Footy

Australian rules football is an awesome sport. I am genuinely disappointed that my introduction to the sport came at 27 years of age. I know, it sounds a bit dramatic. But as an athlete (formerly), I think Aussie rules looks like a lot of fun to play and it is surely a physical game that tests one's endurance. There is no doubt that I would join a recreational league if I could find one.

As you may have guessed by now, I went to a "footy" game in Perth. The Australian Football League is the professional organization of Australia's premier players and teams. Fans pack stadiums, or "ovals," by the tens of thousands. A very short train ride from downtown Perth can get you to Subiaco Oval, home of two professional AFL teams, the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers. Before flying to Perth, I went online and was able to score a single ticket in the nosebleed section of Subiaco Oval. The game was sold out and the atmosphere was electric as the West Coast Eagles defeated Melbourne, 90-82. When I purchased the ticket, I had no idea what to expect and I knew nothing about the sport. But by game's end, I was hooked.

Footy is a cross between soccer, American football, and rugby. The rules are few and players just have at each other and for nearly 2 hours. The game is divided into quarters, with each being roughly 30 minutes in length. The objective: do whatever you can to kick the ball through the uprights without it being deflected by the opponent. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, no, considering that each team has 18 men on the field at once and the opponents are ready to crush you at the first opportunity. Plus the oval is significantly larger than a soccer field or football field, so sprinting the length of the field is hard enough, let alone kicking the footy through uprights. I have been told that some players will run nearly 20km in a single game. I believe it.

Footy is a rush and I highly recommend that you attend a game if you ever make it to Australia. If you'd like to know more about the sport, here is a link to information on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football