Infostrada Sports' Databox - October 2004  

This month, Databox sponsor Infostrada Sports looks at Aussie Rules Football, NASCAR and English Premier League soccer club Fulham FC.

Aussie Rules Football
> The first recorded AFL match took place on 7 August 1958 between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School.
> The Victorian Football League (forerunner of the current AFL) was established in 1896 and games began in 1897.
> 16 teams now take part in the AFL with the top eight going through to the Premiership Season finals.
> The 2004 Grand Final was won by Port Adelaide, beating Brisbane Lions by 113 points to 73 on 25 September.
> Brisbane therefore failed to equal the record set by Collingwood (1927-1930) of four Grand Finals in a row.

For more about Aussie Rules Football, see this month's View from the Editor: Aussie Rules and Bangkok nights

NASCAR
> NASCAR was formed by racer Bill France in 1948 and stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
> Several NASCAR pioneers were admitted 'moonshiners', producing bootleg alcohol in the Prohibition era.
> Cell phone giant Nextel took over from tobacco company Winston in sponsoring the champions' cup in 2003.
> A 1990 motion picture about stock car racing, Days Of Thunder, grossed $82m dollars domestically.
> 'NASCAR dad' is a recent typification of a caucasian working-class father likely to support the Republican Party.

For more about NASCAR, see this month's Case Study: Kangaroo.TV springs into action

Fulham FC
> Fulham Football Club was formed in December 1898 and entered the Football League in 1907.
> Fulham's titles are Division One (2001), Division Two (1949, 1999) and Division Three (South) (1932).
> Fulham's best performance in cup soccer was its 1975 FA Cup final appearance. The team lost 2-0 to West Ham United.
> In 2002, Fulham played European soccer for the first time, qualifying as one of the three winners of the Intertoto Cup.
> Fulham's owner Mohamed Al Fayed is also the chairman of the world's most famous department store, Harrods, based in London, England.

For more about Fulham FC, see this month's Website Profile: Fulham FC - It's all in the blend

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