The ground, and why it is that shape

Australian football is played on an oval, because it was played on cricket grounds. There is no standard size — the Laws set a range rather than a number, and grounds vary noticeably within it, which is a genuine tactical factor rather than a quirk.

At each end stand four posts. The two tall middle posts are the goal posts; the two shorter outer ones are behind posts. Everything about scoring follows from which gap the ball goes through, and how.

Playing surface
Oval, roughly 135–185 m long and 110–155 m wide under the Laws
Players on the field
18 a side, plus interchange
Match length
Four quarters of 20 minutes plus time-on for stoppages
Real elapsed time
Typically around two hours including breaks
Ball
Oval, and it bounces unpredictably by design

Scoring

A goal is worth six points: the ball must be kicked by an attacking player, cleanly, between the two tall posts, without being touched on the way. A behind is worth one, and covers everything nearly-right — through the outer gap, touched on the line, or put through by a defender.

Scores are written as goals, behinds and the total: 12.8 (80). The behinds matter more than they look. A team that repeatedly gets into position and misses tells you something a bare total does not.

The goal umpire signals with two hands for a goal, one for a behind, then confirms it to the other end with a flag. It is a piece of nineteenth-century theatre that has survived intact.

The mark, which explains everything else

If a player catches a kicked ball that has travelled at least 15 metres without touching the ground or another player, that is a mark. The player may then take an unimpeded kick from that spot, with an opponent standing on the mark but unable to close them down.

This is why the game looks the way it does. Marking is why players run backwards into packs and jump off other players’ backs; it is why the ball moves down the ground in a series of kicks rather than a continuous scramble; and it is why the best forwards are judged first on whether they can hold a contested catch with a defender attached to them.

Moving the ball

  • Kicking. The only way to score a goal, and the only way to earn a mark.
  • Handballing. Holding the ball on one palm and punching it with the other fist. Throwing is not allowed and is penalised.
  • Running with it. Legal, but the ball must be bounced or touched to the ground at least every 15 metres.
  • Tackling. Legal between the shoulders and the knees. A tackled player must dispose of the ball properly and immediately, or concede a free kick for holding the ball.

There is no offside. All 36 players can be anywhere, which is why the ground looks alarmingly open and why a turnover can become a goal at the other end within seconds.

Stoppages and restarts

The umpire restarts play by bouncing the ball into the ground at the centre circle to begin each quarter and after every goal. When the ball is trapped in a pack, the umpire throws it up. In both cases the two tallest players — the ruckmen — contest it in the air, and that contest is the one moment of the game with a genuinely fixed shape.

A 50-metre penalty moves the free kick 50 metres closer to goal and is awarded for dissent, time-wasting and infringements after the whistle. It is severe on purpose and it turns games.

The competition

The Australian Football League is the national men’s competition and the AFL Women’s competition is its counterpart; both currently carry 18 clubs. Melbourne is the centre of gravity: more clubs are based there than anywhere else, and the season ends with the Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The next change is already scheduled. A Tasmanian club, the Devils, entered the second-tier VFL and VFLW competitions in 2026, with entry to the AFL and AFLW planned for 2028. Club lists and fixtures move; afl.com.au is the source that stays current.

Going to a game as a visitor

  • The season runs from around March to September, so a winter trip to Melbourne is the one that coincides.
  • The MCG holds around 100,000 people and is a 15-minute walk from the city centre. A half-full MCG is still a bigger crowd than most sports produce anywhere.
  • Neutral seating is fine. Crowds are not segregated and rival supporters sit side by side, which surprises visitors from football cultures where they do not.
  • Take a warm layer. Most grounds are open and a Melbourne evening in July is genuinely cold.

Stadium tours and sports-precinct walks run year round, including on non-match days. See what is currently listed for Melbourne, or browse attractions and landmarks.

Common questions

How many points is a goal in AFL?
Six. A behind is one point. Scores are written as goals.behinds (total), so 12.8 (80) is twelve goals, eight behinds, eighty points.
How long is an AFL game?
Four quarters of 20 minutes of playing time, plus time-on added for stoppages. In practice a quarter runs closer to half an hour and a match takes around two hours.
How many players are on an AFL team?
Eighteen on the field per side, plus interchange players on the bench.
What is a mark?
A clean catch of a ball kicked at least 15 metres without it touching the ground or another player. The catching player earns an unimpeded kick from that spot.
How many clubs are in the AFL?
Eighteen in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Tasmania entered the VFL and VFLW in 2026 and is scheduled to enter the AFL and AFLW in 2028.
Where is the AFL Grand Final played?
The Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Sources

Where this page states something a reader might want to check — a rule, a schedule, a decision — this is where it came from. Details change; these are the pages that change with them.