Australian football, often known as Aussie rules or Australian rules football, or simply football or footy, is a contact sport contested by two teams of 18 players on an oval field, frequently a cricket pitch adapted for the purpose.
The Australian Football League brands the sport as AFL in several areas. To outscore your opponent in Aussie Rules is the goal. The total of these points is calculated by adding the number of goals (worth six points), and behinds (worth one point) scored. A goal is scored by kicking [punting] the ball through two upright posts, much like an American football.
This article will reveal 8 things you should know about Aussie Rules. So, let’s dive deep with us into further reading.
AFL or Aussie Rules were influenced by several well-known sports:
AFL, or Aussie, is influenced by early versions of soccer and rugby and was created by three cricketers in the middle of the 19th century to stay in shape over the winter. The traditional Aboriginal sport of Marngrook, in which participants kick a ball made of animal skin packed with charcoal or feathers high into the air, has also been considered to have influenced football.
Footy originated in Australia and has since spread to more than 80 nations, including South Africa, the USA, Canada, Denmark, and Sweden. It is currently played by two teams of 22 players each (only 18 players are on the field at a time).
Players cannot throw the ball; they may only kick or handball it:
In contrast to rugby, where teammates can be passed the ball, football requires that the oval ball be punched or “handballed.” The player can kick the ball to their desired teammate if they are sufficiently far away from them; if the target catches the ball, it is referred to be a mark. This mark gives the team a “free kick,” much like a penalty.
Kicking the ball between the goals at the other end of the field is the aim of the game. The team will only score one point if the ball goes through an inner and an outer post (there are four in total), as opposed to six points if you kick the ball through the two center posts.
The losing team is given the Wooden Spoon:
The team that places last in the league receives an “imaginary” reward even though everyone wants to win the premiership. Although there is no “Wooden Spoon” trophy, this is decided by having the fewest premiership points and holding the lowest percentage.
St. Kilda has won the most Wooden Spoons in the competition’s history with 27, more than any other AFL side, followed by North Melbourne, Melbourne, and Hawthorn, while Port Adelaide and Adelaide have yet to win one.
AFL games have frequently been called off for a variety of reasons:
While streaking has been a constant since Helen D’Amico streaked in 1982 while only wearing a Carlton scarf during the Grand Final between Carlton and Richmond, there have been other causes for temporary game stops.
One of the most popular stories is about a pig brought illegally into the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 1993 and let loose on the playing surface. After three minutes of running amok, the pig was captured by a Sydney Swans player, and the game resumed.
The annual Anzac Day game is one of the most widely anticipated games:
Previously, games that coincided with Anzac Day were prohibited and required a parliamentary act to be played. The two clubs have, however, played on April 25 at the MCG every year since the blockbuster match between two of the game’s most successful clubs, Essendon and Collingwood, happened in 1995, generating one of the largest crowds in the game’s history.
The game, which has grown to be one of the most highly awaited home and away games of the season, especially for Aussie Rules bettors. The game draws an average audience of more than 80,000 spectators while millions more watch it live on television.
Aussie encourages athletes from a variety of cultural backgrounds:
Since 14% of all players in the game come from culturally varied backgrounds, the AFL committee dedicates one round each year to honor Australia’s multicultural community. This round normally occurs in the middle of the season. Nine percent of Australian, Football League players are Indigenous, thus helping the Indigenous community.
Many athletes, such as Andrew McLeod, Gavin Wanganeen, Graham Farmer, Michael Long, and Nicky Winmar, have significantly contributed to the game and their communities. They have also won various trophies, such as the Norm Smith, Brownlow, and AFL Rising Star medals.
Two separate days have only ever been used to play one game:
As soon as the game started, participants kept playing until one team scored two goals. One game in 1858 was said to have lasted three days since there was no predetermined playing time, but because no further goals were scored, the game ended in a tie. Only one game has gone longer than a single day since the established playing time, which is 80 minutes divided into four quarters.
Grand Final results are more frequent than you may imagine:
Three grand final winning scores—68, 85, and 89—have each been recorded seven times during the game’s history. The greatest winning score ever recorded was by Carlton in its victory over Richmond in the 1972 grand finale, which resulted in a score of 177, while the lowest winning score ever recorded was by Richmond against Collingwood in 1927, which stood at 13