Australian football is one of the fastest growing sports in not only Australia but also in other parts of the world today. It is the simplest to learn on how to play since most of the rules that governs the play are all borrowed from other disciplines like rugby, soccer and cricket. It is quite entertaining for the players and those that watch the game. The teams are made of eighteen players each. The players are then divided into three portions. There are those that are supposed to be at the back guarding their goal so that the opponents do not score against them. These are called the defenders. They will do all that they can to make sure that the opponent doesn’t kick the ball past their goal posts. The second category is the midfielders. They are six players. Their role is to be the creative part of the game. They can defend and create scoring chances for the team. They are supposed to make sure that the opponents do not go past their midfield with the ball. They will therefore make sure that they take the ball from them and supply it to the strikers who will then make sure that they score. Here are some of the rules of the Australian football that you need to be aware of;
- Officials of the game
- Positions of the players
Officials of the game
For any game to be fair and entertaining there must be officials whose role is to make sure that all players are observing the rules of the game. The officials that are involved in the Australian football are known as the umpires. They are supposed to be seven of them. Each of them has got specific task during the game. They are supposed to be in unique uniform so as to prevent the players from confusing them with other players. They are supposed to signal once an offence has been committed. They are supposed to punish the player or the team that has been involved with such an offence. They should also make sure that the ball is played within the set boundaries of the field. Once the coach wants to make a substitution, the umpires are supposed to be contacted to allow the substitute to get in the field. Basically, they are supposed to keep law and order in the field.
Positions of the players
Each player in the Australian football is supposed to specialize in specific playing positions. This makes him or her very efficient and professional. The team is divided into three groups of players. Those that are supposed to guard the goal are therefore referred to as the defenders. The other group includes the midfielders. They do both defending and striking. The third group of players is the strikers. They are six of them. They are supposed to coordinate within themselves so as the AFL scores as many goals as possible for the team. All these players need to coordinate for them to defeat their opponent.