Editing Anzac Day (section)

===Australian rules football===
{{Main|Anzac Day match}}
[[File:Anzac Day Canberra 2008 Dignitaries.jpg|right|thumb|In attendance at the 2008 Anzac Day National Service at the [[Australian War Memorial]] in [[Canberra]] are [[Angus Houston]], [[Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)]] (left), [[Murray Gleeson]] then [[Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia]], [[Jon Stanhope]], [[Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory]] (centre), [[Peter Cosgrove]], immediate past [[Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)]] (second from right), and [[Kevin Rudd]], [[Prime Minister of Australia]] (right).]]
During many wars, [[Australian rules football]] matches have been played overseas in places like northern Africa, Vietnam, and Iraq as a celebration of Australian culture and as a bonding exercise between soldiers.<ref>Australian War Memorial H13624</ref><ref>Australian War Memorial P00851.009</ref><ref>Australian War Memorial MEB0068</ref>

The modern-day tradition began in 1995 and is played every year between traditional [[Australian Football League|AFL]] rivals [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] and [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]] at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]]. This annual match is often considered the biggest of the AFL season outside of the finals, sometimes drawing bigger crowds than all but the [[AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Malthouse urges more history education|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Malthouse-urges-more-history-education/2006/04/24/1145861276009.html|date=24 April 2006|work=The Age|access-date=10 May 2007|location=Melbourne, Australia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407191413/http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Malthouse-urges-more-history-education/2006/04/24/1145861276009.html|archive-date=7 April 2008}}</ref> and often selling out in advance. The inaugural match in 1995 drew a crowd of 94,825 people,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200604/1614136.htm|title=AFL's Anzac clash sold out|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|date=11 April 2006|access-date=10 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209105245/http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200604/1614136.htm|archive-date=9 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/features/a-fighting-spirit/2006/04/24/1145861286782.html?page=fullpage|work=The Age|title=A fighting spirit|date=24 April 2006|access-date=10 May 2007|location=Melbourne, Australia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311045545/http://www.theage.com.au/news/features/a-fighting-spirit/2006/04/24/1145861286782.html?page=fullpage|archive-date=11 March 2007}}</ref><ref name="AFL_table">{{cite news|url=http://afltables.com/afl/seas/1995.html#5|title=AFL Tables 1995|work=Australian Sporting Statistics|access-date=26 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515155307/http://afltables.com/afl/seas/1995.html#5|archive-date=15 May 2008}}</ref> with the 2023 match drawing a crowd of 95,179, the second biggest home and away crowd in AFL history.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gabelich|first1=Josh|title=Comeback Pies salute in front of record Anzac Day crowd|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/912387/comeback-pies-salute-in-front-of-record-anzac-day-crowd|website=Australian Football League|date=25 April 2023|access-date=25 April 2023|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425090046/https://www.afl.com.au/news/912387/comeback-pies-salute-in-front-of-record-anzac-day-crowd|url-status=live}}</ref> The Anzac Medal is awarded to the player in the match who best exemplifies the Anzac spirit – skill, courage, self-sacrifice, teamwork and fair play. As of 2024, Collingwood hold the advantage 17 wins to 10, with two draws (in 1995 and 2024). The match was not played in 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

In 2013, St Kilda and the [[Sydney Swans]] played an Anzac Day game in Wellington, New Zealand, the first AFL game played for [[Australian Football League#Premiership season|premiership]] points outside of Australia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/AFLs-Saints-hope-Wellington-behind-them/tabid/415/articleID/295184/Default.aspx|work=3 News NZ|title=Saints hope for Wellington support|date=22 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109223941/http://www.3news.co.nz/AFLs-Saints-hope-Wellington-behind-them/tabid/415/articleID/295184/Default.aspx|archive-date=9 January 2014}}</ref> The winning team, Sydney, were presented with the inaugural Simpson–Henderson Trophy by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. The trophy was named after two notable Anzac soldiers: [[John Simpson Kirkpatrick]] and [[Richard Alexander Henderson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-04-25/special-trophy-for-historic-clash|title=Special trophy for historic clash|work=saints.com.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924093800/http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-04-25/special-trophy-for-historic-clash|archive-date=24 September 2015|access-date=25 April 2013}}</ref>