Historedia
Episode 1 of 1

First Recorded Game

When
7 August 1858
Where
Richmond Paddock
Part of
Melbourne Grammar v Scotch College football match of 1858

A 40-a-side football match between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College was played on 7 August 1858 at the Richmond Paddock, ending in a 1-1 draw.

This match is recognized as the first recorded game of Australian rules football. It was played under experimental rules inspired by English public school games. The event is commemorated by a statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Sources

  1. Australian rules football Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
  2. Melbourne Grammar School Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
  3. Scotch College, Melbourne Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-24

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.