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Football: The National Sport Of Australian Football

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It’s a sport rich in history with devoted fans, and supreme athletes. A truly unique game that grits the nation with blistering speed, incredible skill, and remarkable courage. Australian football, also referred to as AFL, originated in 1858. Today, the game has become Australia’s national sport, played at all age levels. AFL is played with an oval, leather ball. All players wear a number on the back of their team uniform to be identified, just like in many other sports. The game takes place on a grass oval. Unlike any other sport, the size of the playing field differs from ground to ground. An average field is 165 meters long and 135 meters wide. The white boundary line designates the field of play. The ground is also marked with two 50 meter arcs, a center square, and a …show more content…

At each end of the field is a goal square marked in front of the two goal posts, which are 6.4 meters apart. Both teams have 22 players, each with their own position, based on their size and skills. 18 players start on the field, and four on the bench who are substitutes that can replace anyone on the field at any time. Generally, six players start in the forward line, six in the back line, and six in the midfield. The positions include a Full Back, two Back Pocket players, a Center Half Back, and two other Half Backs. The main objective of the forward line is to kick goals, which are usually tall, strong players, similar to a power forward in basketball. The forward pockets and full forwards are usually smaller and quicker, similar to a striker in soccer, used to get the ball down the field faster. The midfield consists of a ruckman, a rover, a ruckrover, a center, and two wings. The ruckman is

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