Australian Rules Football

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

Australian rules football is a sport created in Australia. The main league of Australian rules football is the Australian Football League.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1857, Tom Wills created Australian Football, for cricketers to keep in shape during the off-season. The game was soon made more clearly (Rules for example). Wills had help from other people like his cousin H.C.A. Harrison , W.J. Hammersly and J.B. Thompson . The Melbourne Football Club was put together on August 7, 1858. The first game was played with Scotch College playing Melbourne Grammar School.

The Victorian Football League ( VFL ) was created in 1896. The next year, the first official games were played. The first clubs were Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda, and South Melbourne . In 1908, Richmond and University joined. University left after the 1914 season. In 1925, Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs ), Hawthorn and North Melbourne (now the Kangaroos ) joined the VFL .

Years later other teams joined in:

  • West Coast Eagles (joined in 1987),
  • Brisbane Bears [(1987) after 1996 Fitzroy joined the Brisbane Bears and the are now know as the Brisbane Lions )
  • Adelaide Crows (1991)
  • Fremantle Dockers (1995)
  • Port Adelaide (1997).

In 1989 the Victorian Football League was changed to the Australian Football League ( AFL ).


[edit] What is Football?

Football is the most popular sport in Australia . There are 16 teams in the AFL . Each team has 22 players. Each team has 18 players on the field and 4 on the bench. The idea of the game is to kick more goals than the other team. At each end of the field are 4 poles. Players score points by kicking the ball between the poles. A goal is a kick between the centermost posts. It is worth 6 points. A Behind (worth 1 point) is a kick that goes between the outer posts. Players can bounce the ball and hit it with their hand (handball it) to other players .


[edit] Present Teams

Club City, State Home Ground
Adelaide Crows Adelaide , South Australia AAMI Stadium
Brisbane Lions Brisbane , Queensland Brisbane Cricket Ground (The 'Gabbaâ' )
Carlton Blues Carlton , Victoria Telstra Dome/ Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG )
Collingwood Magpies Collingwood , Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG )
Essendon Bombers Essendon , Victoria Telstra Dome
Fremantle Dockers Fremantle , Western Australia Subiaco Oval
Geelong Cats Geelong , Victoria Skilled Stadium
Hawthorn Hawks Hawthorn , Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG )
Kangaroos North Melbourne , Victoria Telstra Dome
Melbourne Demons Melbourne , Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG )
Port Adelaide Power Port Adelaide , South Australia AAMI Stadium
Richmond Tigers Richmond , Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG )
St Kilda Saints St Kilda , Victoria Telstra Dome
Sydney Swans Sydney , New South Wales Sydney Cricket Ground ( SCG)/ Telstra Stadium
West Coast Eagles Perth , Western Australia Subiaco Oval
Western Bulldogs Footscray , Victoria Telstra Dome

[edit] Individual Major Awards

  • Brownlow Medal (best and fairest )
  • Coleman Medal (most goals )
  • AFL Rising Star (best young player)
  • Leigh Matthews Trophy (most valuable player voted by the players )
  • Norm Smith Medal (best player in Grand Final)
  • Michael Tuck (best player in pre -season Grand Final)
  • AFL Mark of the Year (award for best mark in season)
  • AFL Goal of the Year (award for best goal in season)
  • All Australian Team (team made up of the best players from all clubs )
  • Club Best and Fairest Awards (best player in a club)