Soccer is rarely remembered as a vital part of Australia’s military history and the Anzac legacy. Yet, soccer contributed greatly in the First World War. In terms of moral support, enlistment, participation and ‘sacrifice’, soccer was at the forefront of sporting-body commitment. Using recently digitised newspaper archives, this paper will outline soccer’s place in the Australian armed forces during the First World War, especially in relation to the Australian Rules states of Western Australia and Victoria, as a part of an overall project intending to reveal soccer’s place in Australian culture.
Keywords:: Australian soccer history, soccer and military history, Australian Rules football, football and war, Anzac legend