“Aussie Rules” Rules the Roost in Nauru

In sports-mad Nauru, AFL - or “Aussie Rules” - stands head and shoulders above every other sporting code, cementing its unequivocal status as the country’s national sport.

An estimated 30 per cent of Nauruans compete in the gruelling 18-player-a-side football game across a range of competitions, earning it the highest AFL participation rate in the world (including the sport’s native home of Australia).

Former sitting Nauruan Prime Ministers are known to have played for district AFL teams, yet it’s at the grassroots level where the sporting code is at its strongest.

Annual boys and girls competitions, along with a local league in which Nauruan sides adopt the names of Australian AFL teams, showcase the passion Nauru’s population has for the game.

Established in the Australian state of Victoria in the 19^th century, AFL is a highly mobile sport in which teams kick, handball and ruck the football around an oval field, with points scored by slotting the ball between goal posts at opposing ends.

Games are highly physical encounters, often resulting in fierce collisions and requiring great stamina, with some players running many kilometers in a single game.

Unlike the lush turf seen on Australian AFL fields, Nauru’s premier venue – the stony Linkbelt Oval – poses an added physical challenge for players, which arguably makes the contest even more of a spectacle for fans.

Even with its tiny population, Nauru AFL teams punch well above their weight on the international stage with the national women’s being the current Pacific champions and the men’s team Pacific runners-up.

In 2024 the Australian Defence Force partnered with AFL Nauru to deliver a sports training program aimed at fostering advanced skills in areas such as coaching, umpiring and first aid.

The Australian Government also partners with the Australian Football League to strengthen Aussie Rules pathways in Nauru and other Pacific nations.