International rules football


International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players.
The first tour, known as the Australian Football World Tour, took place in 1967, with matches played in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The following year, games were played between Australia and a touring County Meath Gaelic football team, Meath being the reigning All-Ireland senior football champions. Following intermittent international tests between Australia and Ireland, the International Rules Series between the senior Australian international rules football team and Ireland international rules football team has been played intermittently since 1984, and has generally been a closely matched contest. The sport has raised interest and exposure in developing markets for Gaelic and Australian football and has been considered a development tool by governing bodies of both codes, particularly by the AFL Commission.
International rules football does not have any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by men's, women's, and junior teams only in tournaments or Test matches.

Rules

Overview

The rules are designed to provide a compromise or combine between those of the two codes, with Gaelic football players being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field measured about long by wide, while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle by grabbing between the shoulders and thighs and pulling to the ground, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark, from Australian rules football, with a free kick awarded for a ball caught from a kick of over, where the kick must be in the forward direction if originating from a teammate.
A player must bounce, solo or touch the ball on the ground once every or six steps. A maximum of two bounces per possession are allowed, while players can solo the ball as often as they wish on a possession. Unlike in Gaelic football, the ball may be lifted directly off the ground, without putting a foot underneath it first. Players however cannot scoop the ball off the ground to a team-mate, nor pick up the ball if they are on their knees or on the ground. If a foul is committed, a free kick will be awarded, though referees can give the fouled player advantage to play on at their discretion.
The game uses two large posts usually set apart, and connected above the ground by a crossbar with a goal net that could extend behind the goalposts and attached to the crossbar and lower goalposts, as in Gaelic football. A further apart on either side of those and not connected by a crossbar are 2 small posts, known as behind posts, as in Australian rules football.
Points are scored as follows:
Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 behinds, the score is written as 1–4–10, meaning one goal plus 4 overs plus 10 behinds, for a total score of 28 points.
An international rules match lasts for 72 minutes. Inter-county Gaelic football matches go on for 70 minutes, divided into two halves, and Australian rules matches consist of four 20 minute quarters of game time, although with the addition of stoppage time, most quarters actually last between 25 and 30 minutes.
As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules.

Alterations

A number of rule changes were introduced before the 2006 International Rules Series:
Further alterations were made before the 2008 International Rules Series:
The most recent changes were made ahead of the 2014 International Rules Series:
International rules has been played in various locations throughout North America and the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand between fledgling Australian rules football and Gaelic football clubs.
In 2006, an exhibition match between South African youth teams and an Indigenous Australian touring side composed of players from the Clontarf Foundation, led by Sydney's Adam Goodes, was held at Potchefstroom.
The University of Birmingham holds an annual International Rules match between its Australian Rules football team and its Gaelic Football team, with the 2013 edition won by the Australian Rules team 56–55, before a crowd of over 400 students.
In the International Rules Series, the most well-known International Rules event, Australia and Ireland are at an impasse, with 10 series wins apiece. Most recently in 2017, Australia defeated Ireland with two Test wins and an aggregate score of 116–103.

Amateur tours

The Australian Amateur Football Council has sent an amateur Under-23 All-Australian team to Ireland in both 2005 and 2008. The Australian amateur team wore a different jersey to the AFL representative side, dark green and gold, with a kangaroo emblem. Recently, the Victorian Amateur Football Association has sent a squad of players sourced from the top six divisions of its competition to tour Ireland and play various clubs and representative teams.
DateTeamsStadiumLocationAttendanceNotes
2005AAFC 17 def. by
Ireland GAA 105		Croke ParkDublin, County DublinN/A
2005AAFC 30 def. by
All-Ireland Universities 34		University GroundsNational University of Ireland, GalwayN/A
2005AAFC 74 def.
Irish Banks/Allied Forces 52		Pearse StadiumGalway, County GalwayN/A
2005AAFC 53 def.
Bishopstown GAA 47		Bishopstown GAA ClubCork, County CorkN/A
2008AAFC 46 def.
Bishopstown GAA 39		Bishopstown GAA ClubCork, County Cork
2008AAFC 55 def. by
Donaghmore Ashbourne 60		Killegland WestAshbourne, County Meath2,500
2008Sydney AFL 43 def.
NSW GAA 42		Mahoney ParkMarrickville, New South Wales
2011VAFA 28 def.
Donaghmore Ashbourne 26		Killegland WestAshbourne, County Meath
2011VAFA 7 def. by
Ireland GAA 81		Croke ParkDublin, County Dublin
2013VAFA 102 def.
Na Piarsaigh 16		Páirc Uí ChonaireCork City, County Cork
2013VAFA 0.10.9 def. by
Combined Dublin Universities 4.10.3 		St Vincent's GAA ClubMarino, Dublin, County Dublin