'WHAT IS AFL??' | AMERICAN REACTS 

americans: "he should be dead!" Australians: "yeah good hit mate"

4th largest attendance in the world, in a country of 25 million..

I love Americans getting around AFL because i feel like it needs to be known around the world

“ it also super high scoring “ don’t watch this season then 😂

Him: “How do they kick the ball this far?” Aussie 5yr: easy mate! 🇦🇺

Its funny when Americans find out we start playing this from 5yrs of age in primary school no pads full contact!

I'm an aussie, played 'footy' for 15 years, you average anywhere from 10-15 kilometres a game, full contact, minimal bench time, full 360degree game play, peripheral vision paramount, stamina and strength and agility a must. Good times.

Now that you've learned about cricket, and AFL, get this. AFL was invented to keep cricket players in shape in the offseason.

MCG can hold up to over 100,000 & the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere. Was created in Victoria, so it was called VFL till 1990 when they changed it to AFL.

I wonder what it's like living in a country where most people don't know about the best game in the world?

First things first... stop with "ossy". It's pronounced "ozzy" like the crazy old metalhead.

Pat McAfee has been giving AFL alot of attention on his podcast. Seems like alot of Americans are finding out about it now.

Usually 100k, can’t remember the last time we had only 90k

An American that shows genuine interest in footy 😮

Aussie Rules needs to let the rest of the world know that it is the FIRST codified (where the rules are written and agreed upon by all participating teams and the players) football game in the world. The FIRST. Not soccer/football, not even Rugby Union. Australian Rules Football was codified in 1858. It's historical origins are from the need of ''Cricket Players/Cricketers'' to keep fit during that games off season (cricket-summer-warmer months). That is why both games are played on the same sized oval. The Melbourne Cricket Ground/MCG is one the the great sporting stadiums on the planet. Cricket in the summer and AFL for the remainder of the year. Look up Tom Wills as he is one of the central figures in the development and codification of Australian Rule Football. In the 1840's Tom's father sent him off to board at Rugby School in England from western Victoria (where Tom purportedly played the local indigenous game called marngrook in his early years). Boarding at Rugby School introduced Tom to their early version of Rugby and he became a champion cricket and rugby player. When he returned to Australia he became famous as a cricketer but recognised that he needed to keep fit in the off season. Training on the same grounds. Cricketers took up this new hybrid football game invented as they went along but with a focus on the necessary skills needed to play cricket. Ball catching, hand eye coordination, throwing, foot speed and endurance/stamina as the game was trained/played in winter and on a cricket oval. Like wickets on a cricket pitch, the wicket equivalents are the goal posts at either end of the oval. This symbiosis between the two sports will never change. That's why AFL players and supporters (what's the stat, the 4th highest domestic attendance of any sport on the planet) rightly point out that that is why they call their game ''footy/football'' and all other football codes are ''johnny come lately's''. Their endeth the lesson. All fact.

Injuries - yes, lots. Part of the game. No-one argues about universal healthcare in Australia - 90% of Australians support universal healthcare. You only have to watch 5mins of an AFL match to understand why. Australians also play two types of Rugby (these are also popular but not has popular as AFL) which are not exactly injury-free either. Players on bench - yes, a little like soccer with interchanges being a little more frequent during a game, but there are no separate offence and defence groupings. Passing the ball - when you have the ball in your possession there are two ways to pass the ball: 1 kick it, and 2 hand ball using your fist only - throwing, dropping or failing to pass when tackled will result in a free kick to the other team. High scoring - A famous AFL coach named Ron Barrassi visited the US in the 1980's and when sitting in the waiting room of a US sports agent's office he picked up a coffee table book containing nothing but newspaper articles written about different sports. He found one article about Australian football which said the sport was well suited to the American public because of its speed, skill and high rate of scoring. The date on the article? 1897. Melbourne Cricket Ground capacity - Actually, some years around 100,000 can attend the Grand Final (won't be this year, obviously). Schedules - Games are played during the Australian winter (American summer) from March to October (there is also a January-February pre-season comp and womens AFL). Go to afl.com.au for the schedules. History - AFL was created by Australian Aboriginals (from an Aboriginal past time) and Irish immigrants (gaelic football). The oldest Australian football team is the Melbourne football club which started in 1858. Australia, as a nation, didn't start until 1901. BTW, in addition to the biggest hits, you could also do a reaction to after the siren goals. Nice video Menke :o)

Handballing is a must. You can't pitch or throw the ball. That's a foul.

"I didn't know if you hit the post it's one point. That's generous." Exactly what Irish/Australian comedian Jimoin said in the '90s. "Ok, we can see what you were trying to do, we'll give you a point for that."

I attended my first match at 3 months old in the pram and slept the whole time. This was before all grounds had seating, they used to just have wide concrete/stoned steps at some places. But one thing you might not realise is how many old ladies love AFL. People of all ages actually. PLUS, we get a public holiday in Victoria the day before the grand final so we can watch the two finals teams have a parade through the city. I hope you do more AFL stuff! Also yes you have to use a fist to handball it otherwise it's considered a throw and that results in the ball being turned over to the other side.

It's a winter game, season starts in March, autumn here, grand final the last Saturday in September or first in October, spring here.. The summer sport is 'cricket. Aussie rules began in Melbourne around 1850. Thus the Melbourne Cricket Ground, known as 'the G' being the biggest stadium in the country. This is a problem with making the game international. Not many countries have big oval cricket grounds. Watching Geelong play Collingwood as I type. Half time. Both teams from the state of Victoria but being played on the other side of the continent in Perth Western Australia because Melbourne is in lockdown because of a renewed covid outbreak. There is even talk of the Grand Final not being played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this year. HERESY!! Yes I am from Melbourne where the game originated (Collingwood are called the magpies as they wear black and white GO PIES!!) Some Rules. You are not allowed to throw the ball. Thus the handball. Can't push a player in the back or impede him by grabbing his jersey. If you are tackled you can't just drop the ball. You must handball or kick it or you are penalised. Thus the three millisecond interval between the tackle and opposition fans yelling BALL! This is where the concept of 'prior opportunity' to correctly dispose of the ball comes in. Similarly you can't reel the ball in under you on the ground and lie on it while you are buried under a pile of players. You can't deliberately put the ball out of play. Another point of dispute if it can be argued that the player was only looking for space moving it forward or to the advantage of a team mate and the ball goes out, sometimes tens of metres from there the player kicked it. Often very subjective and much moaning from the fans of the team so penalised when that happens, and the commentators. If the ball goes out off the foot of a player without bouncing or being touched by another player, its a 'free' (kick) to the opposition. You can't chop the arms of a player going for a mark. You can't hold a player not in possession of the ball. It is a point if the ball is touched by a player from either side before it goes through 'the big sticks'. As with hitting the post, this may be adjudicated by video in slow mo and from all angles. A few weeks ago a review with the goal post obscuring the critical angle disallowed a Collingwood goal'. It was supposedly, touched, actually called a mark', by an opposition player who was so far over the goal line he took it three rows back in the stands. Other angles strongly suggested otherwise. OK I am a Collingwood fan but the commentators were similarly nonplussed. Update.PIES WIN!!! But low scoring game as discussed below.

I lived in Aussie (pronounced 'Ozzie') for 20 years. I followed the game after a couple of years but now I love the game. The physicallitiy and tecnicallitiy of the game is brilliant. The season is on now. I'm sure it's about 3-4 weeks in. I'll be watching your AFL vids from now on. By the way, a hand-ball IS the only way you can pass the ball other than a kick. Cheers from New Zealand.

Some things that have not been mentioned:- a) If the ball bounces over the white boundary line it is recorded as "out of bounds" and is thrown in by a boundary umpire. b) If the ball is kicked over the boundary line it is recorded as "out on the full" which then awards a free kick to the opposing team. c) If the ball bounces into the outer goal posts it is recorded as "out of bounds" and is thrown in by a boundary umpire. d) Hitting the outer posts on the full (i.e. - without bouncing) is recorded as "out on the full" which then awards a free kick to the opposing team. e) What you call "referees" or "refs" are called "umpires", "umps", "umpies" or "fucking blind morons"! f) Aussie is pronounced "Ozzy"!

I’ve watched a lot of Americans react to this video. By far the best reaction I have seen. Great video mate! The Grand Final normally has 100,000+. Back when there was standing room at the MCG they’ve had over 120,000 fans attend the Grand Final.

Some FYIs AFL is a national game but is most popular in the state of Victoria it used to be called the VFL. It is quite popular in the other States but less in QLD and NSW where Rugby League is probably still more popular. In Victoria we play at school and for clubs from a young age we live and breathe footy. You pretty much have to eat a meat pie every time you go to a game We wear all sorts of supporter gear but you MUST have a team scarf If you dont know your team song your not really a fan We use a red ball during the day and a yellow ball at night It is our winter game, cricket in summer When we dont like something that happens on the field we all yell "FIFTY!!!" which means we want a 50 meter penalty You cant push an opponent in the back and you cant hold an opponent if he doesnt have the ball Women also play in the AFLW Thats enough for now

before seats were installed back in 1979 I watched carlton vs collingwood at close to 120,000 crowd-- wet and muddy game back when it used to rain here

Nice one, dude. Apparently the GWS Giants are looking at having an annual game in LA to open the AFL season each year in a hope to spread the popularity of the game, kinda like what the MLB does.

It's worth noting that it's also a game that is played at community level. Football in the suburbs is very popular. It's also very popular in rural and remote communities alike. A true sport for everyone.

The average size of the 175 metres = 192 yards. You must kick it 15mtrs to mark it. When its kicked and you catch it it's a mark. Meaning where you caught it Mark's the spot were you kick it from... You can run with the ball but you must bounce the ball every 15 mtrs. If you handball you have to play on. When you kick the between the 2 big post it 6 points. If you kick it between the big post and small post it's one point.. the reason for the point post being introduced was before there were too many drawn games. So it was introduced to get a result... If the ball goes through the goal line any other way but from a kick it's a point..

1:55 not to be an ass.. But when I was a kid, born and raised in Australia...seeing American football for the first time, I was confused why it was called football, since they barely ever seem to kick the damn thing... Why do you think soccer is a disliked term across all of Europe...because that game is the truest football out there, since only the goalies are allowed to use anything but their feet (predominantly)

4:05 So 18 on the field, 4 on the bench. Those 4 can be interchanged with the field players at any time. Teams rotate players so that they can have a moment to suck in some air and 'rest'. You can't spam the interchange bench, there is a limit of like 120 changes a game? I think. So about 30 per quarter. Never heard of a team breaking that rule, so just forget it. Lol Because I'm used to AFL, NFL with their 2 other whole teams on the bench seems so weird to me. How can you say you play a sport, when you don't take part in all of it?

In the video, it does mention that if the ball hits either of the two large posts from a kick it is awarded as a point. What it didn't mention was, if the ball is kicked into either small posts without the ball bouncing, that ball is deemed " Out on the full " and the opposition gets a free-kick back into play. If the ball happens to bounce into either small post then that ball is deemed " Out of bounds " and the boundary umpire will then throw the ball back into play. If the ball comes off either the attacker or defenders body and goes between the two large posts then that is awarded as a point. I'm pretty sure that's all good, either way, I'm sure another Aussie will set me straight if not.

Man! This is giving me goosebumps seeing you enjoy our game and trying to appreciate it! Can’t throw the ball (a hand off would be considered a throw) and if you used an open hand to hand ball it wouldn’t be as effective - more force in a fist than an open hand. The season normally runs March to September, but COVID has messed it around this year. Love it!

You seem to have a pretty good eye for the sport. Lots of Americans watching, even after seeing this video are still totally overwhelmed. But at 9:26 you already seemed to recognise that the player taking the mark could have taken a kick but instead opted for the quick pass, to the guy running into space

“If you get injured in the game” 😂😂😂 mate you get back up

I lived in roaring distance of the MCG! To get a ticket to the Grand Final is something but all I had to do was put the window up. And OMG the roar of the crowd!

A small thing that might help - After a mark/catch from a kick, the guy who catches it has a choice. If they stop on the spot, then they get that unimpeded kick. But the option to "play on" (ie. do literally anything else) remains available, hence those quick handball passes to teammates who are already sprinting past. Lastly, for reaction purposes, I have one little thing for you to try to comprehend: There's a Women's AFL, as well.

“8 of 22 make the play offs” No. there’s 18 teams that play 22 rounds and the top 8 move on.

Afl is gonna be a worldwide sport in the next couple years

I love watching Americans react to Aussie footy. They get amazed by the smallest things and I'm over here like, "yep, this my life". I'm a Port Power Fan. WWOOOOOOO. (and an aussie btw hehe)

The season usually runs between March and September. Due to COVID 19 it’s shortened. At the moment it’s on Thursday-Sunday

Season starts around late March and ends late September, but this year it's all out of whack due to Corona. I think it might be ending in late October this season.... if Corona doesn't just kill the season in the meantime. There are a lot more rules than are in this vid, AFL is the most data rich sport on the planet. The vid does give you the nuts and bolts of the game though, but the vid needs to be a little clearer about a few things. The score.... Collingwood - 20-10-130 (20 x 6 goals = 120 + 10 x 1 behinds = 10 which gets you the score of 130), also the added on time of 10 minutes is 10 minutes a quarter. A quarter will pretty much always be 30+ mins, so it's easily a 2+ hour game. The Grand Final crowd of 90000+ is really 100000+, that's what pretty much every Grand Final now gets and if the MCG could hold say 120+k.... it'd probably get that too. I think AFL was 3rd in avg attendance at one point when it overtook the EPL for a season or two, but it's back to 4th which is still impressive considering the population of Oz is only 25 million. You should watch Top 50 Goals and Top 50 Marks of all time, just to see more of the skill side of AFL.

The season is really messed up at the moment due to covid going nuts in Victoria the original home of afl and the home of the grand final stadium the MCG, the season normally runs from late March through to late September

The record attendance for a football match is 121,000 being the 1970 Grand Final between Carlton and Collingwood. The record for a home and away football match is 119,000, that was the 1958 Queens Birthday match between Melbourne and Collingwood, who were the big powerhouse teams of the 50s. Both those games were at the MCG.

Back when my grandpa was young he played in the vfl when there was no afl and then once he won the race that had one player from each team in it he then changed from a footy player to a runner then to become the fastest man in Australia in that time and I am not bullshiting Edit: he taught Kade Simpson for footy and other players.

I love seeing the sport I love growing around the world

"so if someone gets injured, are they just down a man". Nope, they'll go back in, in a couple of minutes.

I’m sorry I didn’t even know half these rules existed and I’ve played football for three years in Australia

G'day Menke and thanks for a fantastic reaction vid, my favourite one so far. As usual, it looks like I'm getting on here a bit late, but better late than never. I appreciate the mix of subtle humour mixed with a genuine respect, in fact, enthusiasm for AFL, or as we call it in Australia 'footy'. You've certainly cheered me up no end. Cheers mate and Carn the Tigers!

You picked a team yet? I recommend any team other then Collingwood

He saw a 45 meter goal and thought that was good 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Look at an Eddie betts highlights THEN you’ll see a good goal

Hey buddy... Love watching the reactions of, especially Americans... to our great game. lol. Right now the Women’s competition is underway for this season, it is a relatively short season and the men’s season begins I believe in the first week of March (although I haven’t seen a full fixture for the season as yet). If you have any questions HMU as I have umpired the game in regional Comp for several years. Hope you enjoy the game... 🤙

AFL is my 2nd favourite sport (I'm Aussie) and yes there are a tonne of injuries, usually around 2-3 injuries each game (ranging from small to really bad injuries). It's a also a heavy team sport, if you look at the 2016 season where the Bulldogs won the GF, they are the AFL equivalent to the late Tim Duncan Spurs era of Basketball, a lot of ball movement got us that GF win

Afl attendance has always been much larger. Current Rugby attendance in Australia is comparable to the Afl in the early 1800's

Mate if you want to see a good game the 'western derby' is on this weekend. The eagles v the dockers. Its a historic rivalry that is always played rough, its a point of pride for west Aussies.

Adding for those interested in Aussie slang... When a player takes a mark (catches a kicked ball) by climbing on another player in a spectacular fashion, it may be referred to as a 'speccy' (SPEK-ee). This was first used to describe the work of Warwick Capper, a player for the Sydney Swans (and later Brisbane Bears) whose other claims to fame were his spectacularly big hair and teeny tiny shorts. I could never take that man serioulsy. Until he was in the air.

Before Fire safety and other changes to The MCG ( the ground that a lot of Melbourne teams call home and where the Grand final is played) The stadium used to be able to have about 107,000 spectators. I believe the current capacity is around 93,000. No, you can not throw the ball.

i live in australia and the season is on now

when they use someones back to get higher and mark the ball its called a specky

I’m an Aussie who loves AFL, the game is usually played during our winter. So usually from about March till the last week in September.

"Imagine trying to jump up on his back" Nic nait "and I took that personally"

Me watching 2020 “It’s super high scoring” Me: are u on crack or something?!

Who else wants to watch him learn to how to kick/ handball an afl ball?

Answering some of the questions you asked (a year late 😂) Whilst the bench only has 4 players, there are also "emergency" players which aren't counted on the bench, but are put into the game if an injury stops a player from playing. Yes, the fist is required for the handpass, if the fist doesn't connect with the ball, it is called a "throw" and is a free kick to the opposition. The season starts in March and Ends in September if you want to watch the games live, they play on Friday-Sunday and sometimes Thursday or Monday usually around 7:30pm AEST (Australian time)

Glad to see this vid. I'm not an expert but I enjoy watching AFL. Non-stop action, real physical contact, and in the last quarter when players get tired you can see the mental aspect of the game too- whoever wants it more will win.

grandfinal is abit away, we're in round 6 atm, today round 5 finished, Thursday and Friday night we have a game, Saturday we have 4 games and Sunday is another 3 games, I think cause of COVID season will be shortened this year, not sure how many rounds, but love the reactions mate, keep the videos up!

The pronunciation For Aussies sounds like OZZIES. Not ossies.

One of the worst bruises I’ve gotten is from being speckied on (slang for the “springboard” mark). It was basically an attempted mark which just resulted to a knee corking the absolute shit out of my right butt cheek😂 good times

Season's April till August with finals in September. You can hit a contested ball with open hand but any throwing or passing that doesn't involve a handball or kick will have you penalised (opponent gets a free kick like when one takes a mark). Same as kicking the ball out of bounds on the full (i.e. without touching the ground or another player) or if the umpire (referee) determines the player has deliberately hit it out by any means to stop play. The 4 on the bench rule doesn't mean there are strictly 4 substitutes. There are 4 on interchange that constantly rotate on and off the field when players need a rest (the types of players you have on the bench is a big part of team strategy) but there are also substitute players that can join the game roster in case of a game-ending injury

Check out australia verses ireland international rules different again blend of both games Afl and Gaelic football

Get the app AFL it shows times and who’s playing

Most famously in 1943 the MCG was home to the legendary First Regiment of the First Division of the United States Marine Corp. The First Marine Corp were the heroes of the battle of Guadalcanal (later Okinawa) and used the “cricket grounds”, as the marines referred to it, to rest and recuperate.

Most fun sport to play! Just kicking in the park with your mates is the bomb. Soccer, tennis, footy my faves.

“4th highest average attendance of any domestic sports.” Not at the moment! Thanks COVID...

Their is so many things wrong with this video the grand final has like 110,000 people in it and many more things they didn't cover

We grow up on AFL here. Attendance at certain grounds is huge. We're talking 100k + at out biggest stadium. God I love this game 😍

I always love the part in the "It's now played professionally". It's been played professionally for over 100 years in some form.

Was this an American explaining the AFL? Something seemed off with the original vid

Afl is so amazing even though this season sucks

Season is March to August for regular season and September and maybe October are the Finals/Playoffs. Since COVID-19 stuffed up the season it is now June to September season so u can still watch the games

The marks from 7:16-7:58 are called a “specky” or a “hanger”. At 9:20 there is also another type of position similar to midfielders but they are called “rovers” and they literally follow the ball wherever it goes

Americans say "AuC", Australians say "AuZ. AuC is very cringey

the season starts around the 16th of march andthe grand final is played on the 29th of september usually but because of covid the grand final will be played end of october

The 4 players on the bench are used to interchange, there's a total rotation number during a game of about 75. If a player is injured the bench drops to 3 etc. When they handball, the fist allows you to hit it further.

This vid just popped up on my feed, great work!! As an Aussie and a huge AFL fan you have a chance to get in on the ground floor of what I think will be a massive few years for AFL in the US!!! Apparently games are live in ESPN and Fox sports in the US now, with games every weekend for the next 3 months!! Start watching, learn the rules, promote the game and who knows where it could take you!!

Collingwood (my team) is playing Hawthorne in 3.5 hours time

Good on you for spreading the knowledge of the AFL around the States.

The regular season (we call it the home & away season) is between April & August. The playoffs (The finals we call it here in Australia) are in September. The Grand Final (Our Super Bowl equivalent ) is always on the last Saturday in September.

I'm a naturalised Aussie born overseas. I grew up watching basketball but now the main sport I watch is Aussie rules.

It’s 18 per side on the field and 4 on the bench for each side. They interchange regularly unlike soccer. But if someone is injured and can no longer play, the bench reduced to 3 but the rotation from field to bench continues.

Hi Menke, don't have to hand-ball it, but if you have possession of the ball, kicking and hand-balling is the only way to pass the ball. if you don't have possession of the ball for example, like if it's rolling, you can slap it forward but the ref can adjudicate this as a throw (which is not allowed) - kind of like volleyball. same logic.

The "bench" is called the interchange. All 4 players can be entered into the game at anytime, replacing one of their teammates on field. It allows fresh players on field to continue the continuous action. Teams will make up to 80/90 interchanges per match. Best game in the world barely anyone knows. Cheers PS. the season is currently in progress, i believe FS1 shows it in the US.

This season has been reduced to 17 matches each. The grandfinal will be in late October at this stage.

These cricket and AFL videos got recommended. New subscriber from Aus

Aussie is pronounced Ozzie rules...👍 The players are super fit athletes, and the Melbourne Cricket ground MCG holds 100,000+ fans. Players don't need to hand ball but do so in close confines, but they use what is available to use at the time. Remember the game as been evolving since the 1860s, so it's been around for a long time. Season starts around March 22 thru to late September....there are USAFL games played in most American cities.

The attendance record is 121,969 in the 1970 Grand Final but since then the MCG has replaced some standing room with seating and it only holds about 100,000 people now. Per head of Capita it is the most attended game in the world.

"Bounce it every 16 yards". That is for Americans. In Australia we use the metric system and the distance is 15 metres. By the way, if you look at the plan of the ground that appears earlier in the video, those semicircles are 50m from the goal and the centre square is another 50m. There are gaps between the 50m lines and the centre square making the distance from goal to goal 160-180m depending on the ground. A soccer field is 105m goal to goal. A NFL field is 110m but that includes the end zones, the playing area is 91m.

Amazon are producing a "Last Dance" style doco on the AFL at the moment, will be great to see some behind the scenes action. The AFL are hopeful it introduces the sport to a few more Americans as well.

I love his reaction to normal things like kicking and handballing more impressed by kicking 50 then taking a hanger

When you get to know the rules excitement overload just like when I fell in love with NFL. They show 3 games live every week.😀

One thing im not sure anyone else has mentioned is fantasy football. Its really popular, all the stats are recorded and each player recieves points based on how many kicks, goals, tackles and such they get. People have drafts and pick teams of players and have their own fantasy afl team leagues.