Australian Rules Football Explained – AFL Rules, History, And Facts

by Luke Andrews, 1 July 2022

In the latest in our blog series, we take a close look at Australian Rules football. The teams, the rules and the best betting sites in Australia are explored. Join us as we explain everything you need to know about one of Australia’s favourite sports.

Unless you live in Australia, have a connection with the country or are just plain sports-mad, you may have never heard of Australia Rules Football. If that’s the case, we have you covered. We will explain the history of the sport, the game’s rules and look at some of the teams that play the sport. If you are a betting fan, we’ll help you discover Australian betting sites, the best options.

The History of Australian Rules Football

The Australian state of Victoria has been obsessed with Aussie Rules for many years before online bookies became a thing. In fact, by 1901, it had become the most popular winter sport in several areas, including Victoria, South and Western Australia, and Tasmania.

Although it’s easy to see the similarities to other sports, including football (soccer), rugby and even basketball, Aussies loved the game so much that it was often called the ‘Australian game’. The sport attracted Australian players from around the country and even some New Zealand ones who would make the problematic 2,532.73 miles (4,076.03 km) journey to play. Initially, there was just one elite Australian Rules football competition, the Victorian Football Association (VFA), which was founded in 1877. However, less than twenty years later (1896), the Victorian Football League was started as a breakaway league.

The reason for the split was, as usual, money!

The VFA wanted all clubs to share resources and income evenly. In contrast, the more successful clubs, such as Carlton, St Kilda, Essendon, Geelong, Collingwood, Fitzroy, South Melbourne, and Melbourne, wanted a more significant say and share of the revenue.

Both leagues coexisted and enjoyed passionate support. Although the VFL was the dominant of the two and attracted higher crowds, the VFA could still command a lot of interest, as shown by the 20,000 in attendance at the 1913 VFA final in which the minor premiers Footscray beat North Melbourne.

The sport really took off with the best Australian bookmakers in 1957 when the sport was televised for the first time. After that, Australians would often place bets and watch games in bars, although often not entirely legally, we suspect. The sport boomed in the 1960s as TVs became more common at home and, along with soccer, rugby, cricket and swimming, is among Australia’s favourite sports.

The advent of the internet and online betting sites has increased the number of people who bet on the sport, and later in this article, we will talk you through what are popular bets at the best online bookmakers in Australia.

The Object of the Australian Rules Football Game

The game’s object is simply outscoring your opponent by earning points by kicking a football between four goalposts. Players who kick the ball between the middle posts are awarded six points. One point is awarded if the ball is kicked between a goal post and a behind post. Additionally, a point is awarded if the ball is carried or goes over the scoring line by the attacking team (similar to rugby).

Due to the different ways of scoring, the method of scoring market is a popular one when AFL betting at the best betting sites.

Australian Rules Football – The Players & Equipment

It’s not uncommon to see Aussie Rules games take place at cricket games due to the pitch’s size being similar. AFL games are played on an oval pitch with dimensions ranging from 135 to 185 metres long and 110 to 155 metres wide.

Again, like cricket, the pitch is marked around the outside to indicate the boundary. On either side of the pitch, there are four tall posts roughly six metres high, equating to approximately 20 feet (19.685).

Although the game is played with a “ball”, it’s the same oval shape like a rugby ball and made of leather.

An Australian Rules team consists of 18 players and is divided into positions. These are Full Forward, Half Forward, Centre Line, Half Back and Full Back. Both sides are allowed three substitutes, but unlike other popular sports such as football, these substitutes are “rolling” ones and can enter and leave the field on numerous occasions. The number of officials often surprises newcomers to the sport, with seven umpires officiating the game. The three central umpires are called field umpires, performing the usual duties you would expect, such as timekeeping, watching out for infringements and ensuring the game’s rules are followed. Then, as their name suggests, the two line umpires are there to check if the ball goes out of bounds. Finally, the last two umpires are goal umpires, and their sole responsibility is to signal if a goal has been scored or not.

Australian Rules Football Rules

If you are thinking of betting on Aussie rules at the best betting sites Australia has to offer, it will be beneficial to have at least a basic grasp of the rules. Watching previous games is also helpful as you’ll soon get the hang of it.

To help you, we’ve compiled some of the game’s rules;

• Umpires run the game, and their decision is final.
• Six points are scored if a player kicks the ball through the posts without it touching another player.
• One point is scored if a player kicks the ball through the behind posts without touching another player.
• A ruck also takes place after a goal has been scored.
• The match starts with a ruck in which the umpire throws the ball into the air.
• A player can ‘mark’ the ball once it is received.
• Players can tackle, but only from below shoulder height.
• If a player is tackled but doesn’t release the ball, possession is turned over
• Players are not permitted to push players in the back while they are running or in the process of a tackle.

As the game starts with a ruck, a popular bet at betting sites is which team will gain possession. We will cover this topic in more detail in our betting type section.

Australian Rules Football – The Domestic League

Like many professional leagues in America, the Australian Football League (AFL) doesn’t have promotion or relegation, which means you cannot back a team to be relegated at the online betting sites Australia offers.

The league consists of 18 teams spread over five states, with Tasmania being the only state without an AFL team. Although Tasmania is clubless, it has hosted games in the past, as has the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. The sport has also been on the road to promote globally, with New Zealand and China among the hosts. The season starts in March and runs until September and runs in a different cycle to football which generally begins in October until the A-League grand finale in May. Although this year, the A-League will take a break due to the Fifa World Cup in November in Qatar.

As many of our Australian visitors are also football (soccer) fans, they will be the first to tell you that they have qualified for the World Cup. In Qatar 2022, the Socceroos will come up against defending champions France, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D. A tough draw as seen at the odds at Australian online bookmakers who have them as 19/1 to win the group. The AFL season consists of 23 rounds of fixtures in a home and away format, and once these fixtures are completed, the team at the top of the league table is declared the “minor premiership” winner. Australian online bookmakers offer wagers on all the games throughout the season.

The top eight teams then play off in a finals series, and the top two teams compete in the AFL Grand Final, typically held at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 11th largest stadium in the world. The winner of the grand final earns the distinction of being called the “premiers” and is awarded a cup, which not surprisingly is called the premiership cup.

Types of Bets You Can Place at Australian Online Bookmakers

In this final section, we will look at some of the types of bets you can place at the best betting sites in Australia. If you are new to betting, we always recommend that you ensure that the bookmaker’s sites that you use are fully licenced and reputable. If you need suggestions, check out our list of betting sites in Australia via our dedicated page.

Ausie Rules – Head-to-Head Betting

Available at all sports betting sites, the head-to-head bet is the most straightforward bet you can make. You are simply predicting which one of the two teams will win. For example, who will win if the Brisbane Lions are playing Western Bulldogs in a round 16 game?

One tip we would give is that the odds can vary wildly between betting sites in Australia, even for the same game. Therefore we recommend signing up for at least two Aus betting sites so you can compare the two and pick the one that offers the best value. All sports betting sites may look similar, but even minor differences in odds can add up throughout a season.

Aussie Rules – Line Betting

If you have experience using the betting sites Australia offers, line betting could be the betting type for you. When you place a Line Bet, you predict how many points a team will win or lose. For example, if one AFL club is listed at +32 at $2, the team must win by at least 32 points to win the bet.

Line Betting is available at the best bookmakers in Australia.

Aussie Rules – Minor Premiership Betting

Another easy bet to place at bookmakers sites. At the end of a regular season, the team at the top of the league table is declared the “minor premiership” winner. Online bookmakers let you place a bet on which team will be the minor Premiership winner many months in advance, and as the odds change after every game, placing a bet preseason at sports betting sites can often attract better odds.

Aussie Rules – Premiership Betting

One of the most popular bets at the best online betting sites is predicting which team will win the big one, the Premiership. At the end of the season, the top eight teams play off until two remain, and they meet in the AFL Grand Final. When Premiership betting, you simply select which team you feel will win.

As this game attracts a large volume of bets, you’ll often find that the best online bookmakers offer free bets or matched deposit promotions to encourage you to try their services. It can be a perfect opportunity to open an account with a different bookmaker to compare prices.