and includes only formal participants and players in organised competitions and programs of at least six weeks’ duration.
Participation segment breakdowns reveals that there were:
» 296,405 participants in club competitions
» 168,973 in NAB AFL Auskick
» 241,861 in school competitions
» 3062 in Recreational Football
» 6001 in veterans competitions
» 16,501 in dedicated women’s/girls competitions
Details
Total participants in other countries reached 52,908. Participation is spread across 273 clubs in 38 senior leagues on all continents.
In 2009, 168,973 children participated in the program at 2913 centres around the country. 23,000 NAB AFL Auskick participants were also provided with the opportunity to play grid games at half-time of AFL matches across the country.
In 2009, 241,861 students participated in primary (164,134) and secondary (77,727) school competitions and programs of greater than six weeks’ duration. This is an increase of 10.6 per cent at primary school level and 18.2 per cent at secondary school level from 2008 census figures.
In 2009, inter- and intra-school team numbers increased by 19.9 per cent to 13,402 in competitions of greater than six weeks’ duration; the total included 9679 primary school and 3723 secondary school teams.
In 2009, 12,668 female students participated in dedicated female competitions and another 29,713 in mixed school teams
In 2009, the AFL development network conducted school visits and clinics that reached 1,260,494 children.
Our game’s community football infrastructure, consisting of 270 leagues, 2517 clubs, 12,179 teams and 296,405 participants, represents 40.4 per cent of all Australian Football participants.