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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/ZappaOMatic on 2025-07-04 17:33:10+00:00.
Happy 4th of July, everyone. How about a bit of history to celebrate the occasion?
On this day 83 years ago, two teams of American troops stationed in Australia organized a game of football against each other. I mean, how much more American is football on American Independence Day?
They had some familiar names too…
Maybe not a surprise given the existence of rugby, American football wasn’t really a thing in Australia until the later part of the 20th century. Most early games were played between American troops visiting. For example, sailors from the USS Baltimore played at the Sydney Sports Ground in May 1906, which Australian media touted as a “novelty, and at the same time a treat, for the American game of football is said to be the next fiercest thing to actual warfare invented by men.”[1]
Speaking of actual warfare, fast forward to 1942. World War II was well underway. Nearly a million American troops were stationed in Australia throughout the conflict, which of course meant a lot of soldiers with a lot of free time when not training or in action.
With this upcoming Fourth of July being the first for many away from home, it seemed like a sensible way to keep morale up by doing something classically American. The Allied Forces’ Welfare Coordinating Committee, which oversaw R&R and military affairs, pitched the idea for a football game between Army personnel. It wouldn’t just be a casual game either; tickets would be sold to the public, they’d play in an actual stadium, and it’d have the same pace and physicality as a regular game of football.[2]
Naturally, everyone was onboard.
The Committee had gear shipped from America but also commissioned local Australian companies to make some as backup. The two teams adopted monikers of “two of the most famous clubs in the United States”: the Bears and Packers.[2] The Packers donned blue jerseys (keep in mind Green Bay wore blue and gold at the time and did not adopt green until the ‘50s) while the Bears were in red. Each team had the usual 11 starters alongside 19 reserves; unlimited substitution, which wasn’t introduced to the NFL until 1943, was permitted here.[3]
The Adelaide Oval, a cricket ground that opened in 1871, was selected as the venue. The playing field was painted at the center of the oval while the goalposts were set up 30 yards in from the boundaries at each end.[4]
With how much of a big deal this was, every military sport did not play on July 4 as troops in the area planned to be at the Oval.[3]
Game Day
Given how much football likes to be patriotic, you can probably imagine the stops pulled out for pre-game ceremonies.
July 4, 1942 began with a parade of Allied military vehicles alongside American and Australian troops as three military bands played in the background. Malcolm Barclay-Harvey, the Governor of South Australia, watched the procession with other political officials and saluted them from a dais.[5]
Once the parade was over, roughly 25–30 thousand filled into Adelaide Oval for the game. Most were quickly captivated watching warmups as the Bears “began throwing the ball as far as many Australian rules footballers kick it.”[4]
For pre-game ceremonies, Indigenous Australians Jimmy James and Terry Mason conducted a spear and boomerang throwing and tracking exhibition. Two of the four military bands present played both countries’ national anthems. Barclay-Harvey was joined in the stands by Premier Thomas Playford IV and Lord Mayor Arden Seymour Hawker.[6]
With that, kickoff at 2:30.
Due to rain, the field (especially at the center) was extremely muddy and the game didn’t take long to get ugly. Things got so bad that The Advertiser, an Adelaide-based newspaper, noted “it was almost impossible to distinguish the red jerseys of the Bears from the blue attire of the Packers” by the start of the fourth quarter and that the “trousers of all were black instead of white, and white numbers on the backs of the players could not be seen.”[6] While nobody was hurt, the unlimited sub rule was used quite liberally as players were rotated out to catch their breath after struggling in the mud and getting knocked around so much.[6]
By American standards, it wasn’t much worse than the average mud bowl. By Australian standards, they seemed to have a good time.
Given most of the crowd was Australian, the announcers doubled up by calling the game as well as breaking down the basics of American football.[6] Most Americans hoped the Aussies would be enthralled by the line of scrimmage with how much it resembled rugby scrums or by special teams, but they didn’t have many opportunities to kick because of the weather. When they did put the “foot” in “football”, it led to a missed PAT and the Bears getting flagged for roughing the kicker.[4]
Either way, it turned out the locals loved watching the running backs the most. They let out a roar when the Packers’ starting fullback broke two tackles and crossed into Bears territory (before a defender stepped on his face and he had to be subbed out).[4]
“The Australian spectators were enthusiastic but a trifle bewildered,” wrote The News.[4] “Few understood the game in spite of a detailed description, but they enjoyed the vigor and the way men flung themselves into the fray.”
The Packers found themselves at a disadvantage in the conditions because they were smaller and lighter than their opponent, unable to get by their blockers and making too many mistakes. After a scoreless first quarter, the Packers lost a fumble when the back dropped the pitch and the Bears recovered. Bears quarterback Chartier scored the first TD on a one-yard run, and John (the team captain) booted the PAT to put their team up 7–0. A second Bears touchdown came in the third quarter before Anderson iced the game with another in the fourth. They missed the extra point on the latter to make the final score 20–0.[6]
After the game, Vic Johnson of The Mail wrote his thoughts on the sport:[7]
This American football—the gridiron game—is not true to name, as actually there is very little kicking in the game.
The way I saw it was that players went into a huddle and decided which was the best way to hurl themselves through their opponents’ defence, irrespective of who was in the way or who got hurt.
The players and the different formations were described to the crowd before the game actually began, but it was strange to people who are used to seeing players leap high for the ball or try to direct it to a team-mate with a nice footpass or drive it down the ground with a long drop kick.
Thrills were there in plenty. With their hips. shoulders, and knees padded, players appeared veritable he-men who were unafraid to hurl themselves at opponents regardless of possible injury.
I fancy that the football-loving public of South Australia will need a lot more exhibitions and a lot more education in the finer points of the game before they decide to abandon our own Australian rules game.
There are so many hold-ups in this game. It is not the non-stop brand that we look for in football. Play is continually being stopped after a player has forced his way through a host of players to gain a few yards for his team, only to be brought down with a tackle, and then it is left for the men to sort themselves out of the heap.
One thing I appreciated in the game is the replacement of players. In the American game each side always has a full complement of players on the field which to me has always been the only just method. This means that neither team is handicapped and play is kept at its top regardless of injuries.
Would Benefit Our Game
Perhaps it is not quite possible for Australian rules teams to have quite the number our American friends use, but I do think it would be better if we were allowed to use more than the number our game permits at present.
Naturally one is biased In favor of his own game, but providing an Australian rules team is not outclassed, and is not more than a few goals in arrears, there is always a chance of recovery.
In the gridiron game it appears that once a team has scored it can pack the game and make it practically impossible for the other team to overtake its score.
Yes, as an entertainment it kept one of the largest crowds seen at the Adelaide Oval for many days keyed right up, but I think, and I fancy many will agree with me, that our game is more spectacular and exciting.
More games would be held in Australia throughout the duration of the war. Exactly one year after Bears/Packers, there was an Army/Navy Game (kind of) that was played at Sydney and saw a goat mascot go missing before kickoff.
References
[1] The Game of Football by “The Cynic”, The Referee, May 9, 1906
[2] GRIDIRON FOOTBALL TOMORROW from The Advertiser, July 3, 1942
[3] *[AMERICANS AT FOOTBALL TODAY](newspapers.com/…/the-advertiser-americans-at-f…
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