- published: 06 Mar 2016
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Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion, sysnonymous with North America's championship game. It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture. Notable competitions which play a Grand Final include the Australian Football League (AFL Grand Final), the National Rugby League (NRL Grand Final), Europe's Super League, the A-League, the Women's National Basketball League, the ANZ Netball Championship.
The use of the Anglo-Norman term "grand" to describe a sporting event in Australia dates back to the 1850s. Its use may have been borrowed from the term "Grand Finale" which was used in Europe for centuries to describe the last and most exciting part of a play, opera, or other entertainment.
Use of the term in Australian Football dates back to the first organised and widely publicised match between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College on August 7, 1858 at Yarra Park, Melbourne (formerly Richmond Park). The game was advertised as the "grand football match" in the Melbourne Morning Herald and several other local newspapers.