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Understanding Australian Rules ...

What is Aussie Rules??

Australian Rules football is the most popular winter sport in the Australian states of Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. It is a physical contact sport with some similar styles of play to rugby and Gaelic football. Invented circa 1850's, it predates more modern forms of football, such as American Football, Rugby League, Soccer and Gaelic Football. Today it is a national competition with nearly all major football states represented and numerous smaller leagues. It currently has associated leagues in England, the USA, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. For more information, read the Encyclopedia Britannica article on Australian Rules Football.

Understanding ... the team

• Each team comprises 22 players.
• There are 18 players on the ground and four on the interchange bench.
• Players may be interchanged at any time during the match.

Understanding ... the umpires

There are three field umpires, two boundary umpires and two goal umpires. To understand the different types of umpires and their roles in the game, visit the Umpires page.

Understanding ... starting and restarting play

Teams determine which end of the oval they will kick toward first by the toss of a coin. The captain who correctly guesses the result of the coin toss will nominate the direction his team will kick toward in the first (and third) quarters.

The field umpire starts play by blowing his whistle and bouncing the ball in the centre circle so that it rebounds vertically to be contested by the players in the centre square.

At the start of play, no player may enter the centre circle, and only four players from each team are permitted in the centre square until after the ball has been bounced.

After a goal is scored, play is restarted in the centre of the ground.

After a behind has been scored, a player from the defending team kicks the ball from within the 'square' in front of goal, but only after the goal umpire has finished waving his flags.

To restart play, the ball must be kicked from within the goal square. A player will sometimes kick and mark the ball himself.

Understanding ... time

The game is divided into quarters. Each quarter comprises 25 minutes plus time-on. Time-on is the extra time allocated by the timekeepers when play stops.

The teams swap ends (kick in the other direction) at the end of each quarter.

Understanding ... the scores

A ball kicked between the two larger goal posts without being touched is a goal and is worth six points.

If the ball passes between a goal post and a behind post then it is a behind, and it scores 1 point.

Total points is the combination of goals and points scored during a game.

A "rushed" point refers to either:

• when the ball is touched by the opposition before crossing the goal line; or
• a defensive player kicks/carries the ball over their own defensive goal line (to prevent a goal being scored)

Understanding ... the skills

There are three major skills:

• Kicking is propelling the ball by foot.
• Marking is catching the ball after it has been kicked by another player.
• Handballing is holding the ball in the palm of one hand and punching it with the other. In the game, it is sometimes executed quicker than the eye can see.

Understanding ... the frees

Some common free kicks are for:

• Not disposing of the ball within a reasonable time when held by an opponent or holding the man when he hasn't got the ball.
• Running more than 15 meters without bouncing the ball or touching the ball on the ground
• Pushing an opponent in the back or tackling over the shoulder, around the neck or below the knees.
• Deliberately forcing or taking the ball out of bounds
• Kicking the ball over the boundary line without it bouncing first or being touched by another player.

Understanding ... the playing field and equipment

• Aussie Rules is played on an oval shaped field. The ground is between 135 and 185 metres in length and 110 and 155 metres in width
• The boundary line is marked with a white line.
• There are four posts at each end of the ground. Each set of goals consist of 2 goal posts, set 6.4 metres apart on the boundary line. Two behind posts each set 6.4 metres either side of the goal posts on the boundary line. The goal posts have a minimum height of 6 metres. The behind posts have a minimum height of 3 metres. All posts have padding (to protect the players) to a height of 2 metres.
• The game is played with a leather football. For day games, the ball is red in colour. Night games are played with a yellow ball.

Understanding ... the player positions

• Although players have designated positions, they are free to move anywhere on the ground when play is in progress.
• All players should contest the ball when its within their vicinity (unless playing to alternative coaching instructions).
• The positions are :

Picture provided by Christopher Ruwe

Understanding ... what the crowd is yelling

Sometimes, supporters for a team can try and influence the umpires decision by subtly bringing to attention any infringements of the rules.

"MAN" - or 'holding the man' not in possession of the ball
"HIGH" - when one of your players receives a high tackle
"BACK" - when one of your players is pushed in the back
"BALL" - when one of the opposition players is caught in possession of the ball
"BULLSH.."- when the umpire misinterprets one of the above.

Understanding ... percentages

The percentage figure is used to differentiate teams on the ladder that have the same points score. The formula for calculating the percentage is:

(goals for divided by goals against) multiplied by 100

eg if goals for = 200 and goals against = 164, then the % would be 121.95%