Football or Soccer is a sport that is loved and enjoyed by a lot of people. Derbys from popular National Football Leagues and the FIFA world cup are some of the most awaited sports events in the world.
However, there are leagues organised by specific countries with different sets of rules, balls, pitches and stadiums. The Australian football league or AFL is one of the competitions that is played professionally according to the Australian football rules.
The AFL commission serves as a governing body that has a direct influence on the rules for both teams & players.
Australian rules football is extremely popular and it is very common for fans to check AFL odds on ongoing basis to check the chances their teams have to win
This article will discuss the history of clubs and players in the AFL.
History
According to the AFL’s official site Australians have been playing Aussie rules Footy since 1858. The AFL was earlier known as the victorian football league when it was founded in 1896. The name was changed in 1996 and there were a lot of ordinances to merge it with another club. However, it didn’t happen, and in the late 2000s, the league set up a permanent place in Queensland’s Gold Coast.
The league had a lot of financial instability during that time and only got to play home games. However, the team looked forward to expanding its presence in the later years and achieved the inclusion of more teams later on. Teams like the Gold Coast Suns and the Greater Western Sydney Giants were part of the league expansion.
The AFL faced a lot of financial instabilities due to the limitation of visitor or away games.
Here’s a quick summary of some key events AFL experienced
- In 2013, the first-ever premiership game of AFL happened outside Australia in the Westpac Stadium of New Zealand.
- In 2017, a women’s league began as a subset of the Australian Football league. Around thirteen teams signed up to participate in the women’s competition.
- In 2020 The AFL was moving on well during this time, disrupted by the sudden strike of the COVID-19 pandemic. The matches were played with no audiences to watch, which made it less amusing. It was followed by the temporary suspension of the game and strict regulations by the government.Matches resumed on June 11 with the aid of health care and the government. They reduced the season length, and the finale happened at the Gabba for no interruptions. However, the league had to lose around $400 million from its revenue.
AFL TEAMS, SEASON and GAMES
The AFL league currently consists of around 18 teams who belong to five out of the six states. Various matches are played among the states and territories of Australia by these teams. They have also indulged in games with other teams in New Zealand and China to promote harmony and love among the countries.
The AFL season consists of 23 rounds, and the matches held during the Winter season in Australia, ranging from March to September.
As the initial process, the teams will play a home-and-away series and those with the best record will be awarded the title of minor premiership. The best eight teams from this will play a four-round final series. The winners from this will be a part of the AFL Grand Finale, held at the Melbourne Cricket Club annually. The winners will be known as the premiers, and they will take home the premiership cup.
Clubs of the AFL
There are about 18 clubs in the Australian Football League at present. They include.
- Adelaide
- Carlton
- Brisbane Lions
- Collingwood
- Fremantle
- Essendon
- Geelong
- Greater Western Sydney
- Hawthorn
- Gold Coast
- Melbourne
- North Melbourne
- Port Adelaide
- Richmond
- St Kilda
- West Coast
- Sydney
- Western Bulldogs
Of this, the Richmond club is the present premier.
The AFL odds and the game are some events that amuse Aussies in their busy schedules. The league consists of tough and experienced players who keep it all very exciting and cool.