Portal:Australian rules football
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Australian rules football, less formally known as "Aussie rules" or simply "footy" is a code of football which originated in Melbourne, Australia - the rules chiefly created by Thomas Wentworth Wills.
The game is played between two teams of 18 players (plus interchange players), on cricket ovals or similar-sized grassed arenas which vary in size and may be up to 185 metres (200 yards) long; these are much larger than those used by other codes of football. The game is also distinguished from other games by the fast, relatively free movement of the ball (partly due to the absence of an offside rule) and the awarding of a free kick for any clean catch – known as a mark – of a ball which has been kicked more than 15 metres. Spectacular high marks, or "speccies", tackles and fast, fluid play are the game's main attributes as a spectator sport. Despite the game's sometimes rough physical nature players do not usually wear protective clothing. Although it is a winter sport, pre-season competitions usually begin in late February (that is, in the Australian summer); the football season proper is from March to August, with finals being held in September.
The Australian Football League is the elite, professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football. It was formerly known as the Victorian Football League (prior to 1990), and was established in 1897.
See 2006 AFL season for information on this year's AFL competition.
| Team | Nickname | Joined VFL/AFL |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Football Club | Crows | 1991 |
| Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club | Lions | 1997 |
| Carlton Football Club | Blues | 1897 |
| Collingwood Football Club | Magpies | 1897 |
| Essendon Football Club | Bombers | 1897 |
| Fremantle Football Club | Dockers | 1995 |
| Geelong Football Club | Cats | 1897 |
| Hawthorn Football Club | Hawks | 1925 |
| Kangaroos Football Club | Kangaroos | 1925 |
| Melbourne Football Club | Demons | 1897 |
| Port Adelaide Football Club | Power | 1997 |
| Richmond Football Club | Tigers | 1908 |
| St. Kilda Football Club | Saints | 1897 |
| Sydney Australian Football Club | Swans | 1897 |
| West Coast Eagles Football Club | Eagles | 1987 |
| Western Bulldogs Football Club | Bulldogs | 1925 |
Apart from the AFL, which is the only elite, fully professional league in the sport of Australian rules, there are numerous other leagues, at state level or amateur level. See List of Australian rules football leagues in Australia and List of Australian rules football leagues outside Australia.
Main leagues at state level include:
- Queensland Australian Football League
- South Australian National Football League (SANFL, formerly SAFL)
- Victorian Football League (formerly VFA)
- West Australian Football League (WAFL, formerly WANFL)
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Things you can do to help the Wikipedia Australian rules football section
- Put Australian rules football images in commons.
- Improve the articles listed as stubs at Category:Australian rules football stubs.
- Start a Australian rules football COTW such as Women's Australian rules football
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