AFL (Australian Rules) — Official Rules

Australian Football is contested by two teams of 18 players each on the field, on a large oval ground. The aim of each team is to score more points than the opponent by propelling an oval football through the opponents' goals. The ball may be moved by kicking, by handball (holding the ball in one hand and hitting it with the clenched fist of the other), or by running, but it must be bounced or touched to the ground at least every 15 metres while being carried. A player may not throw the ball.

The team with the higher total of points at the end of the match is the winner. The total is calculated as (goals x 6) + behinds. Because a behind is worth 1 point and a goal 6 points, a team with fewer goals can still win if it has scored more total points. In home-and-away matches a draw is permitted; in finals, extra time is played as set by the Controlling Body to produce a winner.

The Playing Surface is a grassed oval, marked by a Boundary Line, and shall be between 135 and 185 metres in length and between 110 and 155 metres in width (Law 3.2). The exact size varies from ground to ground within this range. At the centre, a Centre Square 50 metres long by 50 metres wide is marked (Law 3.5), containing a Centre Circle of 3 metres diameter and an outer Ten Metre Circle of 10 metres diameter. A Fifty Metre Arc at each end marks the line 50 metres from the centre of the Goal Line.

At each end stand four posts in a line. The two inner goal posts are a minimum 6 metres and maximum 15 metres high, placed 6.4 metres apart (Law 3.3). Outside them, the two behind posts are a minimum 3 metres and maximum 10 metres high, each placed 6.4 metres beyond the nearer goal post. The ball kicked between the two goal posts scores a goal; the ball passing between a goal post and a behind post (or touching a post) scores a behind.

A Goal Square is marked at each end by two lines drawn at right angles to the Goal Line, 9 metres long, one from each goal post, joined at their outer ends by the Kick-Off Line (Law 3.4). The Goal Square is therefore 9 metres deep by 6.4 metres wide. After a behind is scored, a player of the defending team brings the ball back into play from within the Goal Square (a kick-in).

Each team has 18 players on the Playing Surface at any one time. For the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, following the removal of the substitute, each club names 23 players in total, with five (5) players on the interchange bench who may rotate on and off the ground through the Interchange Area during play. (The 18-on-field requirement is in the Laws; the move to a 23-player squad with a five-player bench is an AFL Regulations change announced for 2026.)

Players may be interchanged at any time during play through the Interchange Area, a section of the Boundary Line 15 metres wide (Law 3.5(c), Law 7.2). The player coming off must leave the Playing Surface through the Interchange Area before the replacement enters, monitored by the Interchange Steward. An infringement (for example, having too many players on the ground, or entering before the player coming off has left) results in a free kick and a fifty metre penalty to the opposing team.

A match is played for 80 minutes, divided into four quarters of 20 minutes each (Law 10.1.1). The 20-minute duration is actual playing time and does not include stoppages in play; the clock is stopped during stoppages ("time-off") and restarted when play resumes ("time-on"). With time-on added, quarters typically run around 28-33 minutes of elapsed time. Standard intervals are a short break after the first and third quarters and a longer break at half-time.

To start a quarter or recommence play after a goal, the field Umpire restarts play with a Centre Throw-Up at the centre. Before the restart, these starting positions must be met (Law 13.1): six players from each team in each area between the Boundary Line and the Fifty Metre Arcs; four players from each team in the Centre Square, one of whom from each team is the Ruck positioned within the Ten Metre Circle in the defensive half; and one player from each team positioned in each designated wing area. This is commonly called the 6-6-6 rule. 2026 change: there is no longer a requirement for a player to start inside the goalsquare, reducing dead time after goals.

The Centre Throw-Up is contested by the Ruck of each team, who must start with both feet within the Ten Metre Circle and may only leave the circle or enter the attacking half after the umpire has thrown the ball up (Law 13.2). No other player may enter the Ten Metre Circle until the ball is thrown up. A breach gives a free kick to the opposing ruck. A field Umpire may recall any throw-up that, in their opinion, did not allow both rucks a fair contest.

A goal, worth 6 points, is scored when the football is kicked completely over the Goal Line between the goal posts by a player of the attacking team without being touched by any other player, even if the ball first bounces on the ground (Law 16.1.1). A score is only recorded after the field Umpire signals "All Clear" and the goal Umpire signals the goal by raising both index fingers and waving two flags. A ball touched by another player before crossing the Goal Line cannot be a goal - it is a behind.

A behind, worth 1 point, is scored when, among other cases (Law 16.1.2): the ball passes completely over the Behind Line (between a goal post and a behind post); the ball touches or passes over a goal post; a kicked ball is touched by any player before fully crossing the Goal Line; an attacking player handballs, knocks or carries the ball over the Goal Line (rather than kicking it cleanly); or a defending player kicks, handballs, knocks or forces the ball over their own Goal or Behind Line - a rushed behind.

While conceding a rushed behind is legal under pressure, a field Umpire shall award a free kick against a defending player who intentionally kicks, handballs or forces the ball over the attacking team's Goal or Behind Line when that player (Law 18.11): is more than 9 metres from the line; is not under immediate physical pressure; has had time and space to dispose of the ball; or, from a ruck contest, hits the ball over the line on the full. This discourages teams from deliberately rushing behinds to restart play.

A Mark is taken when, in the umpire's opinion, a player catches or takes control of the football within the Playing Surface, after it has been kicked by another player a distance of at least 15 metres, and the ball has not touched the ground nor been touched by another player in flight (Law 15.1). A player who takes a mark is awarded a free kick at the spot of the mark and may dispose of the ball unimpeded, or elect to play on. If the ball travels less than 15 metres, or is touched in flight, no mark is awarded and play continues.

A player may legally dispose of the football only by a kick or a handball ("Correct Disposal", Definitions). A handball is holding the ball in one hand and disposing of it by hitting it with the clenched fist of the other hand; a player who throws the ball or drops it directly to the ground to a teammate has not correctly disposed of it, and a free kick is awarded against them. A player running with the ball must bounce it or touch it to the ground at least once every 15 metres.

The player in possession is given a chance to dispose of the ball before an opponent is rewarded for a legal tackle (Law 18.6). Where the player has had Prior Opportunity - is balanced and steady, has attempted to evade or fend an opponent, or has already taken a mark or free kick - a free kick is awarded for holding the ball if they do not correctly dispose of it immediately on being legally tackled. Where the player has not had prior opportunity, a free kick is awarded only if they elect to incorrectly dispose of the ball, fail to make a genuine attempt to dispose of it in reasonable time, or dive on top of the ball.

A player must be protected from unreasonable conduct. A field Umpire awards a free kick for rough conduct (Law 18.7), which includes but is not limited to: executing a dangerous tackle; making forceful contact below the knees or to the lower leg; sliding knees or feet first into an opponent; using boot studs dangerously; or making high contact (including the top of the shoulders) with any part of the body, unless the player was reasonably contesting the ball or the contact was caused by circumstances outside their control. Serious or reportable rough conduct may also be the subject of a report for the tribunal.

Players are encouraged to keep the ball in play. A field Umpire awards a free kick against a player who (Law 18.10): kicks the ball Out of Bounds on the Full (the ball crosses the Boundary Line from a kick without bouncing inside or being touched); or kicks, handballs or forces the ball over the Boundary Line without sufficient intent to keep it in play (deliberate out of bounds). The free kick is taken where the ball crossed the line. Where the ball goes out of bounds without an infringement, play is restarted with a boundary throw-in by the boundary Umpire.

After a mark or free kick has been awarded, a Fifty Metre Penalty is imposed against the opposing team if a player or official from that team (Law 19.2): moves off The Mark; unreasonably holds the player who marked or won the free kick; enters or fails to immediately vacate the Protected Area; does not return the ball directly and on the full to the player; or otherwise delays, impedes or behaves in an unsportsmanlike manner. The Mark is advanced 50 metres directly toward the centre of the penalised team's Goal Line; if the player is within 50 metres of goal, the Mark becomes the centre of the Goal Line.

When a player is awarded a mark or free kick, one player from the opposing team may stand on The Mark (or be otherwise directed by the umpire), and all other opponents must be behind The Mark or outside the Protected Area (Law 20.1). The Protected Area is a corridor extending 10 metres either side of The Mark and 5 metres behind it, out to 10 metres either side of and a 5-metre arc behind the player with the ball. No opponent may enter and remain in this corridor unless the umpire calls "Play On" or they are following within 2 metres of an opponent. The player on the mark must hold their position; moving off it concedes a fifty metre penalty.

After a behind is signalled, any player of the defending team may either kick the ball from within the Goal Square, or play on by exiting the Goal Square within a reasonable time (Law 17.1). A player may not handball from within the Goal Square unless the umpire has called "Play On". The Mark for the kick-in is set 15 metres from the centre of the Kick-Off Line toward the centre of the ground. 2026 change: the AFL has announced that the time allowed to take a kick-in is aligned to eight (8) seconds, matching the time allowed to dispose of a mark or free kick around the ground, to speed up play.

For the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season the centre bounce was discontinued and replaced by a Centre Throw-Up at every centre restart (Law 13). The umpire now throws the ball up at the centre rather than bouncing it. The AFL cited umpire health and safety, consistency with the AFLW and other competitions, broader umpire pathways, and fairer ruck contests. Together with the removal of the substitute (clubs now name 23 players with a 5-player interchange bench), these are the structural headline changes of the 2026 edition.

For 2026 the AFL announced seven changes designed to reduce match length by about three minutes and improve flow, debuting at the AAMI AFL Origin match. These include: a last disposal ("lasso") rule - a free kick is paid against the team whose disposal sends the ball over the boundary line between the arcs, aligning the men's game with the AFLW; aligned kick-in timing to 8 seconds; competing rucks may not cross the centre line before engaging at the throw-up; umpires may restart play without a nominated ruck present; a shrug in a tackle is deemed prior opportunity; the requirement to start a player in the goalsquare is removed; and stronger enforcement of the stand rule, requiring opponents within 5 metres of a mark or free kick to stand rather than retreat. (These are AFL-announced changes and interpretations for 2026; some are not yet codified as numbered Law text in the 13 February 2026 Laws document.)