Football books for the Grand Final weekend
Whether or not your team made it to the finals, this weekend's Grand Final has the attention of fans nation-wide. But there's only so much pre-match commentary and speculation a person can take, so why not occupy the time before the first bounce by reading up on Australia's biggest sport! From an inside look at the business of AFL, to celebrations of the community sport creates, and even delightful kids books for young footy fans, this list has something for any AFL junkie.
The Boys’ Club by Michael Warner
The Boys’ Club is the must-read inside story behind the power and politics of the AFL, Australia’s biggest sport.
Revealing how a fledgling State-administrative body evolved into the Australian Football League, and its meteoric rise to become one of the richest and most powerful organisations in the land, award-winning investigative journalist Mick Warner delivers a fascinating insight into key figures and their networks.
From the Outer: Footy Like You’ve Never Heard It by Nicole Hayes and Alicia Sometimes
A celebration of our great game, From the Outer brings together 30 personal stories about Aussie Rules from unexpected voices.
Some are closet fans, some are out and proud. Many are ground-breaking and revolutionary, shaking up the institution that has dominated cultural life in Melbourne, and much of Australia, for generations. Hear from Leila Gurruwiwi, panellist on Australia’s first all-Indigenous footy show; Angela Pippos, one of Australia’s first female sports commentators; and Jason Tuazon-McCheyne, founder of the first LGBTQIA+ supporter group, the Purple Bombers. Others including Christos Tsiolkas, Sophie Cunningham, Tony Birch and Alice Pung, share their poignant, passionate experiences as spectators and supporters.
The Immortals of Australian Football by Andrew Clarke
The Immortals of Australian Football celebrates the greatest players from Australia's favourite game. It takes the Immortals concept made famous elsewhere in the sporting world and applies it to AFL.
Selections include the pioneering Roy Cazaly, legendary figures Ron Barassi and Leigh Matthews, and modern-era greats such as Lance Franklin and Dustin Martin. Each Immortal's remarkable story and contribution to the sport is expertly told.
The Football War: The VFA and VFL's Battle for Supremacy by Xavier Fowler
In the shadow of the impending Second World War, a battle for control kicked off between two rival factions in Australian Rules football – the powerful upstart Victorian Football League, comprising the strongest inner-city clubs, and the struggling Victorian Football Association, which sought new teams and spectators in Melbourne's growing outer suburbs. The conflict spilled out of Victoria, inciting division and discord in almost every corner of the country.
The Footy Jumper Book – Vintage Football Guernseys of Australia edited by Tim Rath, Andrew Gigacz and Vin Maskell
The Footy Jumper Book takes the reader from the big leagues to the bush, highlighting jumpers that are iconic, through to those that are unusual. There are jumpers such as Leigh Matthews' Hawthorn guernsey, Polly Farmer's State guernsey and Ron Barassi's Melbourne guernsey, through to jumpers from long lost teams from places like Victoria's Mallee region, where once thirty two teams were subsumed into one over the space of several decades. A collaboration between more than 120 former players, collectors and clubs throughout Australia, the book is unique in its scope and scale; never before has there been such a substantive record of the designs, teams, players and stories from our beloved game.
For the younger footy fans . . .
Jy Goes for Gold by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler with Jy Farrar, illustrated by Samantha Campbell
I'm Jy Farrar and the dream I had to play professional footy since I was a kid in outback Halls Creek has finally come true.
Let me tell you the story of how I got here – about my mates, my family, growing up in the Kimberley around the bush and the red dirt and spinifex and goannas, playing footy and going to boarding school far away from home.
For ages 8+
How to Tackle Your Dreams by Fiona Hardy
Everyone knows that Homer loves Australian Rules football. But ever since his dad moved away and his mum was drafted in the women’s league, something has changed.
He’s spending more time fixing clothes with his grandfather than scoring goals with his friends. When Homer’s upgraded school shirt becomes the talk of the playground, he sees a business opportunity that could make him enough money to visit his dad. But the more stitches Homer makes, the more that everything else in his life begins to unravel. Even playing football doesn’t feel like the escape it used to. Can Homer find a way to get back to how things used to be?
Speccy-tacular AFL Stories
Lace up your boots, pull on your guernsey and get ready to hit the field running with these Brownlow-worthy AFL short stories!
A collection of AFL-themed short stories written by some of Australia’s sportiest children’s authors, including: Michael Wagner, Tony Wilson, Nicole Hayes, Adrian Beck, Michael Panckridge, Sherryl Clark, Patrick Loughlin, Meredith Costain, Shivaun Plozza, David Lawrence and George Ivanoff.
For ages 6+
Why I Love Footy by Michael Wagner, illustrated by Tom Jellett
A perfect picture book for families and footy fans of all colours.
There are a bazillion reasons to love footy! These are just my biggest ones . . .
There’s the big tackles and amazing marks. There’s wearing the scarf and singing the song. But whether your team wins or loses, from the opening bounce to the final siren, the very best thing about footy is that we do it together.
