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Australian rules football

 

 

 

 

 

Australian rules football


 
 
Australian rules football, Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply "football" or "footy" is a team sportTeam sport

Team sport refers to sports that are practiced between opposing teams, where the players interact directly and simultaneousl...
 played between two teams of 18 players with a ballFootball (ball)

A football is a ball used to play one of the sports known as football....
 in the shape of a prolate spheroidProlate spheroid

A prolate spheroid is a spheroid in which the polar diameter is longer than the equatorial diameter....
. It is a footballFootball

Football is the name given to a number of different, but related, team sports....
 variant played outdoors on large ovalOval (geometry)

In geometry, an oval or ovoid is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse....
shaped grass fields (often also used as a cricketCricket

Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each....
 ground), with four goal posts at each end.

The primary aim of the game is to score goals by kickKick (football)

Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:...
ing the ball between the middle two posts of the opposing goal. The winner is the team who has the higher total score at the end of the fourth quarter. Except for special circumstances, if the score is tied then a drawTie (draw)

To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results....
 is declared.

Players may use any part of their body to advance the ball.






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Timeline

1870   The Port Adelaide Football Club play their first match of Australian rules football at Buck's Flat, Glanville, South Australia.






Encyclopedia


Australian rules football, Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply "football" or "footy" is a team sportTeam sport

Team sport refers to sports that are practiced between opposing teams, where the players interact directly and simultaneousl...
 played between two teams of 18 players with a ballFootball (ball)

A football is a ball used to play one of the sports known as football....
 in the shape of a prolate spheroidProlate spheroid

A prolate spheroid is a spheroid in which the polar diameter is longer than the equatorial diameter....
. It is a footballFootball

Football is the name given to a number of different, but related, team sports....
 variant played outdoors on large ovalOval (geometry)

In geometry, an oval or ovoid is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse....
shaped grass fields (often also used as a cricketCricket

Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each....
 ground), with four goal posts at each end.

The primary aim of the game is to score goals by kickKick (football)

Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:...
ing the ball between the middle two posts of the opposing goal. The winner is the team who has the higher total score at the end of the fourth quarter. Except for special circumstances, if the score is tied then a drawTie (draw)

To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results....
 is declared.

Players may use any part of their body to advance the ball. The primary methods are kickingKick (football) Overview

Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:...
, handballingHandball (Australian rules football)

A handball is a method of disposal in the sport of Australian rules football....
 and runningRunning

Running is by definition the fastest means for an animal to move on foot....
 with the ball. There are restrictions on how the ball can be handled, for example players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground, throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ballHolding the ball

Holding the ball is a rule in Australian rules football....
. Unlike most similar sports, there is no offsideOffside (sport)

Offside is a concept used by several different team sports, particularly field sports....
 rule and players can roam the field freely. Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kickFree kick (Australian rules football)

A free kick in Australian rules football is a penalty awarded by a field umpire to a player who has been infringed....
is paid. A distinctive feature of the game is the markMark (Australian football)

A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 ...
, where players anywhere on the field who catch a ball from a kick (with specific conditions), are awarded a free kick. Australian rules is a contact sportContact sport

A contact sport is a sport which includes significant physical contact between the athletes involved....
 in which players can tackleTackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle....
 using their hands or use their whole body to obstructShepherding (Australian rules football)

Shepherding is a tactic and skill in Australian rules football, a team sport....
 opponents. Dangerous physical contact (such as a pushing an opponent in the backPush in the back

A push in the back is a free kick awarded in Australian rules football against a player who illegally tackles or interferes ...
), interference when marking and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties50-metre penalty

In the sport of Australian rules football, the 50 metre penalty is applied by umpires to a number of different infractions w...
 or suspensionSuspension (punishment)

Suspension is a form of punishment that people receive for violating rules and regulations in the workplace....
, depending on the seriousness of the infringement. Frequent physical contests, aerial marking or "speckiesSpecky

A specky is a slang term for a type of mark in Australian rules football....
", fast movement of both players and the ball and high scoring are the game's main attributes as a spectator sportSpectator sport

A spectator sport is one that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches....
.

Details of the game's origins in AustraliaAustralia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o...
 are obscure and still the subject of much debate. Accounts of various forms of "foot-ball" being played in the Victorian goldfieldsVictorian gold rush

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria in Australia between approximately 1851 and the early 1860s....
 that shared similar attributes to Australian football date back to 1853. Australian football became organised in MelbourneMelbourne

Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australi...
 in 1858 with a series of experimental rules in a bid to keep cricketCricket Overview

Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each....
ers fitPhysical fitness Summary

The notion of physical fitness is used in two close meanings....
 during the winter months and in 1859 the first laws of the gameLaws of Australian football Overview

The laws of Australian football describe the rules of the game of Australian rules football....
 were published by the Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football Club

The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Foot...
.

Today Australian rules football is played extensivelyAustralian rules football in Australia

Australian rules football is a popular spectator and team sport which originated in Melbourne, Australia and an important part of ...
 in Australia with competitions in all Australian states and two territoriesFacts About States and territories of Australia

The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government....
. It is also played at amateur level in several countriesCountries playing Australian rules football Summary

Note: In order to be recognised as a true national team and not simply expatriates , the list is subject to International Cu...
 and in several variationsVariations of Australian rules football

Variations of Australian rules football are games or activities based on or similar to the game of Australian rules football...
 but only played professionally in Australia. The most prestigious and only national competition in Australia is the Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League

The Australian Football League is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football....
 (AFL), which culminates in the annual AFL Grand FinalAFL Grand Final

The AFL Grand Final is the annual Australian rules football match held to determine the Australian Football League premiers ...
, the highest attended club championship event in the world. The league has governed the sport through the AFL CommissionAFL Commission

The AFL Commission is the official commission of the Australian Football League, the governing body of the elite national Au...
 and the AFL Rules Committee, since it disbanded the Australian National Football Council in 1993 and International Australian Football CouncilInternational Australian Football Council

The International Australian Football Council was a body that was established in the aftermath of the 1995 Arafura Games, he...
 in 2002.

In 2008, the 150th anniversary of the first recorded games of Australian football is being celebrated around the country. Organised events include the publishing of an official history in a book titled The Australian Game of Football , the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute MatchAFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match

The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian ...
, events at many community based football clubs, the 2008 Australian Football International Cup2008 Australian Football International Cup

The 2008 Australian Football International Cup is an international Australian rules football competition planned for 2008 , ...
 and the return of the International Rules SeriesInternational Rules Series Overview

The International Rules Series is a senior men's competition in International rules football played each October, after the ...
 with the 2008 International Rules Series2008 International Rules Series

The 2008 International Rules series will be the 10th annual International Rules Series and the 16th time that a test series ...
.

Structure and competitions


The football season, proper, is from March to August (early autumn to late winter in Australia) with finals being held in September. In the tropicsTropics

The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer i...
, the game is sometimes played in the wet seasonWet season Summary

A wet season or rainy season is a season in which the average rainfall in a region is significantly increased....
 (October to March). Pre-season competitions in southern AustraliaSouthern Australia

The term southern Australia is generally considered to include the States and territories of Australia of New South Wales, V...
 usually begin in late February.

The AFL is recognized by the Australian Sports CommissionAustralian Sports Commission

The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance f...
 as being the National Sporting Organisation for Australian rules football. There are also seven state/territory-based organisations in Australia, most of which are now either owned by or affiliated to the AFL.

Most of these hold annual semi-professional club competitions while the others oversee more than one league. Local semi-professional or amateur organizations and competitions are often affiliated to their state organisations.

The AFL is also the de factoDe facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "in fact" or "in practice"....
 world governing body for Australian rules football. There are also a number of affiliated organisations governing amateur clubs and competitions around the worldList of Australian rules football leagues outside Australia

This is a list of Australian rules football leagues outside of Australia....
.

For almost all Australian rules competitions the aim is to win the Premiership. The premiership is always decided by a finals series. The teams that occupy the highest positions on the ladder play off in a "semi-knockout" finals series. From the 1930s the finals series was usually contested by the top 4 teams (3rd versus 4th (First semifinal); 1st versus 2nd (Second semifinal); winner of First versus loser of Second (Preliminary final); the winner of Second versus winner of Preliminary playing in the Grand FinalGrand Final

A Grand Final is the culmination of a series of final matches played between a number of sporting teams to decide the premie...
 for the premiership). Many leagues have adopted a final series involving 5, 6 or 8 teams with a variety of methods used to determine the winner. The AFL finals systemAFL finals system

The current AFL finals system was devised by the Australian Football League in 2000 as its end-of-season championship playof...
 is contested by the top 8 teams.

Unlike most soccer competitions there are usually no separate "league" and "cup" trophies. The team finishing first on the ladder is often referred to as a 'minor premier', although this bears little or no significance. In the AFL, this is the McClelland TrophyMcClelland Trophy

The Dr Wm. C. McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy....
. and is considered a consolation prize. The team which finishes at the bottom of the ladder at the end of the season is said to receive 'the wooden spoonWooden spoon (award)

A 'wooden spoon' is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but ...
'

Rules of the game



Both the ball and the field of play are ovalEllipsoid

In mathematics, an ellipsoid is a type of quadric that is a higher dimensional analogue of an ellipse....
 in shape. No more than 18 players of each team are permitted to be on the field at any time.

Up to four interchange (reserve) players may be swapped for those on the field at any time during the game. In Australian rules terminology, these players wait for substitution "on the bench" - an area with a row of seats on the sideline.

There is no offside rule nor are there set positions in the rules; unlike many other forms of football, players from both teams disperse across the whole field before the start of play. However, only four players from each team are allowed within the centre square before every centre bounce, which occurs at the commencement of each quarter, and to restart the game after a goal is scored. There are also other rules pertaining to allowed player positions during set plays (i.e., after a mark or free kick) and during kick-ins following the scoring of a behind.

A game consists of four quarters. The length of the quarters can vary from 15 to 25 minutes in different leagues. In the AFL, quarters are 20 minutes, but the clock is stopped when the ball is out of play, meaning that an average quarter could last for 27 to 31 minutes. At the end of each quarter, teams change their scoring end.

Games are officiated by umpireUmpire (Australian rules football)

An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football....
s. Australian football begins the game similarly to basketballBasketball

Basketball is a sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points on one another by throwing a ball through ...
. After the first sirenSiren (noisemaker)

A siren is a loud noise maker. The original version would yield sounds under water, suggesting a link with the sirens of Gre...
, the umpireUmpire (Australian rules football)

An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football....
 bounces the ball on the groundBall-up

A ball-up in Australian rules football describes a method of restarting play after a stoppage within the field of play....
 (or throws it into the air if the condition of the ground is poor), and the two ruckmenRuckman (Australian rules football position)

In Australian rules football, a ruckman is generally a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages....
 (typically the tallest players from each team), battle for the ball in the air on its way back down.

The ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a foot, clenched fist (called a handballHandball (Australian rules football)

A handball is a method of disposal in the sport of Australian rules football....
 or handpass) or open-hand tap (unlike rugby footballRugby football

Rugby football, often just referred to as rugby, refers to sports descended from a common form of football developed a...
 there is no knock-on rule) but it cannot be thrown under any circumstances. Throwing is defined in the rules quite broadly but is essentially any open hand disposal that causes the ball to move upward in the air.


A player may run with the ball but it must be bounced or touched on the groundRunning bounce

A running bounce, or simply bounce, is a skill in the sport of Australian rules football when a player, while running,...
 at least once every 15 metres. Opposition players may bumpBump (football)

The following forms of football feature moves described a bump :...
 or tackleTackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle....
 the player to obtain the ball and, when tackled, the player must dispose of the ball cleanly or risk being penalised for holding the ballHolding the ball

Holding the ball is a rule in Australian rules football....
. The ball carrier may only be tackled between the shoulders and knees. If the opposition player forcefully contacts a player in the back whilst performing a tackle, the opposition player will be penalised for a push in the backPush in the back

A push in the back is a free kick awarded in Australian rules football against a player who illegally tackles or interferes ...
. If the opposition tackles the player with possession below the knees, it is ruled as a low tackle or a trip, and the team with possession of the football gets a free kick.

If a player takes possession of the ball that has travelled more than 15 metres from another player's kick, by way of a catch, it is claimed as a markMark (Australian football)

A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 ...
and that player may then have a free kick (meaning that the game stops while he prepares to kick from the point at which he marked). Alternatively, he may choose to "play on:" forfeiting the set shot in the hope of pressing an advantage for his team (rather than allowing the opposition to reposition while he prepares for the free kick). Once a player has chosen to play on, normal play resumes and the player who took the mark is again able to be tackled.

There are different styles of kickingKick (football)

Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:...
 depending on how the ball is held in the hand. The most common style of kicking seen in today's game, principally because of its superior accuracy, is the drop puntDrop punt Summary

A drop punt is a kicking technique used in Australian rules football in which the ball is held vertically, and dropped and k...
 (the ball is dropped from the hands down, almost to the ground, to be kicked so that the ball rotates in a reverse end over end motion as it travels through the air). Other commonly used kicks are the torpedo puntFacts About Torpedo punt

The torpedo punt, similar to a punt in American Football, is a kicking technique implemented in Australian rules football, r...
 (also known as the spiral or screw punt; the ball is held at an angle and kicked, which makes the ball spiral in the air, resulting in extra distance) and the checkside puntCheckside punt

Also known as a banana kick, the checkside punt is a kicking style used in Australian rules football....
 or "snap", used to curve the ball towards targets that are on an angle. Forms of kicking which have now disappeared from the game include the drop kickDrop kick

A drop kick involves someone dropping a ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground....
 (similar to the drop puntDrop punt

A drop punt is a kicking technique used in Australian rules football in which the ball is held vertically, and dropped and k...
 except that the ball is allowed to make contact with the ground momentarily before being struck with the foot) and place kick (where the ball is first placed on the ground when shooting for goal, similar to the place kick used in rugby unionRugby union

Rugby union is a variant of rugby football....
).

Apart from free kicks or when the ball is in the possession of an umpire for a ball up or throw in, the ball is always in dispute and any player from either side can take possession of the ball.

A goal is scored when the football is propelled through the goal posts at any height (including above the height of the posts) by way of a kick from the attacking team. It may fly through on the full or bounce through, but must not have been touched, on the way, by any player from either team. A goal cannot be scored from the foot of an opposition (defending) player.

A behind is scored when the ball passes between a goal post and a behind post at any height, or if the ball hits a goal post, or if an attacking player sends the ball between the goal posts by touching it with any part of the body other than a foot. A behind is also awarded to the attacking team if the ball touches any part of an opposition player, including his foot, before passing between the goal posts. When an opposition player deliberately scores a behind for the attacking team (generally as a last resort, because of the risk of their scoring a goal) this is termed a rushed behind.

If the ball hits one of the behind posts, the ball is considered out of bounds and no score is awarded.

A goal is worth 6 points whereas a behind is worth 1 point. The Goal Umpire signals a goal with two hands raised at elbow height, a behind with one hand, and then confirms the signal with the other goal umpire by waving flags above his head.

The team that has scored the most points at the end of play wins the game. If the scores are level on points at the end of play, then the game is a draw; extra time applies only during finals matches in some competitions.

As an example of a score report, consider a match between St Kilda Football Club and the Sydney SwansSydney Swans

The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League club based in Sydney, New South Wales....
. St Kilda's score of 15 goals and 11 behinds equates to 101 points. Sydney's score of eight goals and ten behinds equates to a 58 point tally. St Kilda wins the match by a margin of 43 points. Such a result would be written as:
St Kilda Football Club 15.11 (101) defeated Sydney SwansSydney Swans

The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League club based in Sydney, New South Wales....
8.10 (58);

and said,
"St Kilda fifteen eleven, one hundred and one defeated Sydney Swans eight ten, fifty-eight."

History


Early Competition in Victoria


The Champion of the ColonyChampion Of The Colony

The Champion Of The Colony was, prior to the Brownlow Medal, the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules footb...
 (precursor to the Brownlow MedalBrownlow Medal

The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal and colloquially as Charlie, is the medal awarde...
) is an individual football award which was first granted in 1858.

Notably in 1859 several new football clubs formed including the Castlemaine Football ClubCastlemaine Football Club

The Castlemaine Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia....
, Geelong Football ClubGeelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League ...
 (which Wills directly helped to form) and the Melbourne University Football ClubMelbourne University Football Club

Melbourne University Football Club – often known simply as "University" – is an Australian rules football club....
. While many one-off matches are recorded to have taken place between several early teams from Melbourne's suburbs and country Victoria (such as the Ballarat and Geelong competitions), in the early days many had not yet formed clubs for regular competition.

The first ever trophy for Australian Football, awarded by the Royal Caledonian Society of Melbourne and played under the Melbourne Rules was contested in 1861 between the Melbourne Football Club and Melbourne University, and was won by University. The competition continued into the early 1860s with the addition of other teams from Melbourne's suburbs. Two further competitions, the South Yarra Challenge Cup and "Second Twenties" were held between the late 1860s.

There were some rival rules which eventually gave way to an acceptance of the Melbourne Rules, the most notable being the Geelong rules. The requirement to bounce the ball while running was introduced in a redraft of the Melbourne Rules in 1866 by H. C. A. Harrison and his rules committee to satisfy the Geelong Football Club. Behind posts were introduced at this time are also believed to have come directly from the Geelong rules. The new rules became known as the Victorian Rules.

The relationship with cricket primarily came out of co-existence and many of football's founders were cricketers. As a result, the sport shares some terminology (i.e. "umpires"). However cricket authorities did not initially allow football to be played on their grounds and in the early years football was played primarily in parks. The first football match was not played MGC until 1876. Cricket authorities soon saw the opportunity to capitalise on the rapid growth of Australian Football, however, and soon most grounds in Victoria were expanded to accomodate the dual purpose, a situation which continues to this day.

Spread of the game in Australia and New Zealand



Gradually the game – known at first as "Melbourne Rules" became "Victorian Rules" and then "Australian Rules" following its spread from Victoria into other Australian colonies, beginning with South AustraliaAustralian rules football in South Australia

Australian rules football in South Australia has a history dating back to the 1870s, and it has long been the most popular s...
, TasmaniaAustralian rules football in Tasmania

Australian rules football in Tasmania has a history dating back to the 1860s, with the distinction of being the first place ...
, QueenslandAustralian rules football in Queensland

Australian rules football in Queensland has a history which dates back to the 1860s....
 and New ZealandAustralian rules football in New Zealand

Australian rules football is a sport played in New Zealand....
. In 1877, the sport's first governing bodies, the South Australian Football Association and the Victorian Football Association were formed on the 30th of April and the 7th of May respectively. The game began to be played in New South WalesAustralian rules football in New South Wales

Australian rules football has been played in New South Wales since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the...
 in 1877, in Western AustraliaAustralian rules football in Western Australia

Australian rules football is a popular team and spectator sport played in the Australian state of Western Australia....
 in 1881 and the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory

Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory has a history dating back to the formation of the Australian C...
 in 1911. By 1916, the game was first played in the Northern TerritoryAustralian rules football in the Northern Territory

Editing Australian rules football in the Northern Territory has a history dating back to the 1910s and is currently the most...
, establishing a permanent presence in all Australian states and mainland territories.

The precursors of the South Australian National Football LeagueSouth Australian National Football League Summary

The South Australian National Football League is the premier league and governing body for the sport of Australian rules foo...
 (SANFL) and the West Australian Football LeagueWest Australian Football League

The West Australian Football League is the premier state based Australian rules football league in Western Australia....
 (WAFL) were strong, separate competitions by the 1890s. However, factors such as interstate rivalriesAustralian regional rivalries

Australian regional rivalries refers to the rivalries between Australian cities or regions, the most prominent of them being...
 and the denial of access to grounds in Sydney caused the code to struggle in New South Wales and Queensland. A rift in the VFA led to the formation of the Victorian Football LeagueVFL/AFL

VFL/AFL is the term used to refer to the competition established in 1897 that was originally called the Victorian Football L...
 (VFL), which commenced play in 1897 as an eight-team breakaway of the stronger clubs in the VFA competition. By 1925, the VFL consisted of 12 teams, and had become the most prominent league in the game.


The first intercolonial matchInterstate matches in Australian rules football

Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since...
 had been played between Victoria and South Australia in 1879. In 1908, a Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival was held to celebrate 50 years of football. The carnival included teams from Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and New Zealand. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition—and the inability of players to compete internationally—meant that matches between state representative teamsInterstate matches in Australian rules football

Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since...
 were regarded with great importance. Because VFL clubs increasingly recruited the best players in other states, Victoria dominated these games. State of originState of Origin

State of Origin is the name used in Australia for rugby league and Australian rules football matches, in which players are s...
 rules were introduced in 1977, and saw Western Australia and South Australia begin to win many of their games against Victoria.

The Effects of World War


Both World War IWorld War I

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All Wars" was a global m...
 and World War IIFacts About World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,...
 had a devastating effect on the sport of Australian Rules. While scratch matches were played by Australian "diggers" in remote locations around the world, the game lost many of its great players to wartime service. Some competitions never fully recovered. World War I saw the game in New Zealand go into recess for three quarters of a century. In Queensland, the state league went into recess for the duration of the war. VFL club University left the league and went into recess due to severe casualties. The WAFL lost two clubs and the SANFL was suspended for one year in 1916 due to heavy club losses. The ANZAC Day clashThe ANZAC Day clash

The Anzac Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Essendon and Coll...
 is one example of how the war continues to be remembered in the football community.

A National Competition Emerges

By 1980 in the space of just 25 years, the way the game was played had changed dramatically, with the phasing out of many of the game's kicking styles, changing rules and the influence of the handballing game and televisionTelevision Overview

Television is a telecommunication system for...
.

In 1982, in a move which heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs, South Melbourne, relocated to the rugby leagueRugby league

Rugby league is a team sport, played by two teams of 17 players, with 13 on the field at any one time and 4 'on the bench' ....
 stronghold of SydneySydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4.2 million people ....
 and became known as the Sydney SwansSydney Swans

The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League club based in Sydney, New South Wales....
. In the late 1980s, strong interstate interest in the VFL led to a more national competition; two more non-Victorian clubs, the West Coast EaglesWest Coast Eagles

The West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club that is a member of the Australian Football League....
 and the Brisbane Bears began playing in 1987. The league changed its name to the Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League

The Australian Football League is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football....
 (AFL) following the 1989 season. In 1991, it gained its first South Australian team, AdelaideAdelaide Crows

The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Footba...
. During the next five years, two more non-Victorian teams, FremantleFremantle Football Club

Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers and known unofficially as the Fremantle Dockers and informally as "Freo...
 and Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football Club

The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia....
, joined the league. The AFL, currently with 16 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and the most powerful body in the world of Australian rules football and continues to seek further opportunities to expand into new markets.

Following the emergence of the Australian Football League, the SANFL, WAFL and other state leagues rapidly declined to a secondary status. Apart from these there are many semi-professional and amateur leagues around Australia, where they play a very important role in the community, and particularly so in rural areas. The VFA, still in existence a century after the original schism, merged with the former VFL reserves competition in 1998. The new entity adopted the VFL name and remained a primarily state based competition. State of origin games declined in importance, especially after an increasing number of withdrawals by AFL players, and Australian football State of Origin matches ceased in 1999. The second-tier state and territorial leagues still contest interstate matches.

Australian football internationally




Aussie Rules is played at an amateur level in countries around the world. At least 20 leagues that are recognised by the game's governing body, exist outside of Australia. Although semi-professional players have come from outside of Australia, and there have been several players in the VFL/AFL who were born outside AustraliaList of overseas-born AFL players

This is a list of Australian Football League players not born in Australia, sorted by country of birth....
, no player to learn the game overseas has yet played a game in the Australian Football League.

The growth of Australian rules internationally went into rapid decline following World War IWorld War I

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All Wars" was a global m...
. After World War IIWorld War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,...
, the sport experienced a small amount of growth in the Pacific region, particularly in NauruAustralian rules football in Nauru

Australian rules football in Nauru dates back to the 1930s and quickly established itself as the national sport of the count...
, Papua New GuineaAustralian rules football in Papua New Guinea

Australian rules football is a popular team sport played in Papua New Guinea....
 and later New ZealandAustralian rules football in New Zealand

Australian rules football is a sport played in New Zealand....
.

Australian rules football is emerging as an international sport much later than other forms of football such as soccer or the rugby codes, but has grown substantially as an amateur sport in some countries since the 1980s. Initially the sport has grown with the Australian diasporaAustralian diaspora

The Australian diaspora refers to the approximately 750,000 Australian citizens who today live outside Australia....
, aided by multiculturalismList of overseas-born AFL players

This is a list of Australian Football League players not born in Australia, sorted by country of birth....
 and assisted by exhibition matchesAustralian rules football exhibition matches

Australian rules football has been introduced to a wide range of places around Australia and the world since the code's inception ...
 and players who have converted to and from other football codesPlayers who have converted from one football code to another

In the past, many football players have converted between codes or come across from other sports....
. In Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, South AfricaFacts About South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent....
 and the United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
 there are many thousands of players. Great BritainGreat Britain

Great Britain is an island lying off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe and to the east of Ireland, comprising the ma...
, CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
, JapanJapan

is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from...
, DenmarkDenmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost of the Nordic countries....
 and SwedenFacts About Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Scandinavia....
 have also shown strong potential in the sport amongst local players in the lead up to the 2008 Australian Football International CupFacts About 2008 Australian Football International Cup

The 2008 Australian Football International Cup is an international Australian rules football competition planned for 2008 , ...
.

The AFL became the defacto governing body when it pushed for the closure of the International Australian Football CouncilInternational Australian Football Council

The International Australian Football Council was a body that was established in the aftermath of the 1995 Arafura Games, he...
 in 2002.

Australian rules football is played professionally only by men in Australia and is major spectator sportSpectator sport

A spectator sport is one that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches....
 only in AustraliaAustralia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o...
 and NauruNauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru, is an island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific....
 with the exception of occasional exhibition gamesAustralian rules football exhibition matches

Australian rules football has been introduced to a wide range of places around Australia and the world since the code's inception ...
 staged in other countries and carnival type events overseas.
International Rules Football
Since 1967 there have been many matches between Australian rules football teams (mainly from Australia) and Gaelic footballGaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football", "Gaelic" or "gah", is a form of football played main...
 teams (mainly from Ireland), under various sets of hybrid, compromise rules known as International rules footballInternational rules football

International rules football is a hybrid code of football which was developed to facilitate international representative mat...
. In 1984, the first official representative matches of International Rules were played, and these were played annually each October between the AFL and the Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an organisation which is mostly focussed on promoting gaelic games: that is, Irish ...
 between 1998 and 2006 as part of the official International Rules SeriesInternational Rules Series

The International Rules Series is a senior men's competition in International rules football played each October, after the ...
 which attracted large crowds and media interest in both IrelandIreland Overview

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe....
 and Australia, however the series was cancelled in 2006 due to escalating violence between the two sides.

Popularity


Australian rules football has attracted more overall interest among Australians (as measured by the Sweeney Sports report) than any other football code, and, when compared with all sports throughout the nation, has consistently ranked first in the winter reports, and most recently third behind cricketCricket

Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each....
 and swimmingSwimming

Swimming is a technique that humans, and other animals, use to move through water using only movements of the body....
 in summer.
In some of the southern states, it is the most popular sport of all sports.
As a football code, it is the most popular form of football in the Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia....
, South AustraliaSouth Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country....
, TasmaniaTasmania

The island of Tasmania, is located 200 km south of the eastern side of the continent Australia, being separated from it by B...
, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)

Victoria is a state located in the south-eastern corner of Australia....
 and Western AustraliaWestern Australia

Western Australia is Australia's largest state in area, covering the western third of the mainland, and is bordered by South...
. It is less popular in New South WalesNew South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south o...
 and QueenslandQueensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, in the north-east of the country....
, although there has traditionally been strong support for the code in regions within those states, such as parts of southern New South Wales including the RiverinaRiverina

For the electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, see Division of Riverina....
 and parts of Queensland such as Cairns and the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast City is located in the South-east corner of Queensland, Australia....
. The AFL teams from Brisbane and Sydney have attracted a strong increase in crowds, television audiences participation when they both recently won premierships. Demographic and migration trends have affected all football codes in recent years, but most significantly Australian football in Queensland, where Australian football has greatly increased in popularity over the past decade.

It is particularly popular amongst indigenous Australian communities. Indigenous Australians are well represented in professional AFL players: while only 2.4% of the population is of indigenous origin, 10% of AFL players identify themselves this way. Although it is a popular winter code cricket and swimming still eclipse it during the summer.

Australian rules is the national sport of NauruNauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru, is an island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific....
.

Attendance


Australian rules football is the most highly attended spectator sport in Australia: government figures show that more than 2.5 million people attended games in 2005-06. In 2007 (including finals matches), a cumulative 7,049,945 people attended Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League

The Australian Football League is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football....
 premiership matches, a record for the competition. In 2005, a further 307,181 attended NAB Cup pre-season matches and 117,552 attended Regional Challenge pre-season practice matches around the country.

As of 2005 the AFL is one of only five professional sports leagues in the world with an average attendance above thirty thousand (the others are the NFL in the United States and Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in professional baseball....
 in the U.S. and Canada, and the top division soccer leagues in Germany and England). In 2007, the average attendance of 38,113 made the AFL the second best attended domestic club league in the world, after only the NFL in the United States.

The Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne Cricket Ground

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an iconic Australian sporting venue located in Yarra Park in inner Melbourne, home to the M...
 is the largest stadium used for Australian rules football and the permanent home of the AFL Grand FinalAFL Grand Final Overview

The AFL Grand Final is the annual Australian rules football match held to determine the Australian Football League premiers ...
. It is one of the largest sporting stadiums in the worldList of stadiums by capacity

The following is a list of sports stadiums ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that th...
 and was the venue for the record Australian rules football attendance of 121,696 at the 1970 VFL Grand Final1970 VFL Grand Final Summary

The 1970 Victorian Football League Grand Final was held on 26 September 1970 between Carlton and Collingwood....
, between CarltonFacts About Carlton Football Club

The Carlton Football Club is one of the oldest and most successful Australian Rules Football clubs....
 and CollingwoodCollingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies after the black and white striped guernseys worn by the players, ...
 - which game was also historic, in that it heralded the dawning of a new style of football - still largely in use today, wherein handballing was introduced more to commence the attack from the back line. Redevelopment since then to a mainly seated stadium has reduced the current capacity to approximately 100,000.

In addition to the national AFL competition, some semi-professional local leagues also draw significant crowds. Although crowds for state leagues have suffered in recent years, they continue to draw support, particularly for finals matches. The South Australian SANFLSouth Australian National Football League

The South Australian National Football League is the premier league and governing body for the sport of Australian rules foo...
 drew an attendance of 309,874 in 2006 and the Western Australian WAFLWest Australian Football League

The West Australian Football League is the premier state based Australian rules football league in Western Australia....
 drew an official attendance of 207,154. Other leagues, such as the Victorian VFLVictorian Football League

The Victorian Football League, formerly known as the Victorian Football Association, is a second-tier Australian rules...
 (including a Tasmanian side, the DevilsTasmanian Devils Football Club Summary

The Tasmanian Devils Football Club is an Australian rules football team, in the Victorian Football League in Australia....
), Northern Territory Football LeagueNorthern Territory Football League

The NTFL is a 7 team Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory....
 and the popular country league Ovens & MurrayOvens & Murray Football League

The Ovens and Murray Football League, often locally referred to as simply the O&M, is an Australian rules football lea...
 also charge admission and draw notable crowds (but with no available attendance figures).

Outside of Australia, the game has drawn notable attendances only for occasional carnival type events, such as International tests and exhibition matchAustralian rules football exhibition matches

Australian rules football has been introduced to a wide range of places around Australia and the world since the code's inception ...
es.

Television



The national AFL is the main league which is shown on television in Australia and around the world.

The 2005 AFL Grand FinalFacts About AFL Grand Final

The AFL Grand Final is the annual Australian rules football match held to determine the Australian Football League premiers ...
 was watched by a record televisionTelevision

Television is a telecommunication system for...
 audience of more than 3.3 million people across Australia's five most populous cities—the five mainland state capitals—including 1.2 million in MelbourneMelbourne

Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australi...
 and 991,000 in SydneySydney Summary

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4.2 million people ....
. In 2006, the national audience was 3.145 million, including 1.182 million in Melbourne and 759,000 in Sydney.

According to OzTAMOzTAM

OzTAM is an Australian television ratings research firm that collects and markets television viewership data....
, in recent years, the AFL Grand Final has reached the top five programs across the five biggest cities in 2002List of Australian television ratings for 2002

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2002....
, 2003List of Australian television ratings for 2003 Overview

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2003....
, 2004List of Australian television ratings for 2004

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2004. ...
, 2005List of Australian television ratings for 2005

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2005....
 and 2006List of Australian television ratings for 2006

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2006. ...
. In 2007List of Australian television ratings for 2007

The following is a list of METROPOLITAN Australian television ratings for the year 2007. ...
, it was #1 in metropolitan markets. Australian rules football has achieved a #1 rating in the sports category in both 2004List of Australian television ratings for 2004

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2004. ...
 and 2005List of Australian television ratings for 2005

The following is a list of Australian television ratings for the year 2005....
.

Some of the more popular regional leagues in Australia have the "match of the week" televised locally and free-to-air on ABC Television's respective state networks. The SANFL is the most popular of these regional competitions measuring a total of 1,415,000 television viewers in 2007.

Some of these regional leagues also attracted a national audience through free-to-air broadcasting on television networks such as ABC2ABC2

ABC2 is an ABC television channel available to digital television viewers in Australia....
. OzTAM began measuring these audiences in 2006. Despite a large number of complaints, ABC2 withdrew all of these broadcasts in early 2008.

Australian rules also has a nominal but growing international audience. Since 2005, some AFL matches have been shown in the pacific rim region for the first time through the Australia NetworkAustralia Network

Australia Network is an Australian free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadca...
. The AFL Grand Final is broadcast to many countries and attracts many million viewers worldwide. This audience has grown to approximately 30 million viewers from 72 countries.

According to Roy Morgan ResearchRoy Morgan Research

Roy Morgan Research is an Australian market research company based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, more Americans watch Australian Rules Football than Australians. A poll taken between April 2002 and March 2004 showed that 7,496,000 North Americans compared to 7,004,000 Australians watch Australian Rules Football at least occasionally on television.

New media

The AFL website was the #1 most popular HitwiseHitwise

Hitwise is an internet monitor which collects data directly from ISP networks....
 Australian sports website in 2004, increasing in market share by 9.86% over that year. In 2006, other consistently high traffic websites in the Australian Top 20 included AFL Dream Team, (Trading Post) AFL Footy Tipping, BigFooty.com and Bomberland. In 2006, the search term 'afl' represented the highest number of search terms (2.48%) that delivered users to Hitwise sports category listed websites. Statistics show that Victorians consist of 43% of all visits to the AFL football category.

Participation



In 2006, a total of 615,549 registered participants played Australian football in Australia. Participation 7.84% between 2005-06. The Australian Sports CommissionAustralian Sports Commission

The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance f...
 statistics show a 42% increase in the total number of participants over the 4 year period between 2001-2005.

Australian rules football is played in more than 30 countries around the world. In 2004, there were a total of over 25,000 participants outside of Australia. This has grown to about 35,000 people in 32 countries playing in structured competitions outside of Australia

Many related games have emerged from football, mainly with variations of contact to encourage greater participation. These include Kick-to-kickFacts About Kick-to-kick

Kick-to-kick is a pastime and well-known tradition of Australian rules football fans, and a recognised Australian slang term...
 (and its variants such as 'Markers Up'), AuskickAuskick Summary

Auskick is a national program in Australia to develop and promote Australian rules football amongst children....
, Rec FootyRec Footy

Recreational Football is a non-contact version of the Australian rules football game sanctioned by the Australian Football L...
, Women's Australian rules footballWomen's Australian rules football

Women's Australian rules football is a fast growing sport played in Australia, United States, Papua New Guinea and Japan....
, 9-a-side Footy9-a-side Footy

9-a-side Footy is a sport based on Australian rules football played informally by Aussie Rules clubs but not yet an official...
, Masters Australian FootballMasters Australian Football

Masters Australian Football is a sport based on the game of Australian rules football for players 30 years and over....
, handball and longest-kick competitions. Players outside of Australia sometimes engage in related games on the fields available, like Metro FootyMetro Footy

Metro Footy - a modified version of Australian rules football rules played on gridiron football fields in North American cit...
 (played on gridiron fields) and Samoa Rules (played on rugby fields).

Injuries, Health Issues and Prevention

Australian rules football is known for its high level of physical body contact compared to other sports such as soccer and basketballBasketball

Basketball is a sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points on one another by throwing a ball through ...
. High impact collisions can occur from any direction. Unlike gridironGridiron football

Gridiron football is a term used outside the United States and Canada that refers to both American football and Canadian foo...
, padding is not mandatory and is rarely worn. Combined with the range of activity including jumping, running, kicking, twisting and turning this means that injury rates are relatively high in comparison to other sports.

Some ruckmen wear shin pads and thigh pads and players with head injuries sometimes wear soft helmets. Mouthguards are worn by most players but are only compulsory in some leagues.

Soft tissueSoft tissue

In medicine, the term soft tissue refers to tissues that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the bo...
 injuries are the most frequent, including injuries to the thighThigh

In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and buttocks and the knee....
s, hamstringHamstring

In human anatomy, a hamstring refers to one of the tendons that makes up the borders of the space behind the knee....
 and calf muscleFacts About Calf muscle

The calf or sura is a pair of muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus—at the back of the lower human leg....
s. Pre-game warm-up and stretchingStretching

Stretching is the activity of gradually applying tensile force to lengthen, strengthen, and lubricate muscles, often perform...
 exercises are a focus of the standard preparation routine for clubs at all levels to minimise these injuries. Osteitis pubisOsteitis pubis

Osteitis pubis is a medical condition which is prevalent among footballers, runners and other athletes, particularly players...
 is a condition which particularly effects Australian rules footballers. Injuries to the knee, ankle and shoulders are also common. Hospital treated injuries, particularly for broken bones, account for 40 percent of all Australian rules football injuries.

Knee reconstructions are among the most commonly incurred career threatening injuries for both professional and amateur players, although professional players frequently continue to play after rehabilitation. Recently some professional players have undergone an innovative surgery that inserts a synthetic ligament in the knee which reduces the time out of football from twelve to three months.

Players can suffer head injuriesHead injury

Head injury is a trauma to the head, that may or may not include injury to the brain ....
, however spinal injuries are extremely uncommon and comparatively much lower than rugby footballRugby football

Rugby football, often just referred to as rugby, refers to sports descended from a common form of football developed a...
.

In cases of injury, players are able to be treated whilst on the ground and umpires generally only stop the play when players are removed from the ground on a stretcherStretcher

A stretcher is a medical device used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another....
. Most leagues have implemented a blood ruleBlood rule

The Blood rule is a rule used in many sports that states that an athlete that somehow gets a bleeding and/or non-bleeding op...
 which forces players with bleeding wounds to leave the field for treatment until the bleeding is stopped to prevent the transmission of blood-borne diseaseBlood-borne disease

A blood-borne disease is one that can be spread by contamination by blood....
.

Australian rules football does not have the range or severity of health issues of American football however players have been known to die whilst playing Aussie Rules, though the most common cause is heart failure. The Victorian State Coroner reported five sudden deaths in that state among Australian rules footballers aged under 38 years between 1990-1997. Three of these deaths were attributed to Ischaemic heart diseaseIschaemic heart disease

Ischaemic heart disease is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart....
 (mean age, 31.7 years), and the other two to physical traumaPhysical trauma

Physical trauma refers to a physical injury....
.

In a study conducted recently of retired VFL/AFL footballers found that the most common problems amongst the group in old age included arthritisArthritis

Arthritis is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body....
, hip replacementHip replacement

Hip replacement is a medical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a synthetic implant....
s and significantly reduced capacity to participate in athletic activity.

In recent years the AFL has commissioned official studies as well as introduced new rules and precautions aimed at reducing the number and severity of injuries in the sport, and there are variation games which significantly reduce the contact and risk of injury to players and allow players of any age to continue to participate.

Australian rules in popular culture

For many years, the game of Australian rules football captured the imagination of Australian film, music, television and literature.

The ClubThe Club (play)

The Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club ove...
, a critically acclaimed 1977 play by David WilliamsonDavid Williamson

David Williamson is one of Australia's most well-known playwrights who has also developed screenplays for film and televisio...
, deals with the internal politics of a Melbourne