An explanation of Aussie Rules football

I found this blog on another site (the author is credited at the end) and thought I'd pass it along. I've had many client requests for information on Aussie Rules, but not being an Aussie, I don't know the rules! The following was written by an Aussie who knows the rules.

When landing in Australia, most travellers will be told to see a game of “Aussie Rules,” or AFL. And the first thing you’ll probably think after being here for awhile is, “Hey, there’s no rules in this country!"

Well AFL is the Australian Football League and Aussie Rules is the slang term for it. It’s our own football code that differs vastly from soccer, rugby league, rugby union and American football.

It can certainly appear to anyone who is watching it live for the first time that there are no rules. It looks like a rough game and no players wear any padding, although most wear mouth guards at least. And their bodies get crunched. But there are, in fact, many rules that are constantly being changed every season.

Players kick the oval ball to teammates, but can also handball it to each other. A handball is basically holding the ball in one hand and punching it on its point. You can run with the ball as far as you want, but have to bounce it or touch it on the ground about every 15 steps. And when one player kicks it to another at least 15 metres and catches it, this is called a mark and play stops. He then has to kick or handball over the opposing player at the spot where he marked the ball.

That’s the basics, but the main thing you need to know is the scoring system. Kick it through the two big sticks in the middle and that’s six points. Kick it between the big stick and the little one next to it (on either side) and that’s one point. And the team with the highest score at the end of the four quarters played is the winner; unless scores are tied when the final siren sounds, in which case the result is called a draw.

Each state of Australia has its own league, some for over 100 years. In 1987,however, the VFL (Victorian Football League) expanded to include one team from Western Australia and one from Queensland. Shortly thereafter, the VFL changed to the AFL and it became a national competition, with teams from all over Australia that have joined, merged or relocated. And more are about to join.

Particularly if you’re visiting Melbourne in the autumn or winter, you cannot escape Aussie Rules. It will be plastered all over the newspapers and will consume discussion topics. So go along and watch a game, if only to see the great stadium called the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). It’s a cricket ground they play football on, but that’s another story.


Written and contributed by John Spirov