Australian Rules Football (also “Aussie Rules” or ” footy”) is a physical sport. It is a form of football with roots traceable from early forms of Rugby and Gaelic football, but it is uniquely Australian.
A fully fielded team consists of 18 players, playing 3 different areas of an oval shaped field: the backline, the forward line, and the midfield. The field, and the footy ball, are both oval shaped. An Aussie Rules footy is shaped somewhere between a rugby ball and an American football. Not quite pointed, but not quite round, the footy is definitely unique!
Watch the video below, or checkout the USAFL Intro page for a more detailed explanation of the finer points of Footy, like scoring and ball movement!