About AFL

We figure since you're already on this site that you probably know something about AFL....but let's not be hasty! Tassie is a welcoming home to people from all over the world and that means not everyone is necessarily familiar with the sport.

So here it is in a nutshell. You get 18 people to make a team (16 in women’s matches, with five further players on the interchange) and they find another 18 people to play against. You then find a big oval field and put four goal posts at each end – two big ones in the middle and two smaller ones either side. The idea is simple, get more kicks of an oval ball through the posts than the other team! You get six points for kicking the ball between the big posts and one for kicking the ball between the big and small posts. Simple right? Sure!!! - until you're faced with a 6-foot-tall defender that can jump higher than a kangaroo, with their strong shoulders wrapping around you for a tackle and a sharp mind that executes an elegant intercept before flicking the ball away with a lightning fast handball!!

This game is fast – players are some of the fittest athletes in the world. Not only do they need to be fast on their feet, kicking, running with the ball and being agile up and down the oval, but they also need extreme endurance, with matches lasting as long as 120-minutes over four quarters.

Most of all this game defines what true teamwork looks like. To win, players need to be great communicators, read each other’s movements and anticipate where the ball is going next..

If you’re interested to know more here’s a few ideas: