History
Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club is the oldest Australian rules club outside Australia. The club was started in 1906 by Prescott Harper, a Rhodes Scholar from Western Australia, who was captain of the Guildford Grammar School Football Club in Australia before his departure for Oxford. The team was initially made up primarily of Rhodes Scholars from Australia and South Africa. The first match against a Cambridge team took place on March 18th, 1911 in Oxford, with the Oxford team captained by Alfred Clemes, a Rhodes scholar from Tasmania, and the game was won by Oxford. We have no record of any more games against Cambridge until 1921, when the regular varsity fixture commenced - it has been played every year since then. The 100th AFL Varsity for Men was played in 2020, in Oxford.
Importantly in the history of the Club, the first AFL Varsity for Women was played in 2018, in Oxford, after the team was founded by Rachel Paterson in 2015.
The Club has a long history of welcoming Australia Rhodes Scholars to the team. The 2020 membership included 12 Australian Rhodes Scholars in Residence. Recently we have also seen a number of Australian Sir John Monash Scholars play for OUARFC, as well as Clarendon Scholars and Commonwealth Scholars. In recent times, many employees of the University and Colleges, and town-folk of Oxford at-large, have joined the Club.
OUARFC is a Half-Blue Sport for both Men and Women within the Blues structure of the University of Oxford. The Club may award up to 6 Half-Blues to Men and 6 Half-Blues to Women each season.
Below is a video containing footage of the 1925 Oxford vs Cambridge Varsity Match.
Importantly in the history of the Club, the first AFL Varsity for Women was played in 2018, in Oxford, after the team was founded by Rachel Paterson in 2015.
The Club has a long history of welcoming Australia Rhodes Scholars to the team. The 2020 membership included 12 Australian Rhodes Scholars in Residence. Recently we have also seen a number of Australian Sir John Monash Scholars play for OUARFC, as well as Clarendon Scholars and Commonwealth Scholars. In recent times, many employees of the University and Colleges, and town-folk of Oxford at-large, have joined the Club.
OUARFC is a Half-Blue Sport for both Men and Women within the Blues structure of the University of Oxford. The Club may award up to 6 Half-Blues to Men and 6 Half-Blues to Women each season.
Below is a video containing footage of the 1925 Oxford vs Cambridge Varsity Match.
See below for the earliest known newspaper clippings reporting on Australian Rules in Oxford, with clippings from 1905, 1906 and 1911 - read the captions for details.
Thanks go to Ryan Goss and Eugene Duff for the research and collation of this remarkable material.
Thanks go to Ryan Goss and Eugene Duff for the research and collation of this remarkable material.
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RECENT PRESIDENTS
2023 - Peter Rickards 2022 - Alli Devlin 2021 - Henry West 2020 - Beth Hamilton & Henry West 2019 - Romy Minko 2018 - Mitch Robertson 2017 - Oliver Bartlett 2016 - Eugene Duff 2015 - Geoff Pascoe 2014 - Iwan Walters |
MEN'S CAPTAINS
2023 - Nick Young 2022 - Dexter Chiew 2021 - Dexter Chiew & Tim Haskett 2020 - Cameron Sharp & Dexter Chiew 2019 - Jasper Fried 2018 - James Kennedy 2017 - Dan Tracey 2016 - Kyle Turner 2015 - David Llewellyn 2014 - Seb Wylie |
WOMEN'S CAPTAINS
2023 - Zoe Schwerkolt 2022 - Kate Maddern 2021 - Ashleigh Barnes & Connie Hurton 2020 - Clara Voyvodic Casabo 2019 - Natasha Jacobs 2018 - Ellie Bath & Steph Filbay 2017 - Alexis Brown & Genevieve Martin 2016 - Rachel Paterson 2015 - Rachel Paterson |
BEST & FAIREST WINNERS
2023 - Amar Patel & Amanda Rojek & Zoe Schwerkolt 2022 - Paul Colman & Beth Hamilton 2021 - Max Davie & Ashleigh Barnes 2020 - Cameron Sharp & Romy Minko 2019 - Ben Doherty & Kylie Russo 2018 - Phil Hamer & Steph Filbay 2017 - Seb Wylie & Ellie Bath 2016 - Charlie Rae & Rachel Paterson 2015 - Kyle Turner 2014 - Sam Stranks & Stephen Lloyd |
