Aussie Rules Football 101

Background

• Aussie Rules Fooball has been played in Australia since the mid 1800s
• The Australian Football League (AFL) is Australia's equivalent to the NFL
• Currently two Americans play in the AFL or AFLW, Mason Cox TX & Dani Marshall AZ
• USA have National teams that play against other countries, The Revolution and the Freedom
• America has it's own governing body, the USAFL
• The game is basically called just "Footy"

• Typically two teams of 14, 16 or 18 players take the field at once
• The ball is bigger than an American Football but smaller than a Rugby ball and have been made by Sherrin in Australia for 140 years
• A goal is to score by kicking the ball through 4 main posts at each end of a large field
• Between the middle posts you score 6 points, a goal
• Between the other posts and middle posts you score one point, a behind
• The team with the most points at the end of 4 quarters wins
• Opposing players try and tackle the player with the ball to dispossess them
• Players can only kick the ball or handball the ball with a clenched fist, called a handpass
• You can kick and handball the ball in any direction and there are no offside rules
• If you run with the ball you must bounce to the ground every 15 yards
• If you catch the ball that has been kicked 15 yards it is called a "Mark"
• When a player takes a mark he can stop and go back from the spot and take a unopposed kick or he can play on immediately

• The Suncoast Parrots were officially established in 2020 by local resident and expat Australian Pete Robertson
• Our purpose is to introduce Aussie Rules Football games and practices to local Sarasota County residents
• We play local family friendly games as well as travel and play other teams in the Sth East of the USA
• The club is named after the region being dubbed the Suncoast of Florida and with many Florida Parrots, the Australian King Parrot was a good connection
• Join us for a kick at anytime, we are inclusive with activites for fun, fitness and families.