Australian Football
Australian Football is a full contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field that can vary both in width and in length.
The rules of Australian football were first published in Melbourne in May 1859, although the origins of the game are unknown.
The objective of the game is to score points by kicking the ball through the opposing team's posts. The team that scores the most points wins the match.
In an Australian Football pitch there four posts at each end: two taller posts in the middle, called goalposts and two shorter posts at the sides of the goalposts, called behind posts. When a player kicks the ball between the goalposts he scores a goal which is worth six points, when a player kicks the ball between a goalpost and a behind post he scores a behind which is worth one point.
A game consists of four quarters and every quarter is 20 minutes long. The clock stops when a team scores and at the umpire's discretion.
After a goal and at the beginning of each quarter, the game starts with a centre bounce, during which only four players from each teams are allowed within the centre square.
During the play, players may disperse anywhere on the field and use any part of their body to move the ball; they can kick, handball and run with the ball. While running with the ball, players must bounce or touch it on the ground at least once every 25 metres (50 feet).
Players can tackle using their hands or their whole body to obstruct their opponents; if a player marks the ball, that is catches it from a kick after it has travelled more than 15 metres without touching the ground or any other player touching it, the markes is awarded a free kick.
The most important competition is the Australian Football League (AFL), which peaks in the Grand Final.