If you have never had the chance to see a game of Australian Rules Football, then you have missed one of the hardest hitting and fastest moving games in the world.  Australian Rules Football, or "footy", is played with the same intensity as the American style of play, but among the differences: field size is different, scoring is different, and...these guys don't wear any pads!

Australian football, which is also known as Australian Rules Football, or less formally as "Aussie Rules" or simply as "Footy" is a code of football which originated in Melbourne, Australia.

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 meters (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 meters. Spectacular high marks, or "speccies", tackles and fast, fluid play are the game's main attributes as a spectator sport. The vast majority of players do not wear any of the protective clothing used in other football codes; the few who do typically do so for medical reasons. 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.

On this page you will find links to pages dedicated to "footy", as well as to the various leagues and teams that play the sport.   You will also find this sport is not only played in Australia, but also in organized leagues around the world.  If you want to add a site to this page please drop me a note!

To return to this page in the future just type: http://pointme.to/football/footy.htm