ANZAC Day, 25th of April is a commemorative day in which soldiers past and present, are remembered and honoured. It is also a day to remember the harsh realities of war and to be thankful for the relatively peaceful lifestyle we lead today.
The 25th of April is the day chosen to honour our soldiers, as it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the first World War. A.N.Z.A.C stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
Both World Wars affected the football leagues at the time. It was compulsory for fit, young men to serve for their countries during these times. Many of the clubs’ players enlisted to serve in both wars. This greatly reduced the numbers in the playing squads of football teams around the nation.
A lot of people had the opinion that the football competition could not go on, when there were more important issues on hand and to respect the soldiers fighting abroad. The V.F.L decided to carry on with their football season and many people questioned the morality of their judgment. It became farcical in 1916 when only 4 clubs participated in a revised league competition during World War 1.
The same issue arose again in the 1940s with World War 2. The continuing of the football seasons did some serve some purpose though. It was a welcomed distraction and served as a morale boost for the public during these hard and trying times.
The A.F.L honours ANZAC Day with a match between Essendon and Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A ceremony takes place before the match with a bugle playing the Last Post and a minute’s silence. To see 90,000 plus people so quiet you can hear a pin drop, is a very moving and special moment.
Even though AFL football on ANZAC Day has become a tradition, football wasn’t played on the 25th of April until 1960 due to a change of law. All matches in round 2 of the VFL season were postponed due to bad weather. The Victorian government granted special permission for two games to be played on ANZAC Day.
The VFL then agreed to donate part proceeds from the games to the R.S.L ( Returned and Services League) and to not play the games before 2pm. If ANZAC Day fell mid-week, an AFL match would not be scheduled to play on that day.
Then in 1995, Kevin Sheedy ( then Essendon Coach ) organised with Bruce Ruxton ( Victorian RSL President ) to play a match against Collingwood. The game took place on a Tuesday and a sell out crowd witnessed a thrilling draw. From then on the AFL made it a permanent fixture on ANZAC Day to recognise and honour an important national day on the Australian calender.
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April 26th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
well written article which has captured the spirit of ANZAC day and how AFL has clearly demonstrated respect for our soldiers that fought in the wars.
I watched a couple of the games on the ANZAC day public holiday and it was amazing to see the respect shown not only by the players in the AFL but also the crowd. I’m sure if someone dropped a pin it could have been heard as they stood in remembrance and respect. It was truly touching to see the response of the crowd as the last post played.
Thanks for the great article
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April 28th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Have to agree with Alias that this article is great and to watch and listen the silence and the last post being played was awesome. We really should get rid of the “National Anthem” and use the “Last Post” instead..
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