Australian football is played by two teams of up to 18 players on an oval ground, over four quarters of 20 minutes of actual playing time, and the team with more points at the end wins. A goal, kicked between the two tall goal posts, is worth six points and a behind is worth one point.
This page follows the 2026 Laws of Australian Football, as of November 2026, the Laws the AFL publishes for the game. A controlling body, such as the people who run your local competition, can vary match length and player numbers, so check with them before you rely on the figures for community footy. If the points are level at the end of the match, the match is a draw.
The oval, the posts and the football
| What | What the 2026 Laws say |
|---|---|
| Playing surface | Oval, between 135 metres and 185 metres long and between 110 metres and 155 metres wide, edged by a white boundary line |
| Goal posts | Two at each end, 6.4 metres apart, at least six metres high and at most 15 metres high |
| Behind posts | One on each side of the goal posts, a further 6.4 metres out |
| Football | A symmetrical oval, 720 to 730 millimetres round, inflated to 69 kPa, unless a controlling body decides otherwise |
The range of ground sizes is wide on purpose, which is why two grounds can feel completely different to play on. The posts are the constant: the gap between the two tall goal posts is where the six points are.
Team numbers, interchange and match length
A team has between 14 and 18 players on the playing surface at any one time, plus no more than four interchange players. The governing body of each competition decides how many take the field.
A match is 80 minutes, split into four quarters of 20 minutes. That 20 minutes is actual playing time: stoppages don't count, so a quarter runs longer on the clock. The maximum breaks are 6 minutes after the first quarter, 20 minutes at half time and 6 minutes after the third quarter.
A coin toss decides which end each team attacks in the first quarter, and the captain of the away team calls it. Teams change ends at the end of every quarter. Before each quarter, the interchange players leave the playing surface and the teams take their starting positions.
The centre throw-up
Each quarter starts with the field umpire throwing up the football in the centre circle, and play restarts the same way after every goal. Each team has one ruck in the ten metre circle, and no more than one ruck from each side may contest the throw-up.
At the throw-up, each team has four players in the centre square and six players in each area marked out by the boundary line and the fifty metre arcs. One player from each team acts as the ruck.
Goals, behinds and the umpire's signals
| Score | How it happens | Points | Goal umpire's signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | An attacker kicks the football completely over the goal line, between the goal posts, without anyone else touching it, even if it bounces first | 6 | Two index fingers raised and two flags |
| Behind | The ball crosses the behind line, hits a goal post, is touched by another player on its way through, or is handballed or knocked over the goal line by an attacker | 1 | One index finger and one flag |
A defender who kicks, handballs or knocks the ball over the goal line or the behind line also gives away a behind to the attackers. Nothing goes on the board until the field umpire signals all clear and the goal umpire makes the signal. A team's score is its goals times six plus its behinds.
After a behind, any defending player may kick the football back in from within the goal square, or play on by leaving the square within a reasonable time. They can't handball from inside the goal square unless the umpire has called play on.
Kick, handball and the 15 metre bounce
There are only two legal ways to pass the football: kick it, or handball it. A handball means holding the ball in one hand and hitting it with the clenched fist of the other. Throwing the ball is a free kick against the thrower, and that's the rule that trips up people who've grown up with other oval-ball codes.
You're allowed to run with the ball, but a player in possession has to bounce it or touch it on the ground at least once every 15 metres. That applies whether you run in a straight line or not. Forget, and the umpire awards a free kick to the other side.
Marks and the protected area
A mark is the reward for a clean catch. It's taken when a player catches or controls a ball that another player has kicked at least 15 metres, and it hasn't touched the ground or been touched by anyone else on the way. The player who marks gets a free kick from the spot.
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So a short kick caught cleanly isn't a mark. It has to travel at least 15 metres.
After a mark or a free kick, one opposition player may stand on the mark. Around the mark sits the protected area: a corridor running 10 metres either side of the mark and five metres behind it. Other opponents can't enter it unless play on is called.
Tackling and holding the ball
A legal tackle is on the player who has the ball, below the shoulders and above the knees. A player held from behind mustn't be pushed in the back. Free kicks are given for prohibited contact such as charging, tripping, kicking, striking, or a front-on bump on a player whose head is down over the ball. Players may use the hip, shoulder, chest, arms or open hands when the football is no more than five metres away.
Then there's holding the ball, the call that sets crowds off. It turns on prior opportunity, which means the player with the ball was balanced and steady, tried to evade or fend off an opponent, had taken a mark or been given a free kick, or had driven their head into a stationary or near stationary opponent.
- If you've had prior opportunity and you're tackled, you must get rid of the ball straight away by kick or handball, or a free kick is paid against you.
- If you haven't had prior opportunity, you get a chance to dispose of the ball.
- Even then, you're penalised if you dispose of it incorrectly, make no attempt to dispose of it, or dive on top of the ball and fail to knock it clear.
My verdict on learning Australian football
I'd learn four things first: six points for a goal and one for a behind, kick or handball but never throw, bounce every 15 metres, and a mark for a clean catch from a kick of at least 15 metres. That's enough to follow a match and play a friendly kick-to-kick without arguments.
I'd skip the protected area, the interval timings and the throw-up positions until you're playing in a club with umpires who'll enforce them. If you know rugby union, the oval ball will look familiar, but the no-throw rule changes everything. And if you follow American football, forget forward passes: here the ball moves by foot or fist.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are on an AFL team?
A team has between 14 and 18 players on the ground at any one time, with no more than four interchange players. Each competition decides how many take the field.
How many points is a goal in AFL?
A goal is worth six points and a behind is worth one point.
How long is an AFL game?
A match is 80 minutes, played as four quarters of 20 minutes of actual playing time. Stoppages aren't counted in the 20 minutes.
What is a mark in Australian football?
A mark is a clean catch of a ball kicked at least 15 metres by another player, without it touching the ground or being touched by another player. It earns a free kick.
How often must a player bounce the ball?
At least once every 15 metres while running with the ball, or the umpire awards a free kick against them.
