how does afl work

The Australian Football League (AFL) is the professional league for Australian rules football, a fast-paced contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on a large oval field. The game consists of four 20-minute quarters during which teams try to score points by kicking an oval ball between goalposts. Scoring a goal (kicking the ball between the two middle goalposts without being touched) earns six points, while kicking the ball between a goalpost and a shorter "behind" post, or hitting the goalposts, scores one point. Players move the ball by kicking, handballing (punching the ball to a teammate), or running with it—though players must bounce or touch the ball on the ground while running. A distinctive feature called a "mark" occurs when a player catches the ball cleanly from a kick over 15 meters; this gives the player an unimpeded kick. Players can tackle opponents to gain possession but must do so within legal limits (between shoulders and knees). The AFL competition has 18 teams (19 teams including a new Tasmania team joining in 2028) playing a season of 23 regular matches, followed by a finals series culminating in the AFL Grand Final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The team with the highest score at the end of the game wins. In summary, AFL works as a dynamic, high-scoring game played by two teams on an oval field, with scoring through kicking goals or behinds, strategic ball movement through kicking and handballing, and physical contests regulated by rules on tackling and marking.