Australian Rules Football

Australian Rules Football

If you are a cricketer, playing through the Australian Summer in 1858, what do you do in Winter to keep your fitness levels up? Well, you and your cricketing mates invent a game called Australian Rules Football. That’s essentially what happened when Tom Wills and some friends tweaked a few elements of the rugby-like game they had learned in English Public Schools, deleted a few rules, added a few more, and came up with a new match native to Australia. The latest game combined endurance, agility, and hand-foot coordination. Some games went on so long without a winner being declared that all players returned the next day to begin again until a decision was reached. Codified in 1859 with written rules, the game still exists today. It is played across Australia and makes small but positive inroads into other countries through television coverage or niche competitions. The rules have evolved over the years to a game with fabulous physical presence and tactical understanding, giving a thrilling game with lots of action. It is a full-contact sport, played without protection or padding, though some forms of contact, such as contact to the head, are now illegal as deemed dangerous. The game is similar to the Gaelic Football code played in Ireland and ‘Marn-Grook’, a ball game featuring kicking and catching, played by some Australian Indigenous groups. Discussions regularly indicate that Tom Wills may have been exposed to and influenced by these games through to young adulthood, though no evidence exists, and neither theory can be proven. Now played by over 1.25 million players across Australia, ‘Aussie Rules’ has become the pre-eminent football code in the nation. Played through Junior, Open and Masters levels and with both male and female competitions, the game boasts large player numbers and has the highest spectator attendance rate of all sports in the country. Competition with the Rugby League, Rugby Union, and Soccer for players and spectators is constant, especially at the grassroots level, with underage and regional competitions. Geographically, Aussie Rules dominates the southern regions of Australia and is growing into the northern centres where the rugby codes have traditionally held sway.

AFL Competition

The Australian Football League (AFL) is the sport's highest level and is a professional league with 18 teams from across the country. The teams range in history and tradition from the Melbourne and Geelong Football Clubs, formally established in 1858 and 1859, respectively, to the Gold Coast Suns and the Greater Western Sydney Giants, who joined the league in 2011 and 2012. Geelong and Melbourne are two of the first teams ever established and have been mainstays of the top tiers of competition ever since. Gold Coast and GWS are the newcomers to the competition and are growing the Aussie Rules code in Rugby League heartland regions. The competition is currently a single division of 18 teams, who play 22 home and away season games throughout the year. Teams that make up the top eight ladder positions at the end of the house and away season qualify for finals. The top eight teams then play in a four-round finals series culminating in the Grand Final. Traditionally, the Grand Final is played on a Saturday afternoon at the MCG to decide on a Premiership winner for the year. Commonly, this is the last Saturday in September or occasionally the first in October.

AFL Field

The playing surface is grass and ovoid in shape, with dimensions that vary between 135 – 185 metres long and 110 – 155 metres wide. Grounds are often dual-used, especially for cricket, which generally occurs in Summer when Footy isn’t being played. An outer boundary marks the ground, a centre circle (10m), a centre square (50m) and a goal square (6.4m x 9m) at either end. The centre circle dictates the positioning of the ruckmen at a centre bounce. The centre square limits the number of players at a centre bounce to 4 per team. The goal square denotes the space from which the ball must be kicked when returning to play after a minor score. On the goal line at either end of the ground are two tall goalposts flanked by two slightly shorter behind posts. The goal posts are at the point of intersections of the boundary line and the goal square lines. The behind posts are 6.4m outside the goalposts. Also on the ground are two 50-metre arcs from wing to wing. These are purely to indicate distance and are 50m from the goal line.

AFL Match Duration

How long does an AFL Game last?

In the early years, it wasn’t unheard of for a game of football to last two days before a winner was declared. Thankfully, the modern game consists of four quarters, each with 20 minutes of active play. The time clock is stopped after a score until the play is restarted. When a ball goes out of bounds and needs to be thrown in, or when play stagnates, the umpire can call time off to restart play with a ball-up. Umpires can also call time off at their discretion to manage other on-field incidents, such as injuries. These time-off periods regularly see the quarters last over 30 minutes from start to finish.

Players in an AFL Team

What are the different player positions in AFL?

A team consists of 22 players. Only 18 players from each team are permitted on the ground at any time, with four interchange players ‘on the bench’. Players are picked to play specific positions on the field based on their size, skill, speed and agility. Still, there are no restrictions on where a player may move on the field, except at centre bounces where numbers are restricted to 4 per side inside the square, and at kicks awarded after a mark or free-kick where opposition players must not encroach within 10 metres of the player until they play-on. In the fast-paced modern game, the 18 positions on the field are less relevant than they once were. In simplistic terms, the players are often grouped into forwards, midfielders, rucks, or backs. Forwards are attacking players who are most likely to score. Backs are defenders trying to prevent the opposition from scoring. Rucks are the tall men who contest the ruck contest in the air at centre bounces, boundary throw-ins or ball-ups around the ground. Midfielders are usually the fast, little guys who are good at winning and moving the ball well by hand or foot, providing the link from the backline to the forward line. The four interchange players can substitute for any player on the field at any time. Players are moved on and off the field throughout the game for rest or injury assessment. A limit of 90 interchanges per team is allowed throughout the game.

AFL Officials

Currently, there are three central umpires, four boundary umpires, and two goal umpires on the field for each AFL game. Central umpires (or field umpires) move around the ground with the play, adjudicating the contest, awarding marks and free kicks for rule violations, balling up to restart play after a stoppage, or executing a centre bounce to start play at the beginning of each quarter or after a goal is scored. They are the only umpires who can call time on or off. Boundary umpires judge when the ball has left the field of play by crossing the boundary line in its entirety. Once the ball is out of bounds, they are responsible for the boundary line throw-in to restart play. Goal umpires are responsible for adjudications relating to the goal line, goal posts and scoring. They judge if a shot for a goal has crossed the line without being touched and if it has gone between the goal (or behind) posts without hitting the post to register a score. Shots at goal that hit the goal post are considered behinds, and shots that hit the behind posts are considered out-of-bounds on the full. The goal umpires signal scores by hand and via flags (one for a behind, 2 for a goal) to ensure that all players, officials, and spectators can see what score is registered. In addition to these on-field umpires, there is a video replay adjudicator to assist the goal umpires with close scoring decisions, interchange stewards to monitor the number of players on the field at any one time, and an emergency umpire in case an umpire is injured and can’t continue. The emergency umpire can enter the field of play to break up fights or behind-the-play scuffles.

AFL Objectives

The objective is to score more total points than your opposition by propelling the ball between the goal posts (or behind posts) by foot. Score yourself and stop the opposition from scoring—pretty much like every other team sport. You can move the ball by hand or foot around the ground.

AFL Scoring

Scores are either a goal, which equals 6 points, or a behind, which equals 1 point. Goals are scored by kicking the ball through the two goalposts at your scoring end. The ball must not be touched in any way by another player, and though it may touch the ground, it must not touch the post. A behind is awarded if a ball goes through the goalposts after touching any player on the ground or is propelled by hand rather than foot. If the ball hits the goal post or goes between the goal post and behind the post, then a behind is awarded. If the ball hits the behind post, it is out-of-bounds and is throw-in if it was touched or hit the ground first, or a free kick is awarded to the defensive team if it hits the behind post on the full. The score-line in an Aussie Rules game is written as Melbourne 7.5 (47) def Collingwood 3.9 (27). Melbourne scored seven goals and five behinds for a total of 47 points and defeated Collingwood, who scored three goals and 9 points for 27 points. The score-line is read aloud as ‘Melbourne seven-five-forty-five defeated Collingwood three-nine-twenty-seven’.

AFL Plays

Kicking the ball is generally done by dropping it onto your boot and swinging your foot through a downward arc to propel it, though drop-kicks or soccer-style kicks are also allowed. Many types of kicks are used throughout a game, depending on the length and accuracy required, the angle of the kick about the goal and the wind direction. Popular options are the drop-punt, torpedo (aka barrel, spiral, screw-punt), banana/check-side, snap, dribble and the recently in-vogue hook-kick. Handballs (or handpasses) are a legal form of ball distribution using the hands. The ball is held in the palm of one hand and propelled by hitting it with the clenched fist of the other hand. Using an open palm to push the ball is not allowed for handpass. Throwing, scooping or dropping the ball are not legal disposals. A ball may be tapped on, but the action must be a tap without taking possession and cannot be a scoop where the ball is briefly palmed before being directed. Marks are taken when a ball kicked into the air is caught on the full by a player. The ball may not touch the ground or another player from either team and must travel at least 15 metres to be paid as a mark. Once a mark is taken, the player with the ball may take a kick without the threat of tackle or interference from the opposition. The position on the field where the catch was taken is called ‘the mark’. Full-body tackles are allowed in Aussie Rules, and you may tackle the opponent with the ball between his shoulders and knees, so long as he has possession of the ball. Tackles above the shoulders are penalised with a free kick to the tackled player to protect the head. Tackles below the knees are considered trips, and a free kick is likewise awarded. A push in the back is not considered a legal tackle and is penalised with a free kick.

Penalties in AFL

Free-kicks are awarded by Centre Umpires when a player contravenes a rule. These can be incorrect disposal (i.e. a throw), head-high tackle, a push in the back of a player with the ball, an illegal hold, a ball going out-of-bounds on the full from a kick, or even abusive language towards an umpire. Players must dispose of the ball quickly when tackled or risk being ruled as holding the ball or illegally disposing of the ball, and the tackler is rewarded with a free-kick. A call from the crowd of “BALL!” is typical when spectators believe that the player with the ball has contravened the ‘holding the ball’ rule when tackled. Many rules have significant grey areas and are open to the umpires' interpretation, often leading to the ire of the players and the crowd. If a player does not follow the instructions of the umpires and ignores the free kick ruling, deliberately delays turning over the ball to hold up play, or verbally lashes out at the umpire, a 50-metre penalty can be awarded, and the free kick will advance 50 metres closer towards the goal of the player who was awarded the free kick.

AFL Supporters

Despite legions of passionate spectators and a full-contact sport, which often leads to on-field fracas, spectators are exceedingly well-behaved. There is no division of supporters in the stadiums as is commonly seen in other sporting codes, and fights and disruptions rarely occur. The banter between supporters is usually well-meaning and, in my own experience, a hilarious part of the entire experience. Supporters may choose to become members of their preferred club, purchasing memberships that entitle them to various packages, usually including entry and game seating. Membership funds are a vital part of the clubs’ financial income each year, so keeping and increasing members is a large part of the club’s off-field operations. Of course, tickets may be purchased as needed for non-members.