A sport that is virtually unknown outside of Australia – Australian Rules Football (AFL Tipping) is the most popular sport down-under. It has one of the highest average attendance for sports in the world, and nearly half the games are played in Melbourne. In 2023, there was an average of 46,271 people per game in attendance at Melbourne, and the greater Victorian stadiums.
Melburnian passion for AFL
So it’s safe to say, Melburnians take their AFL seriously. Nearly every workplace in Melbourne runs their own AFL Tipping competition – where you select which team you think will win, out of every game in the AFL home and away season. Whoever gets the most games tipped correctly, will win a prize at the end of the season. There are usually 9 AFL games each round in the AFL season, and the season goes for 25 weeks. So it is a casual talking point for six months of the year.
Stakes and prizes in AFL Tipping
Most workplaces that run an AFL Tipping comp, will usually run it in the sense where everyone chips in $20, and the winner takes all. However, if you’re a keen sports fan, there are free tipping competitions available online that can have stellar prizes. For example, bookmaker comparison website My Betting Sites, offers a free tipping competition with weekly prizes of $100+ for the weekly “top tipper”.
Team allegiances and expat experiences
Most expats who move to Melbourne will soon find they will get forcefully influenced to start supporting a team that a friend or co-worker has supported their entire life. You can stay neutral and support whichever team you are tipping each week – and also by avoiding Collingwood. This way, you can join in on the Monday office pleasantries of comparing how many tips you correctly guessed, and have a reason to head down to the MCG to any game and watch some Aussie Rules.
