| Soccer in Australia | |
|---|---|
 The Australian national team playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, May 2006 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Governing body | Football Australia (FA) |
| National team(s) | Australia men's national soccer team Australia women's national soccer team |
| Nickname(s) | Socceroos, Matildas |
| First played | 7 August 1875 Goodna Queensland. |
| Clubs | 14,021[citation needed] |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Audience records | |
| Single match | 114,000 Spain vs Cameroon; Stadium Australia, 30 September 2000[1] (National teams) 99,382 Real Madrid vs Manchester City; Melbourne Cricket Ground, 24 July 2015 (Club teams) |
Soccer is the most played outdoor club sport in Australia,[2][3] and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015.[4] The national governing body of the sport is Football Australia (FA), which until 2019, organised the A-League Men, A-League Women, and still organises the Australia Cup, as well as the men's and women's national teams (known as the Socceroos and the Matildas, respectively). The FA comprises nine state and territory member federations, which oversee the sport within their respective region.
Modern soccer was introduced in Australia in the late 19th century by mostly British immigrants. The first club formed in the country, Wanderers, was founded on 3 August 1880 in Sydney, while the oldest club in Australia currently in existence is Balgownie Rangers, formed in 1883 in Wollongong. Wanderers were also the first known recorded team to play under the Laws of the Game.
A semi-professional national league, the National Soccer League, was introduced in 1977. The NSL was replaced by professional A-League, in 2004, which has contributed to a rise in popularity in the sport. Australia was a founding member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) before moving to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006.
- ^ Higham, James (2012). Sport Tourism Destinations. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7506-5937-6.
- ^ "Australia's most popular sport: Landmark study". The New Daily. 28 March 2018.
- ^ "The Top 20 sports played by Aussies young and old(er)". Roy Morgan. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "AFL is clearly Australia's most watched Football Code, while V8 Supercars have the local edge over Formula 1". Roy Morgan. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.