AFL Rules

[Tambo]

Reading around the Tiger board, other sites, media etc over the past few years.... Everyone dislikes one or two rules to death, supporters are lost with frequent rule changes, umpires struggle to provide consistency due to interpretation etc etc.

Yet the AFL plans to expand it's game, potentially overseas and particularly to new comers.

As a young kid, we had a Kiwi dude come over to perminantly live in Melbourne. Therefore as Football followers we tried to explain the game, get him involved etc He was a gun player, dodging weaving and had clear pace. Picked up the skills fairly quickly. His only problem was understanding the rules. He lost his cool one day and blamed the AFL for too many rules. Has never played the game since.

I really, at the time could not understand where he was comming from. Now however I do. The rules are changing too frequently, are frustrating for the supporters and like I stated earlier.... new commers have NFI...

Sports which have a huge following eg Soccer, Basketball, Rugby etc consists of a short list of basic rules. Hence the reason why supporters come in big numbers and are able to follow the game with ease. The easier it is to understand the sport, the more followers you tend to have.

This is why our game will not develop further than the coasts of Australia.

I'm not arguing that we need to change our game so much to minimise the amount of rules etc. However some rules do require a decent hard look at. Remembering the AFL must aim to satisfy the crowd.

The AFL must also avoid expanding anywhere other than Australia. Too many confused minds can cause a huge reputation damage to our great sport.

For the sake of our game, we need to satisfy the majoritory of the supporters. Keep the rules plain and simple- forget expanding our game until we have consistancy in our rules and the way they are interpretated.

 

[emperor]

Unless you grow up with the game....the rules are nigh on impossible to understand. They are just too subjective in their application to be understood by anyone who isn't experienced in football.

I agree with the simplification of the rules, but how can it be done without tinkering with the game too much? I don't think it can be.

 

[emperor]

Just to add....The push in the back rule has been simplified...and look at the uproar it created.

 

[Tambo]

Unless you grow up with the game....the rules are nigh on impossible to understand. They are just too subjective in their application to be understood by anyone who isn't experienced in football.

I agree with the simplification of the rules, but how can it be done without tinkering with the game too much? I don't think it can be.

Agree with everything you have said.

They tend to be tinkering with the game too much by developing new rules.

My basic opninion- Get the current rules sorted. Create stabability and consistancy in the rules and forget trying to expand the game to newcommers and internationally.

 

[emperor]

My basic opninion- Get the current rules sorted. Create stabability and consistancy in the rules and forget trying to expand the game to newcommers and internationally.

Agreed, no more novelty rules like immediate kick ins, or no backward kicks or anything else to try and market the game. Just sort out the fundamentals of the game...because at times they are a mess!

 

[Tambo]

Just to add....The push in the back rule has been simplified...and look at the uproar it created.

Push in the back rule was never implemented properly. The AFL allowed certain aspects of the rule to be tampered with. This then became a natural part of our game. To change it after so long is the reason for the uproar.

 

[Goldust]

One of the biggest problems I'd imagine is the lack of consistency across all levels of football.
For instance, the new interpretation of the hands in the back rule is isolated to the AFL.
It doesn't apply - well at least I don't think it applies - to VFL and SANFL level and it sure as hell does not apply to suburban level such as Essendon district. And so too do a host of other rules too.
One league pays 50m, some pay 25m, some 15m.
What is deemed a fair bump in many leagues is deemed manslaughter in others.
There should be one set of rules across our great game, applied with one interpretation.
Watching AFL and then watching suburban footy, you would wonder whether it is the same game!!!
Now try explaining that to newcomers.

 

[beaver's army]

agree, they should only bring in new rules once every 5 years or something as to allow everyone to get use to the new rules and then if there is something wrong with the game either remove the rule or add something that will fix the problem without having a major impact on the games.

 

[Edd1e]

Good post Tambo

I agree they do try to muck around with the rules too much. Should only do it when its needed.

 

[beaver's army]

yea i agree with all you have said there goldy.

How do players come in from the VFL go about kicking backwards and then think they have to play on or vice versa with a player going back to the VFL and taking what he thinks is a mark only for it to be called play on and then holding the ball. They just need to have one set of rules for every league.

 

[bradmanstandguy]

I agree,originally hailing from Scotland,it took me ages to comprehend the rules.
Although i understand fully,i still have difficulty conveying these rules to overseas visitors. Unless you watch the game every week on tv like us,you have no hope of comprehending what the hell is going on. On the plus side despite
the confusion,most of my overseas guests love the game!
Mabye the Afl should bring out one of those Dummies books!
AFL for Dummies,written by Dummies!

 

[Tambo]

Rule changes.... ****s the game more and creates on-going confusion

 

[Weaver]

I think they should announce rule changes 2 years before they implement them.

Announce them this off-season, then implement them in 2009.

Give the umpires 2 years of hypotheticals to look at. Give coaches and players (and fans) time to adjust.

It is a joke the way the commision change rules and make them up on the fly (particularly draft rules).

 

[Tambo]

I think they should announce rule changes 2 years before they implement them.

Announce them this off-season, then implement them in 2009.

Give the umpires 2 years of hypotheticals to look at. Give coaches and players (and fans) time to adjust.

It is a joke the way the commision change rules and make them up on the fly (particularly draft rules).

Spot on mate... The AFL must prevent this on-going confusion to protect the reputation the game has currently built