By 1923, the League of Nations had made Australia one of the trustees of the island along with New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Nauru Football League commenced on February 4, 1924. Reports in 1924 were that Australian rules had become the most popular code of football on Pleasant Island with 250 of the country's 1,700 people eagerly participating, and that without access to Australian footballs they had been for several years playing enthusiasticly the rough and tumble game in bare feet with a round ball made from pandamus fibreIN THE PACIFIC The Herald 25 Apr 1924 Page 3 which had become the "primary pastime" of the islanders.Countryman 31 Oct 1924 Page 4 HUGE DEPOSITS OF PHOSPHATE. Early matches were played on ground shared with other sports until the Nauruan government established a dedicated ground at Boe District in 1924.Government Gazette Notices - Administration Order3 May 1924 The Victorian Football League responded to a request from the game's administrator Mr T Griffiths for to league administrator Mr E L Wilson and Mr Syd Sherrin of Collingwood for Sherrin brand footballs with the first shipment arriving, along with guernseys shortly thereafter.Referee 7 May 1924 Page 13 AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL IS SPREADING Early observers noted the enthusiastic involvement of Nauruan women in the competition, with as many women as men attending games.
