Hello Fanspo users, This is my first article so I thought I’d talk about my favourite sport… AFL As you guys may already know AFL is now an available sport to talk about now since we revived the Topshot space to become the space for every sport Zach hasn’t added. This article will expand in the rules of this great game, the history behind each team and which teams are the most successful so you don’t become a bandwagon. 😁 So without anymore tapping from me here is the AFL explainer article for everyone who doesn’t know what this amazing Aussie sport is.
Firstly, AFL isn’t a sport.. it’s a league. The sport is actually called Australian Rules Football but it can be traced back to the pre 1700s even when the Aboriginal people back then created a game very similar to the game most Aussies call Aussie Rules today. It’s called Marngrook and they played it with a ball made out of… possum skin. The first Aussie Rules games ever recorded was played over 5 DAYS in 1858 and it ended in a 6-6 draw (tie) which is nothing like the 2.5 hour games that end which much higher scoring then back then that we see now.
Now, time for a brief explanation on the rules:
the field (or pitch for the British users) is massive and is played on a cricket sized oval which is usually 3-4 times bigger then an NBA basketball court.
Players move the ball down the field by kicking the ball and having to catch (the term is called a mark) the oval shaped ball (the kick has to travel at least 15 metres and caught to be considered a mark) or punching the ball with their fist whilst holding it out vertically to pass to an open teammate.
To score, players must kick the ball between the two big posts or between the little post and big post on the left and right sides of the big posts. If they kick it between the big posts, they get 6 points but if they kick it between the the little post and big post on the left and right sides of the big posts they get 1 point.
Games are split up between 4 quarters, like Basketball and American Football. Each quarter lasts for 20 minutes of time but with all the stoppages in play the quarters really last around 30-35 minutes.
Now for the hardest rule…. The holding the ball rule. The rule seems to change every year lol but the basic premise of the rule is that a player can earn a free kick (kind of like drawing a foul in the NBA or a flag in the NFL) by tackling a player who has possession of the ball but didn’t dispose of it in the prior opportunity he/she was given
Now that the most basic rules and premises of the game are out of the way, let’s move onto the history of the sport
The AFL wasn’t always called the AFL… when the league formed in 1897 it was called the VFL - or Victorian Football League as EVERY TEAM WAS BASED IN VICTORIA. There were 8 teams then, and 18. 6 of those teams stayed in Victoria the whole time, whilst two of them (the South Melbourne Swans - who are now known as the Sydney Swans and the Fitzroy Lions who merged with the expansion side in Brisbane in 1996) relocated to Sydney and Queensland during the 80’s and 90’s. Between 1908 and 1925, 4 (technically 5 cause University FC disbanded during WWI) more teams were added, including my beloved Western Bulldogs, who were based in Footscray for 70 years as a V/AFL club. They also added the Hawthorn Hawks and North Melbourne Kangaroos in 1925 who, just like the Dogs are celebrating their 100th year this year. Hawthorn is the only one of these teams who made finals this year tho. Richmond FC (now known as the Richmond Tigers) came in 1908 and have been wound ever since. Same with Essendon, Collingwood, Carlton, Geelong, Melbourne and St.Kilda who were 6 of the 8 foundation clubs in 1897. 90 years on, the league added a team in Perth named the West Coast Eagles and by 1994 they won the league - for the second time in 3 years. In 1991 the league added a team in South Australia named the Adelaide Crows and changed the names from the VFL.. to the AFL. In 1995, the added the Fremantle Dockers as a team to rival West Coast and in 1997 the added Port Adelaide who came from the South Australian league and won 31 premierships (or trophies/championships) in that league but that obviously wasn’t going to translate over here, and they’ve only won 1 premiership so far. In 2011 and 2012 the league added 2 more teams in Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney (GWS) and it’s taken Gold Coast 15 years to finally make their first finals (playoffs) appearance.
SOME FACTS:
The most successful teams are Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon, each with 16 premierships. St.Kilda has the longest drought between premierships, which currently stands at 59 years. The AFL Grand Final is always played at the MCG every year Only players who play on the winning team on Grand Final Day get medals (like getting rings in an American sport) not the entire winning team There has been a few American players in the league, the most famous one being Collingwood’s Mason Cox who won a premiership with Collingwood in 2023
And yea, that’s basically it. Think of this as your footy starter pack lol I’d suggest googling each team and their logo to learn more if you want to pick a team to support (no bias but GO BULLDOGS) And yes, have fun on this new sporting journey
As always best wishes, Aussie Warrior 🇦🇺