Tonight's Bedtime Story is about Tom Wills, the man behind the game that would one day become the AFL. Born in colonial New South Wales in 1835, Tom was sent to England's Rugby School, where he became a star sportsman. Back home in Victoria, he was one of the country's finest cricketers, and in 1858 he wrote a letter to a Melbourne newspaper suggesting cricketers form a football club to keep fit through winter. The following year, Tom and a handful of friends sat down and wrote the first rules of a brand new game, one made for Australian conditions. His life was full of adventure, triumph and heartbreak, and his legacy lives on every time a footy is kicked across an oval. Get comfortable and let Cheralyn Darcey tell you his story.

The Bedtime Story is a much-loved part of The Nightline every night, a chance to slow down, settle in and drift off with a story. Catch up on this one and past stories here, then join Cheralyn for a new Bedtime Story every weeknight on The Nightline, 8pm to midnight AEDT on 2HD and The Super Radio Network.