Legendary coach Mick Malthouse has sounded an ominous warning to rivals Hawthorn ahead of this weekend’s semi final clash in Melbourne. Malthouse says that despite an unsteady road in their last few games after a week off and with time…
Hawthorn were comprehensive in their defeat of Sydney on the weekend as they took the next step towards a 2011 AFL Premiership. The key to their success in the game, and indeed all year, is their ability to shut down…
With week two of the 2011 AFL Finals series rolling around the tension is building as teams battle to keep their grand final aspirations alive. The bookies have pinned the premiership down to a two horse race this year with…
Australian Rules football, most commonly referred to as AFL, is Australia’s most attended sport with fans of the game some of the most passionate of any sport internationally. From March every year, hundreds of thousands of Australians drag out their teams colours, and attend matches around the country, supporting their home side.
The AFL – Australian Football League – governs the sport and has done so since 1993, while the AFL Rules committee and the AFL commission set the standards and rules of governance for the sport.
The League consists of 16 teams which span Australia, however are more focused in Victoria and South Australia, but is slowly growing to span the majority of the country; namely New South Wales and Queensland.
In February every year, prior to the opening round of the official AFL Season, the pre-Premiership season Cup competition takes place. The winners of the Cup are awarded the McClelland Trophy, which is often a good indicator into team shape for the upcoming season, and a chance for players and teams to find their form after their break.
The season itself is made of 22 rounds, which consists of each team facing each other at least once during home and away games, and teams accrue points as they go. After the 22 rounds have been completed the points are tallied, and the top eight move forward to a four-week finals season, with the aim to end up in the Grand Final – where the winning team becomes the season Premier.
The Grand Final has traditionally been held on the last Saturday of every September in the home of AFL – Melbourne, and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The winning team receives a Premiership Cup and a flag, which is incredibly large and blue with a white border, and the AFL logo plus ‘Premiers’ inscribed upon it. It is tradition among AFL teams for the winners of the season to unfurl the flag in front of their home fans at their first home game of the following season.
AFL originated in Melbourne in 1858, inititially to keep cricket players fit through the off-season, and slowly grew to encompass the state of Victoria. The Melbourne Football Club primarily established the rules of the sport, and by 1900 it started to build some momentum and became popular among Victorians. Prior to the AFL it was run by the Victorian Football Association as the Victorian Football League. The major expansion occurred in 1982 when the South Melbourne side relocated to Sydney, and became the Sydney Swans to incorporate the state of NSW, and Western Australia and Queensland then formed their own sides to enter the league. It was then in 1990 the VFL was renamed as the AFL to recognise the jump to national status.
In Australia the AFL is one of the major sporting attributes, followed by millions of fans nation-wide; it brings people together every year. With enormous popularity, AFL brings with it plenty of wagering action, and the best part is that it is even easier now to bet online. Whether it is your favourite AFL team, player, or event, it has never been more convenient to wager on the AFL.
For more AFL News we recommend checking Panda Sports for your Sports News.
AFL Season Over
With the conclusion of the AFL Season the Australian Sports fan switches their focus to the Spring Horse Racing carnival and group 1 races, Patinack Farm Classic and Golden Rose.
