One of the first, if not the first, play about Australian rules football, although I'm sure it can and has been translated into other sports. We have all the backroom kerfuffles, the big recruit from Tasmania and the coach and players trying their best amongst it all.

Williamson is still probably the premier Australian playwright and while The Club feels very dated at times, it is an important piece of Australian culture. ( )

Williamson’s play is probably the best known dramatic work in which football is the primary subject and setting. It was first performed in 1977 and was made into a film in 1980. It is about the power plays on and off the field, the politics and personalities of sporting organisations. It depicts the clash between traditional grassroots idealists who love their club, and the new cynical corporate players who are throwing the old rules and personalities aside. First published in 1978 and republished by the Currency Press several times since then.