// Our Football History

2010: A centenary of Capital Region football.

Canberra aims to enter the A-League in August 2010 and it will mark 100 years of football in our region.

Canberra was chosen as the Capital of Australia in December 1908, and it took less than two years for football to make its presence in the region.  A game between Ginninderra and Yarralumla in August 1910 is the first officially recorded game.

An irregular competition followed, until the World War One intervened, involving teams from the city region and the more successful Royal Military College team.

In the mid-1920s football again took off as a sport for the workers who were building the Capital. Teams from within Canberra and Queanbeyan participated in a regular competition, while also travelling on numerous occasions to play against teams from towns like Harden, Temora and Wagga Wagga. This fostering of the game in country NSW continued into the 1930s with numerous games against Goulburn as well as trips as far away as Orange.

The influx of migrants in the 1950s generated a new and more expansive competition, now including teams from Cooma and by the 1960s and early 70s the ACT competition expanded to include Wagga Wagga, Albury and Griffith. A number of top players migrated from Griffith, eventually representing the ACT.

Historically teams from the Canberra region have travelled out to the south west plains and the central districts to challenge for Cups (eg Harden, Wagga Wagga and Orange in the 20s and 30s and more recently to Albury and Cowra).

Canberra has a long history, dating back to the 20s, of supporting Southern Highlands football. Goulburn and nearby towns like Marulan, and Cooma in the Snowy Mountains are proud competitors and recent winners in Capital Football Men’s Premier League and State League Competitions.
Players from Albury, Wagga Wagga and Goulburn have made their mark on national teams at various levels. Josh Kennedy (Socceroo) Angela Iannotto (Matilda) Sally Shipard (Matilda) Chris Bush (Australian Under 17) are just some who have made the leap from Southern Regional New South Wales to our National teams.

Teams representing Cooma, Goulburn, Yass and Gundaroo all participate in Capital Football competitions at senior and junior levels. Players travel from Batemans Bay, Narooma and the far South Coast to take play for Canberra clubs.

And Canberra club sides and schools have travelled to Batemans Bay, Cowra, Parkes in recent years to take part in a variety of football festivals and competitions.

In 2008 football is one of the most popular sports throughout our region.