The Big Issue has gone footy mad! It’s the (footy) finals countdown, and we’re exploring the way both AFL and NRL shape and mirror Australian culture. We may be divided into two codes along the fabled Barassi Line, but Dr Kate Seear explains how footy brings us closer together, no matter your persuasion. AFL National Women’s League player Phoebe McWilliams celebrates the launch of the new league. And we speak to historian Ian Syson, who reveals soccer has been a dominant footy force in Australia for 130 (!) years.