133-496: Daniel John Warr (22 October 1905 – 27 August 1972) was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Warr spent two seasons at St Kilda and his 37 games consisted of one final in 1929. He was a goal-kicking rover and managed 24 goals in each of his two years at the club. After captain-coaching Rochester in 1930, Warr returned to his original club Preston . He won
266-404: A Recorder Cup in 1934, captain-coached them in 1935 and topped Preston's goal-kicking every year from 1932 to 1935 (54, 37, 57 and 42 goals respectively). His coaching career continued with stints at Camperdown (1937-1939) and Finley . After the war he moved to Canberra and was in charge of Eastlake from 1947 to 1953 with the exception of 1951 which he spent at Turner. He steered Eastlake to
399-606: A dominion , leagues were also established in the major cities. This renewed popularity helped encourage the formation of the Australasian Football Council , which in 1908 in Melbourne staged the first national interstate competition, the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival , with teams representing each state and New Zealand. The game was also established early on in the new territories. In
532-622: A scratch match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This was the first of several "kickabouts" held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club , including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson . Trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed-upon code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in
665-482: A causal link with Australian football. In Melbourne , in 1858, in a move that would help to shape Australian football in its formative years, private schools (then termed " public schools " in accordance with nomenclature in England) began organising football games inspired by precedents at English public schools . The earliest match, held on 15 June, was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. On 10 July 1858,
798-517: A century. State of Origin rules, introduced in 1977, stipulated that rather than representing the state of their adopted club, players would return to play for the state they were first recruited in. This instantly broke Victoria's stranglehold over state titles and Western Australia and South Australia began to win more of their games against Victoria. Both New South Wales and Tasmania scored surprise victories at home against Victoria in 1990. The term " Barassi Line ", named after VFL star Ron Barassi ,
931-500: A challenge match had the result been reversed (1899, 1904 , 1907 , 1908 , 1911 , 1918 , 1927 and 1928 ); and three which decided the premiership but which could not have been followed by a challenge match due to the finals systems and circumstances of those years ( 1901 , 1903 and 1906 ). In 1902 , the Grand Final was first played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground , when Collingwood 9.6 (60) defeated Essendon 3.9 (27) before
1064-494: A deal was made with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), the Grand Final has been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground every season, except when it has been unavailable. Under the current agreement among the AFL, MCC and Victorian Government , the ground is contracted to host the game every year until 2059. Since 1902, only seven Grand Finals have been played at other grounds: The match sells out most years, and routinely qualifies as
1197-419: A game for either medical or tactical reasons. Players on the playing surface can be swapped with those on the interchange bench at any time. They must though pass through a designated "Interchange Area". In the event a player fails to pass through this area correctly, or if too many players from one team are found to be on the ground at a time, a free kick will be awarded to the opposing side. While there
1330-399: A mark is taken, a small protected zone is established on the field, extending 10 metres (11 yd) either side of "the mark" and the player who marked the ball, with a small protected corridor between "the mark" and the player. The opposition player is permitted to jump, but is not allowed to move from their position on "the mark". Any other movements result in a distance penalty (50 metres in
1463-404: A modified cricket ground . Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts (worth six points), or between a central and outer post (worth one point, otherwise known as a "behind"). During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. The primary methods are kicking , handballing and running with
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#17330852518341596-456: A motorcade is staged, in which players who have retired since the previous grand final are given a lap of honour in open top cars. Curtain raiser matches are played on the main arena prior to the musical entertainment. Since 2008, this has been an under-16s or under-17s match, presently an exhibition match among the country's top under-17s players known as the AFL Futures match . Previously,
1729-413: A player breaks a rule, a free kick is awarded to the opposing team, from the location that the misconduct occurred, or the ball's current location—whichever is closer to the team's scoring zone. As when a mark is taken, this location is called "the mark", and the same protections regarding the space apply. AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine
1862-407: A preliminary final in the previous week, ending the long-standing custom of one qualifier enjoying a bye in the week before the grand final. The third and final drawn grand final occurred in 2010 between Collingwood and St Kilda , with Collingwood winning the replay; extra time has since been introduced to decide drawn grand finals, but it is yet to have been required. Hawthorn was dominant in
1995-464: A premiership in 1948 and coached the ACT. This Australian rules football biography of a person born in 1905 is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Australian rules football Australian rules football , also called Australian football or Aussie rules , or more simply football or footy , is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field , often
2128-555: A proposed hybrid code of Australian football and rugby league , the predominant code of football in New South Wales and Queensland, was trialled without success. In Queensland, the state league went into recess for the duration of the war. VFL club University left the league and went into recess due to severe casualties. The WAFL lost two clubs and the SANFL was suspended for one year in 1916 due to heavy club losses. The Anzac Day match ,
2261-522: A record eight premierships. The medal was first awarded in 2001, and it was retrospectively awarded to all premiership-winning coaches starting from 1950, the first season after McHale's retirement from coaching. The captain or co-captains of the winning team receive the Ron Barassi Medal , named in honour of ten-time premiership player and coach Ron Barassi Jr . The medal was first awarded in 2024. The game's leading goalkicker or goalkickers receive
2394-502: A second-tier status. The VFA merged with the former VFL reserves competition in 1998, adopting the VFL name. State of Origin also declined in importance, especially after an increasing number of player withdrawals. The AFL turned its focus to the annual International Rules Series against Ireland in 1998 before abolishing State of Origin the following year. State and territorial leagues still contest interstate matches, as do AFL Women players. In
2527-460: A select few ways as defined by the Laws of Australian Football, published by the AFL. The ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a kick or a clenched fist (called a handball )—deemed a correct disposal. Failure to dispose of the ball in one of these two methods will result in a free kick to the opposing team. If the ball is not currently in a player's possession, it can be moved legally through
2660-430: A short finals system, usually a simple knockout tournament ending with a match called the 'final'; if the 'final' was not won by the home-and-away season's minor premiers , then the minor premiers had the right to challenge the winner of the 'final' to a playoff match for the premiership. At the time, it was only this challenge match, if played, which was known as the grand final; however, all 'final' matches which decided
2793-603: A similar situation existing in Western Australia in the sport, the VFL pursued a more national competition. Two more non-Victorian clubs, West Coast and Brisbane , joined the league in 1987 generating more than $ 8 million in license revenue for the Victorian clubs and increasing broadcast revenues which helped the Victorian clubs survive. In their early years, the Sydney and Brisbane clubs struggled both on and off-field because
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#17330852518342926-498: A slightly modified version of the Victorian game in 1879. The South Australian Football Association (SAFA), the sport's first governing body , formed on 30 April 1877, firmly establishing Victorian rules as the preferred code in that colony. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) formed the following month. Clubs began touring the colonies in the late 1870s, and in 1879 the first intercolonial match took place in Melbourne between Victoria and South Australia . To standardise
3059-464: A system of finals to be contested after the home-and-away matches; this ensured that the premiership could not be decided until the last match had been played, generating greater public interest at the end of the season — compared with the VFA's system, which awarded the premiership based on win–loss record across the entire season, with a playoff match only in the event of tied records. The league arranged that
3192-406: A technique known shepherding when the ball is within 5 metres (5.5 yd) of an opposition player. Shepherding involves the use of a player's body to push, bump or otherwise block an opposition player, providing they do not have possession of the ball. If a player takes possession of the ball that has travelled more than 15 metres (16 yd) from another player's kick, by way of a catch within
3325-550: A then-record Australian football crowd of 35,000. By 1908, every finals match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and new attendance records were set in 1908 (50,261), 1912 (54,463) and 1913 (59,479). During this period, Carlton became the first club to win three consecutive premierships, winning 'finals' in all three years. Football and grand finals continued through World War I , albeit with reduced attendances, and some controversy that it distracted from
3458-427: A uniform code known as "Victorian rules". In 1866, the "first distinctively Victorian rule", the running bounce , was formalised at a meeting of club delegates chaired by H. C. A. Harrison , an influential pioneer who took up football in 1859 at the invitation of Wills, his cousin. The game around this time was defensive and low-scoring, played low to the ground in congested rugby-style scrimmages. The typical match
3591-494: Is also recorded on the perpetual E. L. Wilson Shield , which resides at AFL House. The shield, inaugurated in 1929, was named after long-serving VFL secretary Edwin Lionel Wilson . It was initially discontinued after 1978, when there was no room remaining on the shield. In 2016, it was rediscovered under a stairwell at AFL House; it was refurbished, extra space was added, and it was brought up to date. It, too, does not feature in
3724-405: Is analogous to a basketball center and as such rucks are typically the tallest player on the team. Lifting teammates is not allowed so the ruck may only jump to reach the ball. If the ruck does not take possession of the football, it must must be tapped or fisted, which is known as a hit-out. An effective hit-out that passes the ball to a teammate is known as a hit-out to advantage. In the event
3857-420: Is awarded only to the players who participate in the winning grand final team (or in a drawn grand final team if their team won the replay). Players who do not play in the grand final itself do not receive the medal, regardless of their contribution to the club's season; this has been a point of contention, with many observers believing medals should be more broadly awarded across the premier's squad. Criteria for
3990-455: Is known as the Goal Line. Around the perimeter of the field, two white lines are drawn between the set of behind posts in an arc-shape, marking the field of play. Other field markings include: The 50m arcs, centre square, centre circle and goal square are used at the beginning of each quarter or after each goal. With each team permitted a maximum of six players in each 50m arc, with one in
4123-470: Is no set uniform, the basic equipment for Australian football consists of a guernsey, shorts, socks and boots, with additional pieces of apparel such as headbands and gloves additionally being permitted. Players may wear certain pieces of protective equipment, such as helmets or arm guards, if approved by the relevant controlling body. Mouthguards are strongly recommended for all players. Players are not permitted to wear jewellery, or other materials which
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4256-493: Is officiated by at least five match officials, known as an umpire . These match officials are placed into three categories based upon their roles and responsibilities, with varying minimum numbers of Umpires required depending on position: At AFL level, a video score review system is utilised. Only umpires are permitted to request a review, and only scoring shots and potential scoring shots are permitted to be reviewed. An Australian rules football may only be propelled forward in
4389-467: Is presented to the player judged best on ground in the grand final by a panel of experts. The award is named in honour of ten-time Melbourne premiership player and coach Norm Smith . It was first awarded in 1979 , and has come to carry great prestige as an individual prize. The coach of the winning team receives the Jock McHale Medal , named in honour of Collingwood coach Jock McHale who coached
4522-461: Is still widely used as a metonym for the premiership itself in Australian rules football parlance, including in many of the league's team songs . The most prestigious award for supporters is the AFL premiership cup, which is presented to the captain and coach of the winning team in a ceremony after the game. Prior to the Grand Final, it is traditional for the captain of each side to hold one side of
4655-783: Is used. The ball must be inflated to a pressure of 69 kilopascals (10.0 pounds per square inch). There are no defined laws regarding what material a ball must be made from, but standard AFL match-used balls are produced by Sherrin using cowhide leather. While there is no standard colour of the ball, red and yellow are most common and the only colours used at AFL level. Yellow is used for games beginning after 3 pm or in an enclosed stadium, due to its greater visibility, and to assist score reviews. Unlike other forms of football which are played on rectangular fields, Australian rules football playing fields are oval-shaped, and are between 135 and 185 metres (148 and 202 yd) long and 110 and 155 metres (120 and 170 yd) wide. At either end of
4788-743: The Jack Collins Medal from the AFL Premiership Players' Club. The first four Grand Finals were played at different neutral venues chosen by the league's match committee a week in advance: these were played at the St Kilda Cricket Ground ( 1898 and 1899 ), the East Melbourne Cricket Ground ( 1900 ) and the South Melbourne Cricket Ground ( 1901 ). Since the fifth Grand Final in 1902, after
4921-415: The 1956 Olympic Games , the ground was upgraded again with a new stand and extra capacity, and the 1956 grand final was seen as a dry run for the opening ceremony of the games two months later. Although the official capacity was 120,000, the ground could not comfortably accommodate the record crowd of 115,802. Some spectators who gained entry perched dangerously on the back fences of the grandstands and even
5054-501: The Australian Football League , while the league itself also uses this name for local competitions in some areas. Primitive forms of football were played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. Compared to cricket and horse racing , football was considered a mere "amusement" by colonists at the time, and while little is known about these early one-off games, evidence does not support
5187-530: The Geelong–Collingwood grand final attracted 88,540, with spectators crossing the fence and sitting eight deep along the boundary line; the following year, another record of 96,486 watched Collingwood play Carlton . Melbourne dominated the final years before the Pacific War , comfortably winning grand finals in 1939, 1940 and 1941. Football served as a distraction for people and as a war fundraiser on
5320-407: The field umpire has deemed to be either potentially dangerous or increase the risk of injury to other players. Australian rules football is played with an ellipsoid ball, between 72 and 73 cm (28 and 29 in) in long circumference, and 54.5 and 55.5 cm (21.5 and 21.9 in) in short circumference. For women's competitions, a smaller ball size of 69 and 53 cm (27 and 21 in)
5453-405: The 1960s, the VFL constructed its own privately owned ground, VFL Park (later Waverley Park), to a capacity of 75,000. The league announced that it would move the grand final to VFL Park starting from 1984 , and submitted plans to expand its ground's capacity to 104,500; but the upgrade was blocked by the state government, which even threatened to pass legislation requiring that the game remain at
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5586-555: The 1980s and when rival codes such as the NRL began regularly broadcasting the NRL Grand Final in the evening for primetime television. AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has stated that it is out of respect for tradition that the afternoon timeslot has remained, even though playing in the twilight or night timeslots would attract more lucrative television deals. Only the two grand finals played outside Victoria strayed from this, each being played in
5719-596: The 2010s, the AFL signalled further attempts at expanding into markets outside Australian football's traditional heartlands by hosting home-and-away matches in New Zealand, followed by China. After several failed bids since the early 1990s for a Tasmania-based AFL team, the Tasmania Football Club secured the 19th AFL license in 2023, and is set to compete by 2028. In a standard match, a team may consist of anywhere between 14 and 18 players who may be permitted on
5852-461: The AFL). The player who was awarded the mark may then choose to either dispose of the ball over "the mark" or may choose to attempt disposal via a different method, in which case the field umpire will call "play on"—a verbal instruction to continue play. "Play on" may also be called if the umpire deems the player awarded the mark to be taking an unreasonable amount of time to dispose of the football. Once
5985-468: The AFLW using 17 minutes per quarter. For any given match, two timekeepers are appointed to officiate the duration. The timekeepers record all relevant statistics for the match, such as total quarter duration and score by each team. Additionally timekeepers are required to sound a siren prior to and at the conclusion of each quarter until such time they are acknowledged by the field umpires. To stop and recommence
6118-624: The ANFC, and later the Australian Football Championships (AFC) ran a night series , which invited clubs and representative sides from around the country to participate in a knock-out tournament parallel to the premiership seasons, which Victorian sides still dominated. With the lack of international competition, state representative matches were regarded with great importance. Due in part to the VFL poaching talent from other states, Victoria dominated interstate matches for three-quarters of
6251-524: The British Isles, "others by no rules at all". Another milestone in 1858 was a 40-a-side match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College , held at the Richmond Paddock. Umpired by Wills and teacher John Macadam , it began on 7 August and continued over two subsequent Saturdays, ending in a draw with each side kicking one goal. It is commemorated with a statue outside
6384-432: The E. L. Wilson Shield, and A$ 1.2 million in prize money. The premiership flag is the most symbolic and longest-standing award for the clubs. It is a large, triangular pennant in league colours (navy blue fimbriated with white) and emblazoned with the league logo, the word 'premiers' and the year of the premiership. It does not feature in post-match presentations, but tradition dictates that it be ceremonially unfurled from
6517-568: The Irish game evolved in a similar direction. Another theory, first proposed in 1983, posits that Wills, having grown up among Aboriginals in Victoria, may have seen or played the Aboriginal ball game of Marn Grook , and incorporated some of its features into early Australian football. There is only circumstantial evidence that he knew of the game, and according to biographer Greg de Moore's research, Wills
6650-504: The MCC took a large portion of the gate and retained free entry privileges for its members, an entitlement it had held since 1902. In the early 1950s, Princes Park was almost upgraded to become the Olympic Stadium , which would have provided an alternative venue; but when the Melbourne Cricket Ground was upgraded instead, it remained the only ground large enough to accommodate the game. In
6783-727: The MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, and drafted ten rules: "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club" . These are the laws from which Australian football evolved. The club aimed to create a simple code suited to the hard playing surfaces around Melbourne, and to eliminate the roughest aspects of English school games—such as "hacking" (shin-kicking) in Rugby School football—to reduce the risk of injuries to working men. In another significant departure from English public school football,
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#17330852518346916-555: The MCG, and the two schools have since competed annually in the Cordner–Eggleston Cup , the world's oldest continuous football competition . Since the 1920s, it has been suggested that Australian football may have been derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football . However, there is no archival evidence in favour of a Gaelic influence, and the style of play shared between the two modern codes appeared in Australia long before
7049-401: The Melbourne Cricket Ground. Eventually, the VFL, MCC and Victorian government negotiated for the game to remain at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with better terms and access privileges for VFL members. Since the expansion of the league interstate beyond Victoria, the long-term deals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground have been criticised as unfair for non-Victorian clubs, who play fewer games at
7182-576: The Melbourne rules omitted any offside law . "The new code was as much a reaction against the school games as influenced by them", writes Mark Pennings. The rules were distributed throughout the colony; Thompson in particular did much to promote the new code in his capacity as a journalist. Following Melbourne's lead, Geelong and Melbourne University also formed football clubs in 1859. While many early Victorian teams participated in one-off matches, most had not yet formed clubs for regular competition. A South Yarra club devised its own rules. To ensure
7315-673: The Melbourne-based Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle published a letter by Tom Wills , captain of the Victoria cricket team , calling for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football while a pupil at Rugby School in England, and returned to his homeland a star athlete and cricketer. Two weeks later, Wills' friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant , posted an advertisement for
7448-409: The SANFL's Port Adelaide (1997), the only pre-existing club outside Victoria to join the league. In 2011 and 2012, respectively, two new non-Victorian clubs were added to the competition: Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney . The AFL, currently with 18 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and most powerful body. Following the emergence of the AFL, state leagues were quickly relegated to
7581-449: The absence of Victorian clubs. On the first public holiday parade in 2015, a record 150,000 spectators attended. The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast has been held annually since 1967 on the morning of the grand final. It is a corporate-style breakfast event, featuring keynote speakers and guests including prime ministers, state premiers and football celebrities. It is the most well-known corporate hospitality event associated with
7714-561: The annual game between Essendon and Collingwood on Anzac Day, is one example of how the war continues to be remembered in the football community. The role of the Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was primarily to govern the game at a national level and to facilitate interstate representative and club competition. In 1968, the ANFC revived the Championship of Australia , a competition first held in 1888 between
7847-523: The arena after the presentations and player celebrations have concluded, which is free and open to the general public. The pre-match entertainment frequently features traditional football and Australian songs performed live, including " Up There Cazaly ", " One Day in September ", " That's the Thing About Football ", " Holy Grail ", " Waltzing Matilda " and the competing teams' club songs. Each year,
7980-476: The armistice with Japan was declared. When the Melbourne Cricket Ground was relinquished by the government in August 1946, there was great expectation in the buildup to the grand finals, and attendances were soon back to 1930s levels. In 1948, Essendon and Melbourne played the first drawn grand final in history; a full replay was played the following week, which Melbourne won. The sight of thousands sitting between
8113-415: The ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark is paid. Players can tackle using their hands or use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Dangerous physical contact (such as pushing an opponent in the back ), interference when marking, and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties , or suspension for a certain number of matches depending on
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#17330852518348246-436: The ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled; for example, players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground . Throwing the ball is not allowed, and players must not get caught holding the ball . A distinctive feature of the game is the mark , where players anywhere on the field who catch the ball from a kick (with specific conditions) are awarded unimpeded possession . Possession of
8379-526: The best player receives the Norm Smith Medal . As of the end of 2024, a total of 129 grand finals have been played, including three grand final replays . The Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club have both won 16 grand finals, the most of any club; the Essendon Football Club has also won 16 premierships, although only 14 were earned in grand finals. Collingwood has appeared in
8512-442: The case of Sydney , denial of access to grounds, the influence of university headmasters from Britain who favoured rugby, and the loss of players to other codes inhibited the game's growth. In 1896, delegates from six of the wealthiest VFA clubs— Carlton , Essendon , Fitzroy , Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne —met to discuss the formation of a breakaway professional competition. Later joined by Collingwood and St Kilda ,
8645-435: The clock, the field umpires are required to signal to the timekeepers to indicate when the clock should be stopped or restarted. Between each quarter, a break is observed to allow players a rest period. Two six-minute breaks are observed between the first and second quarters, and the third and fourth quarters. A longer 20-minute break is observed between the second and third quarter, commonly known as half-time . Each game
8778-419: The club-awarded medals prior to 1977 depended on the individual clubs' decisions. From 1977 until 1981 , runners-up medals were also presented during the post-match ceremony. This was discontinued after 1981, popularly attributed to the negative spectacle of Collingwood 's Peter Moore — in his fourth losing grand final — throwing the medal on the ground shortly after receiving it. The Norm Smith Medal
8911-426: The clubs formed the Victorian Football League (VFL), which held its inaugural season in 1897 . The VFL's popularity grew rapidly as it made several innovations, such as instituting a finals system, reducing teams from 20 to 18 players, and introducing the behind as a score. Richmond and University joined the VFL in 1908, and by 1925, with the addition of Hawthorn , Footscray and North Melbourne , it had become
9044-490: The code took hold during a series of gold rushes . Likewise, when New Zealand experienced a gold rush , the sport arrived with a rapid influx of Australian miners. Now known as Australian rules or Australasian rules, the sport became the first football code to develop mass spectator appeal, attracting world record attendances for sports viewing and gaining a reputation as "the people's game". Australian rules football reached Queensland and New South Wales as early as 1866;
9177-481: The cup in official promotional photos. The premiership cup is silver (with the exception of the 1996 cup, which was gold to commemorate the league's 100th season), and it is adorned with ribbons in the winning team's colours when presented. A new cup is manufactured each year by Cash's International at its metalworks in Frankston . The cup was first introduced in 1959 after league president Kenneth Luke sought to recreate
9310-400: The early 2010s, winning three grand finals in a row between 2013 and 2015. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the scheduling of the match in 2020 and 2021 , as outbreaks of the virus in Melbourne during finals precluded unrestricted travel and mass gatherings in Victoria. In 2020, when most of the league's clubs had been relocated to Queensland for the majority of the season, the grand final
9443-578: The east-coast night timeslot: the pandemic-delayed 2020 grand final , to avoid a broadcasting clash with the Cox Plate ; and the 2021 grand final in Perth, which would have needed an impractically early 12:30pm local start to meet the traditional timeslot. Until the 2015 season, a drawn grand final would be replayed the following Saturday to determine the premier. This occurred on three occasions: in 1948 , 1977 and 2010 . The provision to play extra time in
9576-428: The event of a draw was introduced in 2016, ensuring that future grand finals will always be decided on the scheduled day. In the event of a drawn game, the teams will play two extra time periods in full, each lasting three minutes plus time on , with a change of ends after the first period: if still tied, further pairs of extra time periods will be played in the same manner until a winner is determined. From 2016 to 2019,
9709-453: The exception of MCC members, who are entitled to gain free entry to the members' area on the day of the match without pre-purchase of tickets, or with pre-purchase of a $ 30 reserved seat. As the largest venue in Melbourne, long-term contracts have secured the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since as early as the 1930s. The VFL resented its reliance on the arrangement, as the ground's government-appointed trust fixed admission prices, and
9842-460: The fence and the boundary line was now usual at the grand final, often resulting in injuries to spectators when players collided with them. Spectators were admitted on a first-come basis, and thousands took to lining up outside the stadium from the Friday before the match to gain the best vantage point when the gates opened on the morning. As the Melbourne Cricket Ground was used as the main stadium for
9975-409: The field of play, it is deemed as a mark . To be awarded a mark, it must be deemed that the player sufficiently controlled the ball and took possession prior to it being touched, touching the ground, or in the case of a contest, being spoiled by an opponent. Upon a mark being taken, one opposition player may choose to stand on the point on the field where the mark was taken, known as "the mark". When
10108-413: The field, two sets of posts are erected in a straight line to indicate the scoring areas on the field, each with two kinds of posts, named the goal posts and the behind posts respectively. The goal posts are placed first, located 6.4 metres (7.0 yd) apart from each other, with a behind post being placed a further 6.4 metres to the side of each goal post. The name for the field line between two goal posts
10241-484: The first laws of Australian football in May 1859. Australian football has the highest spectator attendance and television viewership of all sports in Australia, while the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's only fully professional competition, is the nation's wealthiest sporting body. The AFL Grand Final , held annually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground , is the second-highest-attended club championship event in
10374-480: The first and only club to win four consecutive premierships, winning in 'finals' in 1927 and 1928, then grand finals in 1929 and 1930. In 1931, the Page–McIntyre Final Four system was introduced for finals, which eliminated the minor premier's right to challenge and guaranteed four finals and a genuine grand final each year. Under this system, and all systems which followed it until 1993, one team entered
10507-618: The first match in Darwin . The game went on to become the most popular sport in the Territory and build the highest participation rate for the sport nationally. Both World War I and World War II had a devastating effect on Australian football and on Australian sport in general. While scratch matches were played by Australian " diggers " in remote locations around the world, the game lost many of its great players to wartime service. Some clubs and competitions never fully recovered. Between 1914 and 1915,
10640-403: The flagpole at the premiers' first home game of the following season. The awarding of a flag, and its ceremonial unfurling, have been tradition since the very first VFL premiership in 1897, and had been customary before that in the VFA and other sports in Victoria since around 1889. Although the flag is of lower physical importance than the cup, it retains its symbolic significance, and "the flag"
10773-526: The formation of the Adelaide Football Club , the oldest football club in Australia outside Victoria. It devised its own rules, and, along with other Adelaide -based clubs, played a variety of codes until 1876, when they uniformly adopted most of the Victorian rules, with South Australian football pioneer Charles Kingston noting their similarity to "the old Adelaide rules". Similarly, Tasmanian clubs quarrelled over different rules until they adopted
10906-458: The gate from finals matches be shared among all teams, which guaranteed a better dividend to the league's weaker clubs. Although the finals system used in 1897 had the possibility of a grand final, one was not required. As such, the match now recognised as the first grand final took place in the league's second season, on 24 September 1898 , between Essendon and Fitzroy at the St Kilda Cricket Ground . This match too had been in doubt until
11039-435: The goal square and four players in the centre square with one in the centre circle. If this is breached, a free kick is awarded. A game lasts for 80 minutes, split into four-quarters consisting of 20 minutes playing time, with the clock being stopped for stoppages in play such as scores, or at the umpire 's discretion, e.g. for serious injury. Leagues may choose to employ shorter quarters of play at their discretion, such as
11172-407: The grand final into Victoria began in 1977, which saw the second drawn grand final between North Melbourne and Collingwood . The Norm Smith Medal , awarded to the best on ground in the game, was introduced in 1979. The 1980s saw a concerted effort by the VFL to relocate the grand final to its privately owned VFL Park , in search of a better commercial deal, but the move was ultimately blocked by
11305-440: The grand final with a bye week after winning the second semi-final; and the other entered after winning the preliminary final in the week before the grand final. More often than not, the grand final was a rematch between the teams who played the second semi-final two weeks earlier. Several new record crowds were set through the 1930s, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground's new Southern Stand was constructed and opened in 1937. That year,
11438-519: The grand final, and it rose to prominence in the 1970s when it was first televised across Victoria; it was endorsed by the VFL as the official pre-match function. Since then, the event has grown into a significant money raiser for the North Melbourne Football Club . Today, the breakfast is broadcast live on Fox Footy . Since the match was televised live in the late 1970s, many big Australian and international music stars have performed on
11571-406: The ground and are always forced to carry the travel burden of playing in the grand final. The grand final is conventionally played on the afternoon of the last Saturday in September; it is often referred to in popular culture as the "One day in September", which is also the name of a famous football song . Since the introduction of the four-term school year to Victoria in 1987, it has fallen during
11704-410: The ground as part of pre-match, or occasionally half-time, entertainment. The pre-match entertainment has at times been criticised as uninspiring; and two performances in particular — Angry Anderson in 1991 and Meat Loaf in 2011 — are routinely mocked for the poor performances of the artists. Since 2012, the main pre-match/half-time entertainer has also performed a post-match entertainment set on
11837-422: The health department's revised ground capacity of 102,000 over the following years. Melbourne dominated the 1950s, playing a record seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, and winning five premierships, including three in a row from 1955 to 1957. The establishment of the modern premiership cup in 1959 gave the after-match a ceremonial focus and allowed the attention to settle on the premier team, ending
11970-584: The home front during the World War II . The Australian government requisitioned a number of VFL grounds, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, so the grand finals were staged at Carlton's Princes Park in 1942 , 1943 and 1945 , and at the St Kilda Cricket Ground in 1944 . The last of those games, in 1945, saw a capacity crowd of 62,986 squeeze into the Carlton ground, which was played just weeks after
12103-424: The knees (a low tackle or a trip ) or above the shoulders (a high tackle ), the team with possession of the football gets a free kick. Furthermore, tackles deemed to be dangerous by the umpire and those conducted from front-on while an opposition player has their head over the football are deemed to be prohibited contact, and will incur a free kick against the offending player. Additionally, players may perform
12236-412: The last Saturday in September, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground . As the premier match of the AFL season, it attracts one of the largest audiences in Australian sport, regularly attracting a crowd of more than 100,000 and a television audience of millions. The club which wins the grand final receives the AFL's premiership cup and flag; players on the winning team receive a gold premiership medallion, and
12369-537: The last eight decisive grand finals it had played since its 1958 premiership, a streak which became known as the " Colliwobbles "; this came to an end with its victory against Essendon in the 1990 grand final . Starting in the 1980s, the Victorian Football League (VFL) expanded interstate, and it was renamed the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990. Perth-based West Coast , which joined
12502-477: The league in 1987, became the first non-Victorian club to both contest and win a grand final, in 1991 and 1992 , respectively; and, between 1992 and 2006, non-Victorian clubs won ten out of the fifteen grand finals, with the Brisbane Lions enjoying the greatest success, with three premierships in a row between 2001 and 2003 . Since 1994, new finals systems required both grand finalists to qualify by winning
12635-404: The league was not always guaranteed four finals, and there was the perception that semi-finals could be thrown to guarantee a grand final and the dividend which came with it. On several occasions during the 1920s, semi-final crowds exceeded that of the final or grand final. In 1924 , for the second and last time, no recognised grand final was played; a round-robin finals system was played, with
12768-519: The league's history, premiership medals were awards made by clubs or their benefactors to the players as part of their celebrations; however, since live telecasts of the game were introduced in 1977, the medal has been a league award presented in the on-field presentation following the match. Since 2002, the medals have been presented each year by children selected nationwide from the Auskick junior football program. The league-endorsed medal dating from 1977
12901-515: The most grand finals, a total of 45; and Collingwood has also won the most consecutive grand finals, with four between 1927 and 1930 . Every current AFL club has played in at least one grand final, with the exception of the 2011 expansion club Gold Coast . The Victorian Football League (VFL) was established for the 1897 season by eight clubs which seceded from the Victorian Football Association (VFA). The new league introduced
13034-548: The new national capital Canberra both soccer and rugby had a head start, but following the first matches in 1911, Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory became a major participation sport. By 1981 it had become much neglected and quickly lagged behind the other football codes. Australian rules football in the Northern Territory began shortly after the outbreak of the war in 1916 with
13167-479: The night before it was played, Essendon disputing the choice and fitness-for-use of the St Kilda ground, which had already been top-dressed for the cricket season. Despite appealing to the league and even announcing it intended to forfeit, Essendon relented and played the game, and Fitzroy won the inaugural grand final 5.8 (38) d. 3.5 (23) before a crowd of 16,538. Most VFL finals systems utilised until 1930 comprised
13300-403: The on-field presentation. As of 2019, the premier also receives $ 1.2 million in prize money, with $ 660k for the runners-up. Prior to its increase in 2007, the prize for the premier was only $ 250k, which was not even enough to cover an interstate club's participation in the finals series. Each player from the winning team who plays in the grand final is awarded a premiership medal. For much of
13433-737: The parade began at the Old Treasury Building, and headed down Spring Street and Wellington Parade, ending within Yarra Park outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the 2020 and 2021 parades did not occur. In 2022 , part of the parade saw the teams travel down the Yarra River on boats. In the city centre, a parade featuring two Victorian teams in fine weather would generally attract in excess of 100,000 fans; attendances are typically lower in inclement weather or in
13566-464: The past appeared on parade floats it has become a motorcade of open-top vehicles, weather permitting. From its inception until 2014, the parade was based in the Melbourne city centre, usually proceeding along St Kilda Road , Swanston Street , Collins Street and ending at the steps of the Old Treasury Building . From 2015 (when the day of the parade became a public holiday) to 2019 ,
13699-433: The periods were to have lasted five minutes plus time on, with a third untimed period of golden point extra time to have been played if the game remained tied after the first two periods. As of season 2024, extra time has not yet been required to decide a grand final. Since 1977 , a grand final parade featuring the players from each team has been held around midday on the Friday before each grand final. The players have in
13832-455: The phasing out of many of the game's kicking styles and the increasing use of handball; while presentation was influenced by television. In 1982, in a move that heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs, South Melbourne, relocated to Sydney and became known as the Sydney Swans . In the late 1980s, due to the poor financial standing of many of the Victorian clubs, and
13965-407: The player has disposed of the ball, or "play on" is called, normal play resumes. Rucking is the only specialist skill and is performed by a ruck, the term for designated players from each side to which umpire sends the ball to commence play. Only a nominated ruck may contest ball-ups and throw-ins. They are the only player allowed within the 10 metre circle at a centre bounce. Functionally the role
14098-429: The player penalised for ' holding the ball ', except if the umpire deems there was a lack of prior opportunity to do so. The ball carrier may only be tackled between the shoulders and knees from the front or side. If the player forcefully contacts the opposing in the back while performing a tackle, the opposition player will be penalised for a push in the back . If the opposition tackles the player with possession below
14231-436: The playing surface at any given time. Each team may have up to four interchange (reserve) players who may be swapped for those on the field at any time during the game. Although some leagues in less populated areas may use as few as 12 players. In addition, some leagues notably including the AFL, have each team designate one additional player as a substitute who can be used to make a single permanent exchange of players during
14364-580: The preeminent league in the country and would take a leading role in many aspects of the sport. The time around the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 saw Australian rules undergo a revival in New South Wales, New Zealand and Queensland. In 1903, both the Queensland Australian Football League and the NSW Australian Football Association were established, and in New Zealand, as it moved towards becoming
14497-464: The premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. Prior to 1990 it was known as the VFL Grand Final , as the league was then known as the Victorian Football League , and both were renamed due to the national expansion of the competition. Played at the end of the finals series , the game has been held annually since 1898 , except in 1924 . It is traditionally staged on the afternoon of
14630-475: The premiers of the VFA and SAFA. Although clubs from other states were at times invited, the final was almost always between the premiers from the two strongest state competitions of the time—South Australia and Victoria—with Adelaide hosting most of the matches at the request of the SAFA/SANFL. The last match took place in 1976, with North Adelaide being the last non-Victorian winner in 1972. Between 1976 and 1987,
14763-405: The premiership have since retrospectively been considered grand finals. The 1899 VFL grand final is the earliest such game; it was won by Fitzroy , while losing team South Melbourne would have had to have defeated Fitzroy again in a challenge match to win the premiership. In all, eleven 'finals' are now considered grand finals: eight which were won by the minor premiers and would have resulted in
14896-434: The previous custom of the crowd descending on the arena and variously chairing or walking the players off the ground. Delayed telecasts of the match were first shown on television in 1961. The grandstands were expanded again in 1968, and an enduring record crowd of 121,696 saw one of the most famous grand finals of all in 1970 , in which Carlton overcome a 44-point half-time deficit to defeat Collingwood . Live telecasts of
15029-523: The roof of the southern stand to get a view of the game; and in violent scenes outside the ground, at least 2,500 gained entry by mobbing gates, climbing fences or sneaking in when the Military Band arrived, while at least 20,000 more were turned away at the gate. To finally prevent a recurrence of these growing crowd management problems, the VFL introduced a pre-purchase ticketing system for the finals and grand final from 1957, and attendances hovered around
15162-549: The severity of the infringement. The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking , fast movement of both players and the ball, and high scoring. The sport's origins can be traced to football matches played in Melbourne , Victoria , in 1858, inspired by English public school football games . Seeking to develop a game more suited to adults and Australian conditions, the Melbourne Football Club published
15295-453: The spectacle he had observed at England's FA Cup final; a lap of honour with the cup by the winning team has become customary since 1966 . Since 2004 , it has become tradition for the cup to be presented by a past legend of the winning club, with each club's potential presenter nominated ahead of the game. In 2004, the AFL allowed clubs to purchase cups based on the current design for premierships won prior to 1959. The premier club's name
15428-467: The sport across Australia, delegates representing the football associations of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland met in 1883 and updated the code. New rules such as holding the ball led to a "golden era" of fast, long-kicking and high-marking football in the 1880s, a time which also saw players such as George Coulthard achieve superstardom, as well as the rise of professionalism , particularly in Victoria and Western Australia , where
15561-467: The sport experienced a period of dominance in the former, and in the latter, several regions remain strongholds of Australian rules, such as the Riverina . However, by the late 1880s, rugby football had become the dominant code in both colonies, as well as in New Zealand. This shift was largely due to rugby's spread with British migration, regional rivalries and the lack of strong local governing bodies. In
15694-567: The spring school holiday break; and, since 2015, the 'Friday before the AFL Grand Final' has been a gazetted public holiday in Victoria. Occasionally, the match is scheduled for the first Saturday in October, and prior to the introduction of extra time to finals in 1991, any drawn finals matches would be replayed, delaying all subsequent finals by a week and pushing the grand final into October. The earliest grand final date has been 2 September in
15827-427: The state government and the game remained at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 1980s saw a sustained period of dominance by Hawthorn , which contested seven consecutive grand finals from 1983 to 1989, winning four of them. The 1989 Grand Final , a high scoring and very physical encounter in which Hawthorn defeated Geelong by six points, is considered to be one of the greatest of all time. By 1990, Collingwood had lost
15960-414: The substantial TV revenues they generated by playing on a Sunday went to the VFL. To protect these revenues the VFL granted significant draft concessions and financial aid to keep the expansion clubs competitive. The VFL changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) for the 1990 season , and over the next decade, three non-Victorian clubs gained entry: Adelaide (1991), Fremantle (1995) and
16093-587: The supremacy of the Melbourne rules, the first-club level competition in Australia, the Caledonian Society's Challenge Cup (1861–64), stipulated that only the Melbourne rules were to be used. This law was reinforced by the Athletic Sports Committee (ASC), which ran a variation of the Challenge Cup in 1865–66. With input from other clubs, the rules underwent several minor revisions, establishing
16226-452: The top team from the round robin to face the minor premiers in a grand final if required; but, when minor premiers Essendon also won the round robin, no grand final was staged. This new finals system was abandoned after one year. A new record crowd of 64,288 was set in 1925, when Geelong played and won its first grand final, attracting a huge contingent of both provincial and metropolitan supporters. Between 1927 and 1930, Collingwood became
16359-518: The two competing clubs; up to 5,000 for staff, sponsors and guests of the competing clubs; up to 7,000 for staff, sponsors and guests of the non-competing clubs; 5,000 to 30,000 for corporate box, coterie and hospitality packages; and 16,000 to 26,000 for Melbourne Cricket Club members in the ground's permanently dedicated members' reserve area. Where demand outstrips supply within one of those groups, tickets are usually allocated by ballot, and must be pre-purchased at prices ranging from $ 155 to $ 422 — with
16492-412: The usage of other means, such as punching. While in possession of the ball, players may run with the ball, but are required to either bounce or touch the ball on the ground at least once every 15 metres (16 yd). Tackling is a technique employed by players used to force opposition players to dispose of the ball when they are in possession. Failure to dispose of the ball when legally tackled may see
16625-484: The war effort, with one critic calling for the Carlton team to receive the Iron Cross as their premiership medallion. However, many diggers supported the continuance of the game, and returned servicemen were granted free admission to a portion of the grandstand for the 1918 grand final , with many attending in uniform. During the 1920s, the VFL grappled with the problems of the challenge final system — specifically that
16758-502: The war-shortened 1916 season, and in the 2000 season, which was scheduled early to avoid a clash with the Sydney Olympics . The latest grand final date has been 24 October, in the 2020 season, which was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic . Throughout its history, the grand final has remained scheduled for the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot, most recently at 2:30pm AEST, even after night premiership football became common in
16891-531: The world . The sport is also played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations . Its rules are governed by the AFL Commission with the advice of the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee. Australian rules football is known by several nicknames, including Aussie rules, football and footy. In some regions, where other codes of football are more popular, the sport is most often called AFL after
17024-407: The world's most attended domestic sports championship event . The capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is 100,024 and tickets to the game are allocated to different membership groups. In 2019, the allocations were: 13,000 to 23,000 for AFL members, with priority given to nominated supporters of the competing clubs; 3,000 to 5,000 for AFL Medallion Club members; 34,000 divided between the members of
17157-429: Was "almost solely influenced by his experience at Rugby School". A loosely organised Melbourne side, captained by Wills, played against other football enthusiasts in the winter and spring of 1858. The following year, on 14 May, the Melbourne Football Club was officially established, making it one of the world's oldest football clubs . Three days later, Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and teacher Thomas H. Smith met near
17290-545: Was a 20-per-side affair, played with a ball that was roughly spherical, and lasted until a team scored two goals. The shape of the playing field was not standardised; matches often took place in rough, tree-spotted public parks, most notably the Richmond Paddock ( Yarra Park ), known colloquially as the Melbourne Football Ground. Wills argued that the turf of cricket fields would benefit from being trampled upon by footballers in winter, and, as early as 1859, football
17423-478: Was allowed on the MCG. However, cricket authorities frequently prohibited football on their grounds until the 1870s, when they saw an opportunity to capitalise on the sport's growing popularity. Football gradually adapted to an oval-shaped field, and most grounds in Victoria expanded to accommodate the dual purpose—a situation that continues to this day. Football became organised in South Australia in 1860 with
17556-435: Was coined by scholar Ian Turner in 1978 to describe the "fictitious geographical barrier" separating the rugby-following parts of New South Wales and Queensland from the rest of the country, where Australian football reigned. It became a reference point for the expansion of Australian football and for establishing a national league. The way the game was played had changed dramatically due to innovative coaching tactics, with
17689-520: Was played at the Gabba in Brisbane, the first time it had been played outside Victoria. It was also played at night, the first time it was not played in the afternoon time slot. The following season, it was played at Optus Stadium in Perth in a twilight timeslot. Aside from the prestige of winning the premiership, the premiership-winning club receives four prizes: the premiership cup, the premiership flag ,
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