The AFL is much beloved by the Australian fans. They grow up with the sport and continue the tradition by playing it with their children and making the matches a family event. They will watch the matches together and attend the matched to cheer their favourite team onto victory. But if you’re new to the game or if you’re visiting Australia and you want to know why they love the sport so much, you can learn some of the basic points of the game so that you can enjoy it as well.
Australian football originated in Victoria and it has thrived since then. You can find both men’s and AFLW ball. The field in which Australian football is played is massive compared to the field sizes of other sports. It is roughly double that of a regular football field. The AFL teams will play 22 regular seasons games and the top 8 teams will go to the play offs or the finals. The top two teams will go on to the championship game or the grand finale. The game will have four 20 minute quarters and each quarter is started when by bouncing the ball in the centre. The ball is in play after the bounce and the players can take possession of it. There are 18 players to each time and 4 players on the bench. These four players can replace injured players and help keep the team fresh. You will find four goalposts at either end of the field. The two goalposts at the centre are taller and the outer posts are shorter.
The latter are called behind posts. When the ball is kicked through the middle of the centre goalposts, 6 points are awarded which is called a goal. When the ball hits one of the two taller posts or goes through the taller and shorter posts, 1 point in awarded. This is called a behind. Players can also carry or handball the ball across the goal line to get the 1 point. The score is presented with the number of goals first which is the total of the 6 pointers, the number of behinds second which is the total of the one pointers and the third value shows the total of goals and behinds. If you’re a fan of the teams, you can purchase quality AFL merchandise online.The players can move the ball around the field by running, handballing and kicking. If you’re running with the ball, you have to bounce it every 15 meters. Another player can catch the kicked ball if it is kicked by a teammate. This is called a mark. Then that player can try taking a shot at the goal or passing the ball to a teammate without being touched or tackled. If the player doesn’t mark the ball, they can be tackled by the other team. Tackling is only allowed below the neck and above the knees.