Spirit of Football

This artwork comprises a series of 16 etched brass panels with images of Australian footballers in motion representing each VFL/AFL club in the order they joined the competition. In the spirit of the game, the artwork depicts the game’s athleticism and specialist skills, paying homage to all those who have played the game of Australian Rules football. Some of the details in each panel have specific reference to time and history. For example, the first plate, featuring Melbourne, recalls the Grand Final between Melbourne and Collingwood just before three-quarter time (3.50pm) on September 15, 1956. The first rules of the game written in May 1859 are embedded into the arena surface, giving support to the player kicking into the field of play. Other sections of this plate reflect the history of the MCG and Yarra Park.
The football timeline is finalised by the last panel, depicting Port Adelaide. Rules from 2005 are embedded into the playing surface supporting the player kicking, while architectural profiles depict the new stadium.
This work exists as a snapshot of the artist’s interpretation of the league as it existed in 2006. It features Fitzroy in the seventh panel – rather than the Brisbane Bears (who joined the league in 1986) or the Brisbane Lions (who formed from a merger of the two clubs in 1996).
Since the work’s creation in 2006, two more teams have been introduced into the AFL competition, Gold Coast (2011) and Greater Western Sydney (2012).