Australia: Australian Rules Football

When you think about watching football, do you visualize famous athletes flexing their athletic abilities in sold-out stadiums of thousands of wild fans as they make bone crushing hits in attempt to stop the other team from driving down the field for the big touchdown?

Ok...

Well if you do, do you see the players wearing no pads in a non-stop, fast-pace game where the ball is moved down the oval shaped field by kicking, dribbling, and tossing it through the uprights? 

Didn't think so...

Take a look at how football is played down under...Australian Rules Football

Facts about the Game

• A mixture of American football, soccer and basketball
• The game is played on an oval shaped field (165m X 135m) with four goal posts at each end
• Four quarters of 20 minutes of playing time are used with the addition of time on
• Players move the ball by kicking it or tapping it to a teammate with an open hand or a closed fist
•        If running with the ball, a player must dribble it once every 15 m
• Scoring occurs when the ball is kicked through the goal posts
•        It's worth 6 points if the ball goes between the center uprights 
•        Worth 1 point for going in between either of the outside posts                  
•        Fast pace game with high scores (Footy)

Quick History of the Game

The first Australian Rules Football game dates back to August of 1858 when Scotch College played Melbourne Church of England Grammar School. 

The sport developed as a way for cricket players to remain active in their offseason. The first official league, the Victorian Football League, was formed in 1896 and consisted of the six original clubs of Hotham, Albert Park, Melbourne, Geelong, Carlton, St. Kilda, Essendon and East Melbourne (College Sports Scholarships).

As the popularity of the game grew, the league became the Australian Football League (AFL) and is made up of 17 teams. 

AFL

                          

                             

                                

                        

                                

                        

                           

Each AFL team pictured above has their own website (The Official Site of AFL).

Season

-22 games are played between March and August

-Top eight teams make the playoffs

2011 Season

(2) Geelong beat (1) Collingwood by 38 points in the Grand Final (2011 Season Score and Results)

Geelong holding the trophy

Stadiums/Attendance

Australian Footy games pull the largest attendance ratings of any sport in the nation showing their popularity. 

The chart above shows how far ahead Australian Rules Football leads the pack in total fan attendance. More males went to AFL games than females. However, the number of females who saw an AFL game rank higher than the men and women in any other popular Australian sport (Simonetti). 

AFL games have the capacity to draw anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 fans. The AFL Grand Final game is held in the marquee Melbourne Cricket Ground. The capacity of the arena is 100,000 with 95,000 seats and 5,000 standing room only tickets. The largest recorded match in this stadium and Australian Rules football history is 121,696 during the 1970 VFL Grand Final between Carlton and Collingwood; the stadium's recent renovations have taken out seats making anything over 100,000 not possible (The Home of Australian Stadiums). 

Melbourne Cricket Ground

The stadium was originally built in 1853 and while its prime purpose is to host AFL and cricket matches, it has also been home to 2006 Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Rugby Union Bledisloe Cup and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 

If you want to see a live AFL football game, go to the link below to purchase your tickets!!!

http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/browse?category=711&root=10004

AFL in the Media

Broadcast:The AFL just struck gold after nailing the most lucrative TV deal in Australian sports history. The networks of Seven, Foxtel and Telstra bought the AFL's rights fees for $1.37 billion. This is a considerable leap from the $780 million the previous broadcast deal brought in. The deal promises to eliminate blackouts and will provide service to mobile phones and tablets (Cutler). 

Commercial: 
Link to Seven network commercial for the AFL:
 I Love This Game


Social Media:

Follow AFL on Twitter

Be a friend on Facebook

 Print: 

The AFL is covered by:

•  News Limited 
• 13 metropolitan based newspapers and websites

Radio: 
The AFL is covered by:Triple M

• 3AW
• 1116 SEN
• ABC
• K-Rock
• Fiveaa
• 6PR 882 News Talk
• NIRS
• Crocmedia
• AFL Live
• 92.5 Gold FM

Marketing:
Big Ant Studios recently launched an AFL video game compatible with Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and XBox gaming systems (The Official Site). 

XBox game cover

E-A-G-L-E-S

Once again, the Philadelphia Eagles make a connection into foreign sports. I was fascinated to find out that former Eagles punter Sav Rocca used to play in the AFL. 

Rocca, a native of Lakeside Australia, enjoyed a 14-year career with the Collingwood Magpies where he was ranked 13th for the All-time goal kicking record. After his AFL retirement, he took his talents to America where he became a NFL punter. 

Rocca in the AFL

Rocca in the NFL

              

If I ever moved to Australia or became an avid AFL fan, I would be a fan of the West Coast Eagles football club to keep with the theme of my NFL team. 

References

Australian Bureau of Sports. (2011). Most Popular Sports Attended. Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4174.0~2009-10~Main+Features~Most+popular+sports+attended?OpenDocument

Australia Football League. (2011). 2011 Season Score and Results. Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/2011.html#24

College Sports Scholarships. (2011). A Brief History of Australia Rules Football. Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/history-australian-rules-football.htm

Cutler, M. (2011, April 29). AFL Sells Broadcast Rights in Record Deal. Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/183550/afl-sells-broadcast-rights-in-record-deal

Footy Tipping Software. (http://www.footy.com.au/). 

Simonetti, A. (2011, August 31). Australian Rules Football is Perfect for an American Audience. Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/447416-australian-rules-football-is-perfect-for-an-american-audience

The Home of Australian Stadiums and Sport. (2011). Stadiums. Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php

The Official Site of Australian Football League (http://www.afl.com.au/)