Australian Footbal Rules

Australian football contains elements of soccer, rugby and even basketball and volleyball! Considered the most popular spectator sport in Australia, It is also played in many countries around the world including Japan, Denmark, New Zealand and the US.

Basic American And Australian Football Differences
The differences between Australian and American football start right on the ground. The field, teams and even the ball are different. Some of these differences include:

• A wide, open field. Australian football is played on an oval field instead of the rectangular field used in most other field sports. The Australian football field is 165 yards long (versus the 100 yards of an American football field) and 145 yards wide, which is almost three times wider than an American football field.
• The thundering herd. It takes many bodies to cover the wide-open spaces of a football field-an Australian football team fields 18 players at a time in contrast to the 11 on an American football team. Australian players are allowed to roam the field with no off-sides penalties or prescribed positions.
• Pointless. Although it has an oval shape, the football is more rounded at its ends, lacking the points that an American football has. This design difference is a reflection of the importance of kicking in Australian football.
• An endurance test. It is played in four 20-minute quarters, which creates a game with 20 more minutes of playing time than an American football game.

Ball Movement Australian rules football reveals its rugby and soccer roots in the rules that prohibit throwing the ball. Any throwing of the ball results in a turnover. The ball can be moved through the air, however, by slapping it or smacking it with a closed fist as in a volleyball serve.

Players may run with the ball, but the ball must be bounced off the ground at least once every 15 meters. Players who are running with the ball may be tackled and a player that is tackled must release the ball quickly.

These rules create a much more free form game that does away with the set plays common in American football.

No Touchdowns Down Under

The Australian ball is made of a row of four posts. Balls that are kicked through the inner two posts (called goal posts) score a six-point goal. The outer two posts are called behind posts-balls that are kicked between a goal and behind posts score a "behind" that is worth one point.

Australian football games tend to be high scoring with scores averaging in the high double to low triple digits. If a match ends in a tie, it is considered a draw. Overtime play is restricted to the final rounds of championship series.