Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[zevele1]

What is australien football? Footy?footie?

Is it like americain football?
like irish football?

[peleton]

Hi Zev,

"Australian Rules Football" or Footy to us.

It is very different from other football codes.

Possibly the closest other style is Irish (gaelic) football.

The closest thing to American football,(we call it Grid-Iron), we have is Rugby.
Rugby is also a very popular sport here with our national side (the Walabies) being the best in the world.
-Infact we just beat the French national side in a test match in Melbourne tonight. (29-12)

Footy is far and away the main sport.

It is a very fast game, -and very physical.
The ball can be passed in any direction, but not thrown. -It must be punched from one hand by the other.
The ball can also be kicked in any direction.
-Oh yeah the shape of the ball is very similar to that of a rugby ball (or slightly larger and more rounded than an American fooball).

The other thing is that you can run with the ball (in any direction) -but must bounce the ball every 20-30 metres.

A team consists of 18 players on the field at once, and pretty much any player can play any position, although there are 18 defined positions and certain players will be more suited to certain positions than others.
There are a limited number of interchanges -much like soccer.

There is no goal-keeper.

The goals consist of four vertical posts.
The centre two being taller.
6 points is awarded for KICKING the ball through the centre posts.
If the ball is touched (ie by anything other than a foot) as is goes through it only counts for one point.
Also if the ball hits a post and goes through, one point.
If the ball misses and goes between one of the taller posts and the shorter (side) post it is one point.
Generally a "6 pointer" is called a "goal" and a "1 pointer" a "behind".

Players can be tackled, -but only below the shoulders and above the knees.

-Oh, I didn't mention that the ball is played OFF the ground. i.e you can use your hands!

The game is quite free-flowing -in that it only stops for a few seconds at a time when a mark is taken, or a free-kick given.

A mark is when a player catches the ball from a kick that has travelled 15 metres or more. (usually 40-50, and sometimes as much as 70 metres!). These marks are contested by many players at a time and can be very spectacular.

A free kick is usually awarded for an especially rough tackle or if a player is caught with the ball and did not make enough of an effort to "get rid of it". (ie. "holding the ball")

-Oh yeah play is started by a "bounce down" after a goal. -and also if a tackle ends with just a pile of bodies on the ground. (like a ruck in rugby)

whew!

This is probably not very complete (and possibly not perfectly acurate) so the other Aussies feel free to correct me. -I am not that much of a Footy fan. -I am a Rugby Union fan, since that is the (football)sport I played for my highschool and University.

Cheers

peleton.

[zevele1]

Let see next saturday if you win..........

Look like a kind of irish football and must have some scottish rules from they old games as well

Do not know,just wonder

I asked ,cause on the french TV they said 2 players come from footy

Listening to: 'Diabetes' on Media Jukebox

[peleton]

-oh, do you mean two of the players on the Australian Rugby team?

-if so. I think they mean they come from Rugby LEAGUE. (this is not uncommon)
Rugby League is a different game than Rugby Union.
I think they call Rugby League "Footy" in Sydney. -altough they also play Australian rules there too.

The AFL (Australian Football League) is the national league of Australian Rules Football teams.

Rugby League is played in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbain. (and most of us fans of the "true" Rugby Union scorn the game. )

While Rubgy Union is what most schools and Universities play.

I think there was definately an Irish influence in the creation of AFL.
I don't know about Scottish though. (what is Scottish football?)

I do know that the game (AFL) originally started in (the Australian state)Victoria. It was dreamed up by the Melbourne Cricket Club as an exercise to keep players fit during the Cricket off-season (winter).

I think it was kind of a combination of the various types of football popular at the time.

It eventually developed and grew in popularity until it was a more popular and more widely played game than Cricket!

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is still called the home-of-football and the Grand-Final is played there each year.

I hope this is not too confusing.
p.

[zevele1]

During the match,they said that 2 players-do not remember they names-"come from australian football,footy as they say here in Australia"

Anyway,unlike last week against Argentina, this was a pleasant match

Argentina is VERY good at making the all game a big mess,and from it only them find a way out

Next week will be a great match,i am sure of it

In fact the french team was stoned by long fly and jet lag
Beside this it is time to try players for the world cup,more than to win
There is players we never saw before playing.They just try players all around

The poor irish....