AFL 9s

AFL 9s
Highest governing body	AFL Commission;
First played	2011
Characteristics
Contact	No
Team members	9
Mixed gender	Mixed competition; All-Female; All-Male
Type	Outdoor
Equipment	Australian rules football (modified - smaller)
Presence
Olympic	No
Paralympic	No

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AFL 9s is the AFL's official touch Nine-a-side footy Australian Football variant since 2011^[1] and promoted by the Australian Football League since 2015 (Video on YouTube). AFL 9s varies from Australian Football mainly in that it is played with 9 players on a smaller field with a smaller ball, rewards female players in mixed competition for example with a higher score for goals, the ball must not touch the ground, marking is protected by a drop-zone and only designated forwards can kick goals. It allows running with the ball (limited to one bounce) and freedom of movement around the field giving athletes more opportunity to have an impact on the game and compensate for lower skill level of other players.^[2]^[3] AFL's game development has experimented with several more accessible formats over the years including Rec Footy (2004-2011 which AFL 9s was deisigned to replace) and AFLX (2018-) however these variants have been heavily criticised for bearing insufficient resemblance to Australian Football to be taken up by its players. AFL 9s however is the most similar to traditional football and is arguably the most popular.^[4] Its success if also attributed to using a Nine-a-side format that both contact and non-contact variations of Australian Rules have been playing around the world for several decades.

AFL 9s offers mixed, as well as all-male and all-female competitions to lower the barriers to entry for participation. As a recreational game AFL 9s has proved popular with both new and established Australian rules players with 24,032 participants in Australia in 2019 at least a third of which are female.^[5] Its popularity as a social game with Australian rules players is such that it attracts high sponsors including McDonalds (which signed a 4 year deal in 2015)^[6] and ex-professional players are sometimes seen participating in social competitions.^[7]

Comparisons with Australian rules football[edit]

Field size, number of players and duration of play[edit]

AFL 9s teams are much smaller than Australian Rules Football, with two teams of 9. Unlike Australian Rules Football, unlimited number of interchange players were allowed. The field is also much smaller than an Australian Rules Football oval, consisting of a rectangular surface with a maximum length of 100 metres by 50 metres wide. As in Australian rules there are 4 quarters, however they are much shorter than standard matches, with most matches running for less than 40 minutes.

Rule differences to encourage female participation[edit]

The game encourages female participation, with a minimum of 2 female players per mixed side. In addition, mixed teams are encouraged to play females in the forward line, with a goal kicked by a female worth 3 more points (9) than a goal kicked by a male player (6). The game is played with a modified Australian rules ball, which is the same size but prevents it from being kicked long distances to reduce the kicking advantage of males over females.

Rule differences to prevent physical contact[edit]

Unlike Australian rules football, there is no contesting for possession with the exception of touching which substitutes for a tackle and gives the player 3 seconds prior opportunity to dispose of the ball before the Holding the ball rule is applied. All one percenters, such as sheparding, blocking, spoiling or smothering were strictly penalised with a free kick. Marking contests are strictly enforced to avoid contact via a drop-zone rule. When any contact is made by an opposition player, a free kick is awarded to the opposition player that is infringed. For deliberate contact, an immediate send-off rule applies and red and yellow cards were shown as in soccer.

Other rule differences[edit]

There is no minimum kick distance for a mark to be paid, although kicking off the ground (or "soccering") is strictly banned. A 15-metre penalty substitutes for a 50-metre penalty. If the ball it disposed of by a player and hits the ground, it is a free kick to the nearest opposition player. Although there is no offside rule in Australian Football, AFL 9s restricts player movement to zones, similarly to netball with players wearing wrist bands to signify their position on the ground.

AFL 9s positions
Position Name	Abbreviation	Number of players	Areas permitted
Forward	F	3 (at least one female for mixed)	Attacking goal third and centre third (can only score from within attacking goal third)
Centre	C	3	Anywhere on ground. Cannot score goal.
Back	B	3	Defending goal third and centre third. Cannot score goal

History[edit]

The Carter Report titled “Investing in the Future of Australian Football (October 2001)”, identified segment gaps in Aussie Rules and its demographic reach. The research found that unlike codes such as rugby league with the successful touch football, Aussie Rules did not have a recreational version of the game to cater for the growing recreational participation market. In the past, the nearest recreational form of the game was the casual pastime of kick-to-kick, rather than an organised team sport. AFL Recreational Football (Recreational Footy or Rec Footy) was developed by the Australian Football League to provide maximum involvement at all levels with a variation of the game that virtually anyone can play. It is often referred to as Auskick for adults and aims to increase participation in women.

The first non-contact variant sanctioned by the AFL was Rec Footy which was first codified by the West Australian Football League in 2003. Rec Footy was heavily criticised mainly by Australian rules players for appearing similar to netball, too restrictive on movement by enforcing strict zones and field positions, penalising athletes and reducing fitness benefits, lacking the ability for skilled footballers to use skills like bouncing and long kicking and play naturally whilst also penalising newer unskilled players with frequent turnovers. Despite significant promotional efforts from AFL affiliated leagues, falling participation rates and a large increase in Australian football female contact participation led to it being rebranded as AFL 9s in 2011.^[1]

Local competitions[edit]

Competitions are typically held in the early summer months (October–February) so as not to clash with the main football season.

Competitions are held in various regions of every state in Australia.

AFL 9s

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