Australian football, which is also known as Australian rules football, or less formally as "Aussie rules" or simply as "footy" is a code of football which originated in
Australian football rules have some similarities with the English football and the American football rules. The match is played between two rivals. Each team has eighteen players in squad (also there are some interchange players). The game is played on cricket ovals or similar-sized grassed arenas which vary in size and may be up to 185 meters (200 yards) long; these are much larger than those used by other codes of football. The game is also different from other football games by the speedy, free ball movement (partly because there is no offside rule in that football) and the free kick awarding for any mark (clean catch) of a playing ball that has been moved more than fifteen meters long. Spectacular "speccies" or high marks, various tackles and fast, fluid play are the game's main attributes as a spectator sport.
In spite of the game's rough physical nature, the Australian football players do not typically wear protective dress codes. Though it is a winter sport, competitions of pre-season training start in late winter (at the end of February); the regular football season usually begins in March and finishes in August, with final games dated in September.
Let us review the Australian football rules. Both the playing field and the ball have the shape of oval. Only eighteen players in each football team are allowed to be present on the playing field at a time. In accordance with the Australian football rules, the maximum number of reserve (interchange) players is four and they may be changed for those players on the playing field at any time. There is no offside rule nor are there set positions in the rules - unlike many other forms of football, players from both teams disperse across the whole field before the start of play. The ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a foot, clenched fist (called a handball or handpass) or open hand tap, but it cannot be thrown under any circumstances. (Throwing is defined in the rules quite broadly.)
The Australian football rules state that a football player can run with the playing ball but the ball should be touched or bounced on the pitch at a minimum every fifteen meters. Players in opposition may tackle or bump the player to gain the ball; when tackled, the player has to get rid of the ball smartly; otherwise, he runs the risk of being punished by penalty for holding the ball.
And now we would like to say a few words about the Australian football scoring. There are four vertical posts at each end of the field. The middle two are the goal posts, and the two on either side, which are shorter, are the behind posts. In Australian football a goal is scored if the playing ball is transferred between the goal posts at any height (including above the height of the posts) by way of a kick from the attacking team.
The team that scores the most points at the end of play wins the game. Thus, a score of 10 goals and 10 behinds equals 70 points. A score of 9 goals and 18 behinds equals 72 points. The latter score would win the game despite the fact that that team scored one goal less. This is the brief Australian football rules review.