Australian Football

In 1858, Australian Tim Wills began developing the game of Australian Rules Football and dreaming up the rules. Melbourne Football Club published the first rules of Australian football in 1859.

Australian Football is a variation of the game of soccer played with an oval ball on a large oval field with 4 posts at each end. A maximum of 18 players per team are allowed on the pitch. The aim of the game is to score points by shooting between the posts. The team with the most points is the winner of the game.

Of the various ways to play the ball, shots and hand passes are the most important. In a hand pass, one hand holds the ball while the other fist hits the ball. Players can move freely across the entire playing field. Possession of the ball is always disputed (except for a free kick). The duration of the game varies, but it is longer than in any other football variant.

Many fast paced battles for possession and the rapid movement of players and the ball make Australian football a spectator sport. The dominant governing body and the most important competition is the Australian Football League (AFL), which culminates annually with the AFL Grand Final. The sport is native almost exclusively to Australia, where it is a national sport.