This is a jersey and ball used in Australian Rules football

Football is considered America’s game, but its history is centuries old and many countries play different variations of the game. “Football Around the World” is a new exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame that describes a variety of games related to football and how those games are played.

Games featured in the exhibit include Canadian football, Australian Rules football, Gaelic football, Calcio, rugby and soccer. The “Football Around the World” exhibit will be on display until October 2005.

“Football is probably the simplest of all games, but it’s interesting how different societies and cultures have taken this simple concept of a game and modified it to a particular country or region,” said collections manager Kent Stephens. “Some of these games like soccer and rugby have gained world wide acceptance, while others are still played primarily in one country.”

The exhibit explains the basic rules of each sport, complete with a miniature scale model of each game’s playing field with goals and field markings. Next to the scale model playing field is a brief history lesson on how each game was formed. Official jerseys and game balls are also part of the display.

An audio/visual element with action highlights of all six sports will be added to the display in the near future.