AFL Football

Subject: AFL Football Sat 24 Mar 2007 - 12:43

Next weekend marks the start of the Australian Football League 2007 season. It is a big part of the Australian way of life.

Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply "football" or "footy" is a code of football played with an prolate spheroid ball, on large oval shaped fields (cricket fields), with four posts at each end.

No more than 18 players of each team are permitted to be on the field at any time and the primary aim of the game is to score by kicking the ball between the posts. The winner is the team who has the highest total score by the end of the match.

There are several different ways to advance the ball, including kicking and hand passing. When hand passing one hand must be used to hold the ball and the other fist to hit it — throwing the ball is not allowed.

Players running with the ball must bounce or touch it on the ground every 15 metres. There is no offside rule and players can roam the field freely. Australian rules is a contact sport. Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick is paid. Players who hold on to the ball too long are penalised if they are tackled by an opposition player who is then rewarded, whilst players who catch a ball (known as a mark) from a kick exceeding 15 metres are awarded uncontested possession. The duration of play varies, but is longer than in any other code of football.

Frequent contests for possession including aerial marking or "speckies" and vigorous tackling with the hands, bumps and the fast movement of both players and the ball are the game's main attributes as a spectator sport.

The code originated in Melbourne, Australia in 1858, and was devised to keep cricketers fit during the winter months. The first laws of Australian
football were published in 1859 by the Melbourne Football Club. The dominant governing body and most prestigious professional competition is the Australian Football League (AFL), which culminates in the annual AFL Grand Final, the highest attended club championship event in the world.

TEAMS
Adelaide
Brisbane
Carlton
Collingwood
Essendon
Fremantle
Geelong
Hawthorn
Kangaroos
Melbourne
Port Adelaide
Richmond
St Kilda
Sydney
West Coast
Western Bulldogs

Information taken from www.wikepedia.org

Subject: Re: AFL Football Thu 19 Apr 2007 - 10:08

A game of Aussie Rules is played over 4 quarters of 25 mins. duration. However this is total playing time, during any stoppages, for example, after a goal has been scored, the timeclock is stopped until the umpire signals for it to restart. so that the elapsed time for any quarter varies but usually averages about 30 mins. I believe the longest recorded quarter was over 40 mins. long

3-star-status Member Joined : 09 Nov 2006 Posts : 3475

Hi John,

Lovely to see you. I know nothing about football so forgive me but is this different than English football?

mattycat
_________________
Smith, Nuttall, Ingham,McDermott and more

so near and yet so far

Subject: Re: AFL Football Thu 19 Apr 2007 - 10:26

Thanks for adding that John, much appreciated. I love AFL do you, what team do you support???

Chelin

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 0:27

Hi Mattycat & Chellin

Mattycat, Aussie Rules is compltely different from English Football or Soccer as it is called over here. It is sometimes called Aerial Ping Pong by Soccer Devotees as there is lots of jumping in the air and tapping or punching of the ball to a team mate when the umpire throws the ball in the air to restart the game after a stoppage.
Chellin, There is only one team worth supporting, The Mighty Bombers. I suppose you barrack for the Eagles?

John

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 2:27

Hi John

No I am a Docker fan as I am south of the river near Fremantle. You are either one or the other over here and there is very fierce competition between the two.

Not doing too good at the moment though, only one game out of four, but we will pick up you wait and see lol

Chellin

Good luck for the season

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 3:35

Dockers Theme Song
Freo Way To Go
Hit Em Real Hard
Send Them Down Below
Freo Give em The Old Heave-Ho
We Are The Freo Dockers
Freo Way To Go
Hit Em Real Hard
Send Them Down Below
Freo Give em The Old Heave-Ho
We Are The Freo Dockers

Go Dockers

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 7:19

Hi John

Great Anzac day match, thought you had it in the bag at one stage then, bad luck

Chellin

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 10:07

Hi Chellin

Thanks for that, your'e almost as bad as my son, a Collingwood supporter, he rang me up and played the Magpies song over the phone. lol

John

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 10:13

Hi John

Oh that must have been hard today then with you and your son going for two different sides.

Great game, I think they were very well matched, dont you??

Lets hope the Dockers have another win this week, we got into the finals last year, we must this year.

Chellin

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 10:22

Hi Chellin

It was a great game, spoiled by a few bad umpiring decisions. We wuz robbed. I don't think the Dockers will win this week against the Crows even though its at Subiaco

John

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 10:32

Oh come on John, give us a little hope lol

We all blame the umpires when its our teams, I bet your son said that to you too.

I will rub it in if we do win this week at Subiaco dont you worry and if we loose I will just keep quiet lol

Chellin

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 10:36

Well at least were still in the eight.

john

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 10:41

Yep, you are and I think you stand a good chance this year.

I will resume this topic when the Dockers win this weekend lol

Have a good evening and speak soon ok
Take care

Chellin
PS Are you from Essenden??

Subject: Re: AFL Football Wed 25 Apr 2007 - 21:18

Hiya chellin & John,

Heck!! this is interesting though all like a foreign language to me, glad you two understand each other!! Anyway good luck to both your footy teams this weekend

Carole