An AFL game officially consists of four quarters, each lasting 20 minutes of actual playing time, totaling 80 minutes of play. However, because the clock stops for stoppages such as injuries, goals, and ball outs (called "time on"), each quarter typically lasts about 25 to 30 minutes in real time. Including breaks—6 minutes between the first and second quarters, 20 minutes at half- time, and 6 minutes between the third and fourth quarters—the entire game usually runs for around two and a half to three hours in total from start to finish.
For the AFL Women's league (AFLW), quarters are shorter at 17 minutes plus stoppages, and the entire game including breaks usually lasts less than two hours.
