Section 1: Introduction

Australian Football (also known as Australian Rules Football, or "Aussie Rules") is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on a large oval field, using an oval ball. The sport is governed by the Australian Football League, which publishes the Laws of Australian Football annually. This rulebook is written against the Laws of Australian Football 2026 (final edition dated 13 February 2026), administered for the elite AFL competition and, through affiliated state and territory bodies, for community football.

The objective is to score more points than the opposition by kicking the ball between the goal posts. A match is played over four quarters (Law 10.1), and the winner is the team with the higher total score at the conclusion of play (Law 16).

Australian Football traces its lineage to rules first drafted in Melbourne in 1859, making it one of the oldest codified forms of football in the world. The Laws are reviewed and amended ahead of each season; the 2026 edition lists its amended Laws on its opening pages, including changes at 3.6, 8.2.4(a), 10.4(a) and 10.6.2(b).

Section 2: Equipment

The football is governed by Law 4. It must be of symmetrical oval shape, 720-730 millimetres in circumference and 545-555 millimetres transverse circumference, and inflated to a pressure of 69 kPa (Law 4.1). Supply and selection of match footballs is dealt with separately (Law 4.2).

Teams and players, including the numbered guernsey by which a player is identified, are dealt with under Law 5; changing a guernsey during a match is specifically provided for (Law 5.4), as is the team sheet by which players are nominated (Law 5.3).

Boots, jewellery and protective equipment are governed by Law 9, which is a distinct Law from the football itself. It prohibits items likely to cause injury (Law 9.2), provides for inspection (Law 9.3), and empowers an Umpire to order a player off until an offending item is removed (Law 9.4).

Goal posts and behind posts are fixed equipment of the ground rather than player equipment, and their specifications sit with the playing surface (Law 3.3).

Section 3: Playing Area

The playing surface is an oval ground governed by Law 3. It must measure between 135 metres and 185 metres in length and between 110 metres and 155 metres in width (Law 3.2). The boundary line marks the perimeter of the playing surface.

At each end stand four posts: two central goal posts and two outer behind posts (Law 3.3). The goal posts are set 6.4 metres apart, with a behind post 6.4 metres on each side of them.

Areas on the playing surface, including the Centre Square, are identified under Law 3.5, and the Centre Square may be relocated in the circumstances set out at Law 3.6. Play is restarted at the centre by a throw-up, not a bounce, under the 2026 Laws (Law 13).

Interchange is governed by Law 7, which provides for an Interchange Steward (Law 7.1) and the procedure by which players may interchange during a match (Law 7.2). The Interchange Area is 15 metres wide (Law 3.5).

Section 4: Players & Officials

Each team may have 18 players on the playing surface at any one time, with no more than four interchange players (Law 5.1). Variation of that number is provided for separately (Law 5.2). Traditional playing positions are conventional team structures rather than requirements of the Laws.

Umpires are governed by Law 8, covering their appointment and replacement (Law 8.1) and their duties (Law 8.2). Team officials and the team runner are dealt with separately (Law 6).

The choice of goal and the commencement of play, including the pre-match procedure between captains, are governed by Law 12 (Law 12.1 and Law 12.2). Timekeeping duties sit with Law 10.2.

Section 5: Rules of Play

A match consists of four quarters, with duration and intervals set under Law 10.1. Play commences, and is restarted at the centre, by a throw-up (Law 13); the general procedure for throwing up the football is at Law 14.

Marking the football is governed by Law 15, which defines a Mark (Law 15.1), addresses particular circumstances (Law 15.2), and fixes the location of the Mark (Law 15.3).

Disposal after a Mark or free kick is governed by Law 20. Where an Umpire elects to let play continue rather than award a Mark or free kick, the advantage rule applies (Law 21).

Free kicks are awarded for the infringements enumerated in Law 18. A fifty metre penalty may be imposed in addition, advancing the Mark toward the offending team’s goal (Law 19).

Section 6: Scoring

Scoring is governed by Law 16. A Goal is the recording of six points, and a Behind the recording of one point, as defined in Law 1.1 and scored under Law 16.1.

A Goal is scored when the football is kicked completely over the goal line between the goal posts in the circumstances set out at Law 16.1.1. A Behind is recorded in the circumstances set out at Law 16.1.2, including where the football is touched in transit (Law 16.5.1).

A Goal or a Behind is signalled by a goal Umpire and recorded accordingly (Law 16.3). The procedure after a Behind has been scored, including the kick-in, is governed by Law 17.

Section 7: Violations & Penalties

Free kicks are the primary sanction for on-field infringements (Law 18), awarded to the non-offending team. Where an advantage exists, the Umpire may direct play to continue instead (Law 21).

For certain offences an Umpire may impose a fifty metre penalty in addition to the free kick, advancing the Mark toward the offending team’s goal (Law 19).

Reporting of players and officials for more serious offences is governed by Law 22, and the Order Off Law by Law 23. These operate independently of any free kick awarded during play, and alongside the AFL’s own match review process.

Section 8: Safety Considerations

Boots, jewellery and protective equipment are regulated under Law 9. Items likely to cause injury are prohibited (Law 9.2), equipment may be inspected (Law 9.3), and an Umpire may order a player off the playing surface until an offending item is removed (Law 9.4).

Serious on-field conduct is dealt with by reporting a player or official (Law 22) and, where warranted, by the Order Off Law (Law 23), in addition to any free kick or fifty metre penalty imposed during play (Law 18, Law 19).

Active bleeding is specifically legislated: a player who is bleeding must leave the playing surface and may not resume until the bleeding is controlled and any blood-affected clothing dealt with (Law 24).

Goal and behind post specifications, including their construction at the base, sit with the playing surface provisions (Law 3.3). Concussion management and mouthguard requirements are handled by AFL policy and by state and territory bylaws rather than by the national Laws of the Game, and are not cited here as Laws.

⚠️ Strong Expectation— Most experienced players will take notice and be upset

"Squaring up" for a dirty act on a teammate⚡ ContestedProfessional play
— Historically, if an opponent delivered a dangerous or dirty hit on a teammate, it was accepted within player culture that someone (often the team's designated "enforcer") would physically retaliate later in the same game to even the score, rather than leaving it to the umpires or tribunal.(Rooted in the era of designated on-field enforcers (1970s-1990s))[1]

📋 General Expectation— Generally expected; soft social enforcement among regulars

Don't stage or dive for a free kick⚡ Contested
— Exaggerating or simulating high or high-contact free kicks to draw a whistle is regarded by players, coaches and commentators as against the spirit of the game, distinct from simply drawing a legitimate free kick through hard running.[1]
"Third man in" is treated as an escalation, not a defenseProfessional play
— When a one-on-one scuffle breaks out, a player from either side who joins in as a third party is viewed by players and the game's culture as crossing a line — turning a minor flare-up into a brawl — rather than legitimately backing up a teammate.(Also reflected in AFL Match Review Officer guidelines, which treat third-man-in incidents more severely)[1]
The hard-but-fair hip-and-shoulder bump was once celebrated, not condemned⚡ ContestedProfessional play
— A full-blooded, front-on hip-and-shoulder bump that flattened an opponent going for the ball was traditionally seen as a legitimate, even admired, physical act — 'good, hard footy' — rather than something to apologize for.(Contrast with modern duty-of-care rules around front-on contact and bumps to the head)[1]

🤝 Etiquette— Nice to follow; low consequence if ignored by newcomers

Respecting the trainers and stopping contest for an injured player
— When a player goes down clearly injured, opponents are expected to ease off intensity around the contest and allow trainers/medical staff to attend without obstruction, even though the game may not have technically stopped.[1]
Guard of honour for retiring players and milestone gamesProfessional play
— Opposing teams often form a guard of honour, applaud, or otherwise acknowledge a player in their final AFL match or a milestone game (e.g. 200th/300th game), even mid-finals-race. Widely observed as a mark of respect for service to the game.(Most visible at a retiring star's last home game or a 300-game milestone)[1]

AFL

About

Related Sports

Full Rulebook(7 sections)

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: Equipment

Section 3: Playing Area

Section 4: Players & Officials

Section 5: Rules of Play

Section 6: Scoring

Section 7: Violations & Penalties

Section 8: Safety Considerations

Overview

How to win

The game

Playing the ball

Fouls & penalties

Equipment

⚠️ Strong Expectation— Most experienced players will take notice and be upset

📋 General Expectation— Generally expected; soft social enforcement among regulars

🤝 Etiquette— Nice to follow; low consequence if ignored by newcomers

Version History(3)

Community Variations(1)

Recent Changes(last 30 days)

Sports with a similar feel(6)