The AFL or Australian Football League is the top Australian Rules football competition in the world. It is the only professional Australian football league, and consists of a competition of 18 teams competing for the title.
The current AFL has its roots in the Victorian Football League, which was started in 1897, with Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood, Geelong, Fitzroy, Melbourne, St Kilda, and South Melbourne competing for the title.
The teams that now comprise the AFL include Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Geelong, Gold Coast in Queensland, Essendon, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, the West Coast, Greater Western Sydney, and the Sydney in New South Wales.
The Rules of Australian Football
Australian football is a team sport with 18 players on each side. The objective of the game is to kick the ball between the two posts positioned at opposite ends of the playing field, which takes an oval shape.
A team scores 6 points, or a goal, for kicking the ball through the goal posts. Teams can also score one point if the ball goes between a goal post and a behind post. This is called a behind. This can also be scored if the ball actually hits the goal post, if the ball goes between the goal posts without having been kicked, and if the defender hits the ball through the goal posts.
The game is played over 4 quarters, each lasting twenty minutes. The clock is stopped at regular intervals, and thus most matches take over two hours.
How the AFL Works
The 18 teams listed above all compete for the title of the AFL.They play 22 games during the regular season, and the top eight teams will go on to play in the final series. The finale of the final series is the Grand Final, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
This is one of the most-watched events on Australian television, attracting an average of over three million viewers.
The Trophies
For the team as a whole, the Australian Football League premiership trophy is the grand prize, and that is what the 18 teams ultimately compete for.
However, for individual players, the highest honour is the Brownlow Medal, named after former Geelong player Charles Brownlow. The medal is awarded to the best player at the end of the regular season.
However, being the best is not the only criteria. Players need to show exceptional skill, but they also need to be considered the fairest player.
Players are also able to compete for the Coleman Medal, which goes to the player who manages to kick the highest number of goals during the regular season.
Betting on the AFL
Betting on the AFL is a favourite pastime for Australian football fans, very similar to cricket betting in the country. Head-to-head and line bets are generally the most popular bets that bettors pick. Bettors are also commonly known as opting for multiple bets at the same time, say for each round, but there are no strict right or wrongs when it comes to betting on the AFL.
Its fun and exciting and this great sport provides punters with plenty of opportunities to wager and win.
