I'm an American who lived in Australia. Trust me, this is the best sport you have never heard of. I say that, and I grew up in the middle of the USA, where the state religion is College American Football. After seeing my first AFL match in 1994, I've never looked at the NFL or anything gridiron again, and don't intend to. You asked when this happens.. Well unfortunately, you just missed the footy season there. Keep in mind that seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, so our summer = their winter. And as the video said, they play 22 regular season games, plus the finals. The Finals take 4 weeks, plus the Grand Final, so you're looking at 26 weeks they are playing... HALF THE YEAR. Compare that to the NFL's 16 or 17 weeks, then taking at least 2-3 weeks off before the Super Bowl. The NFL is so stop/start boring compared to the AFL. Since they play 26 weeks, they start their football season in late March, with the Grand Final being the last Saturday in September. If you want to see a match or even highlights of a match, the AFL's UA-cam channel has mini matches and match highlights. But I'd actually look more at the top 50 AFL Marks of All Time. As you learned here, a Mark is a catch, where 1: The ball has been kicked and traveled more than 15 meters (15 meters = 16 yards), 2. caught and held onto it for a reasonable amount of time (to be determined by the umpire. The player does not have to have possession all the way to the ground like in the NFL), and 3: no one else has touched the ball before it was caught. Those marks will make any catch you've seen in the NFL look weak. Go find it, and react to it. Thank us later.
I agree, I am an Israeli with an Australian father, living in Australia and following footy here and there, I can say that it is one of the only sports where its nothing but action!
@@newshound2521 Like how they had the Ansett Cup? I can get behind that. Have the reserves play in that, let alone new draftees to the club. The only drawback I can see is that those new players wouldn't really celebrate their first real goal in the season because it isn't Round 1. But other than that, I'd be game for it!
@@athlonen Football in Europe pretty much never stops. Their off season is 2 months and it still has friendlies and internationals but most teams have two full squads to choose from. We could do the same, just play the kids.
@@newshound2521 True.. if they played the kids or the reserves, would it be any different than the VFL, SANFL, NEAFL, or WAFL? But they'd also run into venue conflicts. MCG and SCG would basically be out because of the cricket, and you'd have something right after the AFLW.. but if they blood the kids through that, they'll be playing longer than the regular season...
I might be biased, but i think AFL is one of the best football style games out there! Reacting to AFL videos will attract Aussie subs...we are passionate about our game.
@@neilgayleard3842 and the oldest. Strictly speaking, as the oldest codified and REGISTERED game of football, other codes shouldn't use the name "football".
Aussie Rules was created in the 1850s as a means of keeping cricketers fit during winter, which is why it's played on cricket grounds. While it looks like a mix of sports, it is technically the oldest >>codified
So, Canadian here and have never played the game. However, last time I'm Melbourne, a great friend of mine invited me to an Aussie Rules match. Like fans tend to sit in the same area and by the end of the game, I was cheering with everyone else and actually understood why.😂. Things that amazed me were: They can run up to 10+ miles (16+ km) in a game Players tend to soak in a tub of ice after the game to deal with their battered bodies. Can only be described as vicious. When a player is defending their goal, an opposing player will stand next to him and pinch him to distract him (sat at the end zone...was funny!) Speaking of end zone, when the opposition is going for a free kick-sort of like field goal setup (sorry, not sure of the proper term) the defending side pulls out huge Pom poms (really huge) to distract the kicker. Was initially so confusing! Also, the clothes are skin tight so that the opposition cannot get a good hold on your clothes or you. I know practically nothing about the game, but there is nothing like it in the world. If you get a chance, nothing like seeing a live match. I owe my friend Toni so much for a great night!
As an aussie who's watched footy his entire life, this comment is too wholesome - I'm glad you enjoyed your first game at the footy and I hope you come back soon and see another
@@jemxs Yeah! I was going to clear that up too but you beat me to it. It's definitely the opposition fans with the pom poms, not the players themselves.
AFL was codified in 1858 earlier than rugby, NFL and Soccer. The highest grand final was 120,000 in 1970. There is a clip by Ninh that goes into more of the rules.
@@jameshammill4624 yes in the 70s and 80s there was more standing room and no corporate boxes so the capacity was greater. I went to the Grand Final which was drawn in 1977 and it was a tremendous experience.
Carlton vs Collingwood... Jerker Jenkins, 6'6" tall in his socks... was the stepladder for one of the greatest marks of all time.. Oh Jezza, You Beauty! Carlton came from 41 points down to win by 10. The legendary Ron Barassi in his halftime speach told the Carlton players to "handball, handball, handball" and set the tone for the way the game is played since.
American here. Fell in love with Aussie Rules about 7 years ago and it’s pretty much the only sport I watch anymore. Took a trip over to see my Western Bulldogs play in person back in 2019 and you would not believe the access you have as a fan. The Grand Final is usually played the last Saturday in September, though it may be a week earlier or even first weekend of October. There is an amateur league in the states called the United States Australian Football League or USAFL with about 50 teams across the country. Feel free to ask any questions.
@@FloridaStrayDog Omg I'm so glad there are bulldog fans in other countries 😆 My grandma grew up in their home ground Footsgray and my family are massive supporters/members. I went to the 2016 final and it will always be such a special memory to me. I'm glad the doggies bring everyone together
At 4:46 he didn't expand upon how the final scoring is interpreted. In his example: Collingwood 20-10-130, is made up of 20 goals @ 6 points each (120), plus 10 behinds @ 1 point each (10) for the total of 130. Similarly then, Carlton scored 18 goals worth 108 points plus 12 behinds for a total of 120 points. The Grand final is traditionally played on the last Saturday of September. The Friday preceding is a public holiday in the state of Victoria to enable fans to "prepare"!
The great thing about Aussie Rules is that the spectators are generally only excited supporters with no aggression. You can support a team and have supporters of an other team next to you - no animosity just enjoying the sport.
Or u go to Anzac Day in the afl members area and u(Essendon) and next to about half the Collingwood wood people and only lose by 11 after not scoring in the first quarter
@@TomasUjhelyi Theres isolated incidents yeh, but as a whole its not like the UK where fans have to be brought in at different times or anything. Youd go with friends who support the opposition.
I usually don't like reaction videos, but as an Aussie this made me smile - the ultimate experience is to see it live at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
@@Beenel64 not sure where your paying $1000 plus to watch a season game mate but that’s not the AFL, you can ever get a grand final ticket for less if you are lucky to get a ticket
I always wait for that moment people see speccies for the first time. Seeing a guy leap way up onto another guy's back or shoulders sure gets their attention *every* time.
A lot of us in Australia refer to European football as soccer as well. I loved seeing your reaction to AFL. I'd loved to see more. Oh, and the AFL Grand Final is in September.
@@bookermusic The term soccer was created by the administrators of the game in the 19th century to distguigh it from other (at the time) more popular forms of football, specifically Rugby. So the term soccer is literally as old as the game itself. Soccer soon became the dominant form of football in the UK so when people talked football they inevitably meant the soccer form, and the term became redundant. In other countries where the round ball football is not the dominant form of football, the term soccer is still used to differentiate. This is generally only in the US and Australia, and in Australia it's only called soccer on a casual man on the street sort of way. Sports reports will call it football and/or the world game. Bottom line is either term is correct.
The highest number of people in attendance at a AFL grand final was the 1970 Grand Final between Carlton V Collingwood . The gates were closed at 1:30 PM because there were already 121,694 people seated and standing in the MCG. Plus there were over 50,000+ more very pissed off people waiting to get in as the gates closed. Carlton got up and won that grand final by 10 points in the last quarter after been down by 44 points to Collingwood at the end of the 3rd.
They were 44 points down at half-time. Carlton haven't had much to cheer about in the last 25 years - although they have won 5 Wooden Spoons in the last 20 years (the prize for finishing last in the competition).
The Grand Final usually attracts 100,000. The only reason it doesn't attract more is because 100,000 is the most people you can allow into the MCG on health and safety issues. Even normal roster matches can attract crowds up to 90,000 and that's impressive when you consider there's 9 AFL matches every weekend over 23 weeks (22 roster matches, there are byes) plus finals over 4 weeks. Even some
But only in the AFL home town of Melbourne. You can't, still now, get a crowd of 50K in Sydney unless you're giving tickets away! No other state in Australia could ever sustain the attendance to an AFL game that Victoria does.
@@paulchambers9965 if they could consistently draw more patrons they would have built a bigger stadium. As it is both WA and SA built stadiums due to projected demand. The MCG could've been built to hold 200K, and it would fill. You know this as well as I.
I'm British and this is the only sport I've ever been interested in. I spent 10 months in Australia back in 16/17 so really enjoying your Aussie reactions :)
Thank you, thank you, and thank you again for NOT simply assuming it was Rugby before even watching the video lol. You have no idea just how respectful that is to an AFL fan :)
Just finished watching the last video for this channel and was confused by you saying Aussies are built different, then this came on!!🤣😂 You weren't wrong!
Great work Joel, stand by for lots of new subscribers if you continue with these types of posts It is coming up to summer time in Australia now which means it is cricket season for sports, I would love to see some cricket reaction videos from you 😀
Great reaction video, the Grand Final is the last week in September. One thing you mentioned was that it was like Rugby, Soccer/Football etc. But the original Aussie Rules dates back before all those other sports around the late 1850s. So a lot of other sports probably got their origins from a sport similar to Aussie Rules.
So glad you checked out our Footy....most Americans have the same reaction as yourself which is cool...gotta come over mate for a granny...good times! Your vids are fun to watch. cheers .
I used to play and i've loved the game my whole life but something about watching your reaction gets me so pumped about it haha. Cool video mate. The AFL season is in the winter but the Finals are in September which is Spring here. It's definitely a good time to head to Melbourne. Great vibes there around the Grand Final(late September). Keep up the good work with your channel mate. Very enjoyable!
Mate … Im an American and have lived in Oz for the last 11 years. This game is insanely amazing. Would love to give you some insight into some of the things your videos have got wrong, even if just a little bit. A bit more context, perhaps. I learned this game from an Aussie who loved NFL and he explained it to me that way, would love to reverse the favour. Also, see cricket for the same. 🤣 Love your work bringing our national sport to the masses.
imagine watching a game along with your mates and a few beers... you have the cricket season coming up... maybe not watching the tests but we could have fun with the big bash games. maybe you could also have a look at Australian foods... you might have fun with will and them... even try cooking some of them A great concept that will grow
From Australia and I'm not a huge follower but I do like going to a couple of games a year. The atmosphere is fantastic, especially at large matches. The rules are very simple, and have to be for the players to cover the ground the size that it is. I'm routinely amazed at how far AFL players can kick. There are a couple more rules not covered such as out-of-bounds and push-in-the-back, and holding the ball (you can hear the cries of "ball!" from the crowd whenever someone is tackled still holding it). But basically that video covers the core stuff. It's a fast moving game, almost constantly entertaining.
I'm related to a couple of AFL/former AFL players (Tim and Jobe Watson being the only two I know about) and I remember the biggest flex was that my dad (Tim's cousin) played football with/against him when they played for the Nhill and Dimboola teams and I always thought it was the coolest thing.
Nice reaction, just subscribed. Don’t stress to much about the rules when your first learning. You should checkout the highlights of Eddie Betts, Cyril Rioli and Dustin Martin. Watching these highlights you’ll start to get a feel for the game.
G'day again mate. You got to have an episode showcasing the skill of " high marking" where the players jump high into the air ( often standing on their opponents shoulders) to catch the football. It's an amazing skill that will take your breath away
Hi Joel. It's great that you are now investigating Australia. Apart from all the historical, geographic and social aspects you might also enjoy looking at the Australian sense of humour. As Christmas is coming soon you should get the boys together and react to Kevin Bloody Wilson and his song Hey Santa Claus!
Like you said, its a mix of many sports. Yet the biggest surprise is that it is older than many of them. It was first played in 1858, before soccer and rugby had been codified into the games they are today. In a far flung corner of the world (Melbourne) that had only been settled by the Europeans for less than 25 years. It was also the first football code played under lights (1870s) and the first to have regular crowds of 10,000 watching matches (in what was then not much more than a large country town). It was invented to keep cricketers fit in winter, and was designed to be "a game of our own", taking inspiration from an indigenous game called Marn Grook.
I see Aussie Rules as not being bits and pieces of other sports, but the other way around, other sports lend from Aussie Rules. Long before there was Soccer, Grid Iron and Rugby, we had already invented the game and set the rules of play for Australian Rules, and we were playing for a Pennant. We still play for the Premiership Flag...
You might want to look up "Marn Grook", the Australian indigenous game which had many aspects noted in the game of Aussie Rules, particularly the "mark" or catch on the full, the name also coming from Marn Grook.
I played for my junior league and also umpire (referee) games. It’s one hell of a sport. And yeah the high marks are spectacular and come in all different ways. You got your specky’s (leaning up on a players back to catch it above them) your hangers (going way up and getting some hang time) and of course you get your standard jumps and such. Couldn’t help but keep smiling through this entire clip.
So I may be a bit late here, but I am an avid AFL fan and I’ll tell you some stuff. First of all, the Grand Final is usually in September and is held in Melbourne, but was in Brisbane and Perth the past years due to COVID restrictions in Melbourne. Second, there are some players who have kicked 1000 goals in the sport, and there is a tradition where lots and lots of fans run on the field in celebration of an 1000th goal (don’t worry you don’t get in trouble in this scenario). If you want to know more just search up “Lance Franklin 1000th goal” on UA-cam. I was at that game and it was nuts. Everyone should go to a game, it is awesome, and each team’s fan base is essentially one big family at the games. All high fives and celebrating goals in unity.
Hi Joel! OMG you finally got around to an AFL reaction! I said you would be glad you did! I notice ppl comment that this vid is old but I think it's a better one to start with. You've got to barrack for my team!! BTW I tried to send you an Aussie parcel but postage too expensive, but it included Tim Tam family pack and an Aussie Rules Football and some tea for your collection! Also, I had been mentioning this for weeks before the grand final in September - so your fault you've only just found out about it now ha. Good luck with college. BTW the post box address wasn't right is another reason I didn't send the package
Omg this takes me back to living at home and hearing my mum yelling at the tv every time her footy team played 😂🥴 we went to a few games, great atmosphere.
I am an Aussie living in the UK and love this sport as grow up in Melbourne. My dad took us to every Carlton vs collingwood game as they are rivals, my brothers collingwood supporters and me and dad Carlton (those days standing section at princess park). Anyway my kids are English and have not interest in AFL till we went in August and my nephew took them to MCG to watch collingwood play. They both now love it and kick the ball around PS game is played from March to September every year and grand final is at the end of September
If you're still curious, the Grand Final is held towards the end of September every year. My birthday almost always falls within a couple of days of it, so I've always had to plan my birthday around it haha
Very cool reaction, I work for the Melbs city council and rumour has it that they may be extendending the MCG to seat between 140, 00/160,00 people. If elections go as planned next year it will hit the news and construction will start in 2025!!
Grand final is held on the last Saturday in September every year. There are a lot of rules and the worst part is they can change every year (which is one reason why umpiring can be very frustrating and inconsistent). It is a super exciting sport to watch. Games can turn on a dime, as the saying goes. I've been to many nail biters that came down to the final 2 minutes.
Ok, I’m from Australia. I love this game. My Dad, who passed in 2021. Was a Tigers fan ( Richmond) and he was buried in Richmond colours. There is another team called the Brisbane Lions. Any game between these 2 was called the rumble in the jungle.
AFL footy in Melbourne is at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and has a few games played there during the season, the Grand Final is played there in September each year (good luck getting a ticket)
An increasing amount of college and NFL punters and to a lesser extent kickers are recruited from Australian Rules backgrounds - the most famous in the last few years is the Seahawks’ Michael Dickson
Graham 'Polly' Farmer, an indigenous player in the WAFL (West Australian Football League) and AFL was the first player to use the handball and it became an integral part of the game. He has been honoured with the Northbridge Tunnel being called the Polly Farmer FWY.
grand final is played on the last saturday in september each year as a general rule, also a few Aussie footballers have gone to the NFL over the years as Punters
I come from NSW, a state where Rugby League is the biggest game and a strong Sydney - Melbourne rivalry has existed since colonial times. We called Aussie Rules "Cross country basketball". Since the 80's though I have lived in places where the AFL is big and have grown an appreciation for the game.
The Footy Grand Final is typically within late September, with the season starting in March, progressing throughout Autumn through Winter into start of Spring, during the Summer we play Cricket. Originally the AFL was the VFL Standing for Victorian Football League with 12 teams (I'm pretty sure). VFL eventually became the AFL and introduced more teams over the years with the most recent team added being the Greaten Western Sydney Giants or GWS entering the competition in 2012 making then the 18th team in the AFL. I hope that makes sense :)
Hi I go to every afl game. I should send you the last few minutes of a few classic games for you to watch and comment on. My cousin from America and loved it
Just a couple additions A Mark is when the ball is caught from a kick that was 10+ metres away and then the player who caught it gets a free kick A Behind can also be called if the defending team can touch the ball before it goes between the posts When a Behind is called the team that was scored against is given the ball to kick off from their goals
Don’t know if you will end up going the Patreon route for the new channel, but as a Patreon for a while I’d love to see you react to an Oz comedy series called “Summer Heights High”, one of the best series I have seen from Australia. “Kath and Kim” is also a funny and easy watch. My favourite Australian film is “Wake in fright” which has some amazing performances.
These are good suggestions. I could never really get into Kath and Kim but watching some of it to see if Jps likes it as it is popular in Australia and elesewhere
@@aaronf1078 I like the spin-offs but I think you need to watch the summer heights high series to get to know them first. I wish Mr G had his own series too but Ja’mie was a true comedy monster creation as well!!
The AFL was formally known as the VFL( AFL Australian Football League) (VFL Victorian Football League)the VFL was first played way back in the 1800s AFL started back in the 1980s i think many teams joined with other teams such as the Brisbane and Footscray joined to become the Brisbane Lions this is just one team Sydney Swans were originally known as South Melbourne until they moved to Sydney.
The AFL grand final is played the last Saturday in September (men, yes there is also an AFLW competition for women played with much the same rules). Australian football was first created to keep cricket players fit over winter (as cricket is a summer sport) and must AFL grounds are duel purpose, footy in winter, cricket in summer even at community level. Oh and the ball being caught is termed a "mark" in our game. You can probably understand why some Aussies have success in NFL as kickers given their Aussie rules background.
Yep one of the most intense sports out there where you constantly see action, For a small population many Aussies love their Footy with 6.1m people going to a game last season.
The player wearing number 31 at 1:17, kicking a goal from about 75 metres out, is Dustin Fletcher, a legendary full back for the Essendon Bombers, which I love passionately, and who was my inspiration for my UA-cam handle. The team wears a red sash over black and appears throughout this video. Dustin Fletcher's career spanned from 1993-2015 when he retired at the age of 40, with 400 AFL games, which puts him 5th on the all-time list of players with the most games. He is the father of Mason Fletcher and Max Fletcher who are both playing in the NFL. Mason plays for the Bearcats, and Max for the Razorbacks (yes, I had to look up who they play for, because I've no idea about NFL). The Grand Final is played on the last Saturday if September. The regular AFL season runs between March and August, with the finals in September. It's off season right now, but I'm pretty sure there are plenty of AFL highlights on UA-cam.
In Australia in the 1950s I became a marksman, I learned to handle automatic weapons, 2" and 3" mprtars, a 6lb semi-armour piercing artillery piece, 38 cal pistols, sub-machine guns.. We even had a 25 yard rifle range in a corner of the school yard! BUT it was all supervised in real time by regular military (a sergeant-major just back from Korea) It was 'Army Cadet Corps'. I could even take my .303 Lee-Enfield military assault rifle home with me. On the train! But with the bolt removed and locked in a safe in the Q Store at school.All safe always.
The regular seasons and finals are typically played from March-September with the Grand Final played at the end of September so you just missed seeing the 2022 season but it'll be back next year. However, the AFL Draft is coming up at the end of November
If you watch a game, please watch an Anzac Day match, it’s one of the best games 😊 Collingwood and Essendon always play against each other on Anzac Day and it’s just amazing 😊
Has indigenous origins “Marngrook” was also mixed with rugby.. It’s huge in the indigenous communities and they generally produce some of the most talented players, on average 10% of the teams are indigenous as of 2022..
The AFL Official Historians had a Memorial constructed Moyston, Victoria (1998) for Tom Wills and how he played a game with Aboriginal children that was the influence of Aussie Rules.
The State library of Victoria has evidence (2017) that Marngrook was played in the area of Ledcourt and Lexington Stations where Tom Wils and cousin and brother in law Mr Harrison ( Who was the person credited for AFL today.)played sports games with Aboriginal children.
There has to be 18 players from each team on the ground at a time because the ground is so big and a match can go for nearly two hours ( 25-30 minutes per quarter including extra time). It's also a 360 degree game - there are no offsides so play can go in any direction at any time - meaning that it's quite free-flowing. Subsequently, many of these guys run up to 15 kilometres a game. Less than 18 players per team and it'd be too much ground to cover for nearly two hours.
it's so wierd seeing someone react to AFL for the first time, it's such a big deal over here, the first question someone asks you is all to often "what team ya go for"
I'm an American who lived in Australia. Trust me, this is the best sport you have never heard of. I say that, and I grew up in the middle of the USA, where the state religion is College American Football. After seeing my first AFL match in 1994, I've never looked at the NFL or anything gridiron again, and don't intend to.
You asked when this happens.. Well unfortunately, you just missed the footy season there. Keep in mind that seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, so our summer = their winter. And as the video said, they play 22 regular season games, plus the finals. The Finals take 4 weeks, plus the Grand Final, so you're looking at 26 weeks they are playing... HALF THE YEAR. Compare that to the NFL's 16 or 17 weeks, then taking at least 2-3 weeks off before the Super Bowl. The NFL is so stop/start boring compared to the AFL.
Since they play 26 weeks, they start their football season in late March, with the Grand Final being the last Saturday in September. If you want to see a match or even highlights of a match, the AFL's UA-cam channel has mini matches and match highlights. But I'd actually look more at the top 50 AFL Marks of All Time.
As you learned here, a Mark is a catch, where 1: The ball has been kicked and traveled more than 15 meters (15 meters = 16 yards),
2. caught and held onto it for a reasonable amount of time (to be determined by the umpire. The player does not have to have possession all the way to the ground like in the NFL), and
3: no one else has touched the ball before it was caught.
Those marks will make any catch you've seen in the NFL look weak. Go find it, and react to it. Thank us later.
I agree, I am an Israeli with an Australian father, living in Australia and following footy here and there, I can say that it is one of the only sports where its nothing but action!
My only complaint is half the year isn't enough. We need a proper pre season comp again. Maybe it could just be reserves that play in it to save legs?
@@newshound2521 Like how they had the Ansett Cup? I can get behind that. Have the reserves play in that, let alone new draftees to the club. The only drawback I can see is that those new players wouldn't really celebrate their first real goal in the season because it isn't Round 1. But other than that, I'd be game for it!
@@athlonen Football in Europe pretty much never stops. Their off season is 2 months and it still has friendlies and internationals but most teams have two full squads to choose from. We could do the same, just play the kids.
@@newshound2521 True.. if they played the kids or the reserves, would it be any different than the VFL, SANFL, NEAFL, or WAFL? But they'd also run into venue conflicts. MCG and SCG would basically be out because of the cricket, and you'd have something right after the AFLW.. but if they blood the kids through that, they'll be playing longer than the regular season...
I might be biased, but i think AFL is one of the best football style games out there! Reacting to AFL videos will attract Aussie subs...we are passionate about our game.
It's one of 7.
Sure is the best and it’s the oldest codified football league in the world!!
@@neilgayleard3842 and the oldest. Strictly speaking, as the oldest codified and REGISTERED game of football, other codes shouldn't use the name "football".
@@Quinctili LOL
@@bookermusic yes? Do you have a point to make? Facts we're unaware of?
Aussie Rules was created in the 1850s as a means of keeping cricketers fit during winter, which is why it's played on cricket grounds. While it looks like a mix of sports, it is technically the oldest >>codified
And that's not including who is watching at home on the TV
That was an all the rules there’s a lot more
they actually reduced the mcg's capacity from like 115k to 102k
So, Canadian here and have never played the game. However, last time I'm Melbourne, a great friend of mine invited me to an Aussie Rules match. Like fans tend to sit in the same area and by the end of the game, I was cheering with everyone else and actually understood why.😂. Things that amazed me were:
They can run up to 10+ miles (16+ km) in a game
Players tend to soak in a tub of ice after the game to deal with their battered bodies.
Can only be described as vicious.
When a player is defending their goal, an opposing player will stand next to him and pinch him to distract him (sat at the end zone...was funny!)
Speaking of end zone, when the opposition is going for a free kick-sort of like field goal setup (sorry, not sure of the proper term) the defending side pulls out huge Pom poms (really huge) to distract the kicker. Was initially so confusing!
Also, the clothes are skin tight so that the opposition cannot get a good hold on your clothes or you.
I know practically nothing about the game, but there is nothing like it in the world. If you get a chance, nothing like seeing a live match. I owe my friend Toni so much for a great night!
As an aussie who's watched footy his entire life, this comment is too wholesome - I'm glad you enjoyed your first game at the footy and I hope you come back soon and see another
That's fantastic, it is a fun game to watch. The big pom poms I assume were held by the fans behind the goals and not by the actual players lol🤣
@@jemxs Yeah! I was going to clear that up too but you beat me to it. It's definitely the opposition fans with the pom poms, not the players themselves.
@@tcullen3684 haha, it would be so funny seeing the players waving the pom poms though!
there was a recorded game where i think plugger ran near on 30km in one game
AFL was codified in 1858 earlier than rugby, NFL and Soccer. The highest grand final was 120,000 in 1970. There is a clip by Ninh that goes into more of the rules.
the grand final attracted full capacity this year being 100,024
@@jameshammill4624 yes in the 70s and 80s there was more standing room and no corporate boxes so the capacity was greater. I went to the Grand Final which was drawn in 1977 and it was a tremendous experience.
Carlton vs Collingwood... Jerker Jenkins, 6'6" tall in his socks... was the stepladder for one of the greatest marks of all time.. Oh Jezza, You Beauty! Carlton came from 41 points down to win by 10. The legendary Ron Barassi in his halftime speach told the Carlton players to "handball, handball, handball" and set the tone for the way the game is played since.
@@ianmontgomery7534 oh my bad I swear this was different comment that said the max was only 100,000
American here. Fell in love with Aussie Rules about 7 years ago and it’s pretty much the only sport I watch anymore. Took a trip over to see my Western Bulldogs play in person back in 2019 and you would not believe the access you have as a fan. The Grand Final is usually played the last Saturday in September, though it may be a week earlier or even first weekend of October. There is an amateur league in the states called the United States Australian Football League or USAFL with about 50 teams across the country. Feel free to ask any questions.
Excellent choice of team, mate. Go the Doggies! 🐶 🇫🇷
@@helixator3975 Go the Dogs!!! 🔴⚪🔵
@@FloridaStrayDog Yess a doggies fan! :DDD
@@sarahwilson5946 Fan, supporter, member, sponsor, obsessor, lol. Love the Doggies! 🔴⚪️🔵
@@FloridaStrayDog Omg I'm so glad there are bulldog fans in other countries 😆 My grandma grew up in their home ground Footsgray and my family are massive supporters/members. I went to the 2016 final and it will always be such a special memory to me. I'm glad the doggies bring everyone together
At 4:46 he didn't expand upon how the final scoring is interpreted. In his example: Collingwood 20-10-130, is made up of 20 goals @ 6 points each (120), plus 10 behinds @ 1 point each (10) for the total of 130. Similarly then, Carlton scored 18 goals worth 108 points plus 12 behinds for a total of 120 points.
The Grand final is traditionally played on the last Saturday of September. The Friday preceding is a public holiday in the state of Victoria to enable fans to "prepare"!
I love how you said "prepare" some of us just use that day to get hammed lol
@@barry_online sounds like preparation to me 😆
@@KristianaCembre u know what I think ur right lmao
because it is an American explaining Australian culture lol
The great thing about Aussie Rules is that the spectators are generally only excited supporters with no aggression. You can support a team and have supporters of an other team next to you - no animosity just enjoying the sport.
Except if you go to a game and find yourself in the Collingwood fan section... then you get entertainment+ via all the comments 🤣
Or u go to Anzac Day in the afl members area and u(Essendon) and next to about half the Collingwood wood people and only lose by 11 after not scoring in the first quarter
Someone who’s never gone to blues/pies match … or bombers/pies match … or tigers/pies match
@@TomasUjhelyi I suppose you’re right😛
@@TomasUjhelyi Theres isolated incidents yeh, but as a whole its not like the UK where fans have to be brought in at different times or anything. Youd go with friends who support the opposition.
As an Aussie, I love watching videos of non-australians reacting to AFL, keep it up because you got yourself another sub
thank god its not just me!
I usually don't like reaction videos, but as an Aussie this made me smile - the ultimate experience is to see it live at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
ive been to grands a few times, but recently its become so fucking expensive.....expect to pay over a thousand every time man
@@Beenel64 not sure where your paying $1000 plus to watch a season game mate but that’s not the AFL, you can ever get a grand final ticket for less if you are lucky to get a ticket
Never been to a GF.. but been to finals... omg they are brilliant... Go Tigers..
I always wait for that moment people see speccies for the first time. Seeing a guy leap way up onto another guy's back or shoulders sure gets their attention *every* time.
It's unreal hey. It's so hard for us Aussies to imagine never having seen a speccie for the first time.
@@Lightgrenadez7777 and these days they aren't even as reckless as they were in the b/w era and 70s.
@@Preview43 more reckless yes l. But I would argue they are much more athletic these days.
A lot of us in Australia refer to European football as soccer as well. I loved seeing your reaction to AFL. I'd loved to see more. Oh, and the AFL Grand Final is in September.
@Michael Rogers bro what the team is Called the Socceroos?
The only people who call football "soccer" are the ones that took on the wrong name and ran with it.
@@bookermusic soccer is just a shortening of the term association football so it's still referring the the same thing, just clears up any confusion.
@@bookermusic The term soccer was created by the administrators of the game in the 19th century to distguigh it from other (at the time) more popular forms of football, specifically Rugby. So the term soccer is literally as old as the game itself.
Soccer soon became the dominant form of football in the UK so when people talked football they inevitably meant the soccer form, and the term became redundant.
In other countries where the round ball football is not the dominant form of football, the term soccer is still used to differentiate. This is generally only in the US and Australia, and in Australia it's only called soccer on a casual man on the street sort of way. Sports reports will call it football and/or the world game.
Bottom line is either term is correct.
The highest number of people in attendance at a AFL grand final was the 1970 Grand Final between Carlton V Collingwood . The gates were closed at 1:30 PM because there were already 121,694 people seated and standing in the MCG. Plus there were over 50,000+ more very pissed off people waiting to get in as the gates closed. Carlton got up and won that grand final by 10 points in the last quarter after been down by 44 points to Collingwood at the end of the 3rd.
The Colliwobbles
They were 44 points down at half-time. Carlton haven't had much to cheer about in the last 25 years - although they have won 5 Wooden Spoons in the last 20 years (the prize for finishing last in the competition).
The Grand Final usually attracts 100,000. The only reason it doesn't attract more is because 100,000 is the most people you can allow into the MCG on health and safety issues.
Even normal roster matches can attract crowds up to 90,000 and that's impressive when you consider there's 9 AFL matches every weekend over 23 weeks (22 roster matches, there are byes) plus finals over 4 weeks.
Even some
But only in the AFL home town of Melbourne. You can't, still now, get a crowd of 50K in Sydney unless you're giving tickets away! No other state in Australia could ever sustain the attendance to an AFL game that Victoria does.
@@markwaters3050 But you could get crowds of 50,000 in Adelaide and up to 60,000 in West Australia
@@markwaters3050 The two biggest AFL crowds in Sydney in 2022 were 45,608 and 44,659. Not bad for a Rugby state.
How did the 2018 grandy have 100,00,22
@@paulchambers9965 if they could consistently draw more patrons they would have built a bigger stadium. As it is both WA and SA built stadiums due to projected demand. The MCG could've been built to hold 200K, and it would fill. You know this as well as I.
I'm British and this is the only sport I've ever been interested in. I spent 10 months in Australia back in 16/17 so really enjoying your Aussie reactions :)
Love your channel. Did you know that their are 51 men's and 27 womens AFL team in the USA.
They started playing in the 90's
I learned quite a few things in this video as well. I love this new channel and your thirst to know more.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you again for NOT simply assuming it was Rugby before even watching the video lol. You have no idea just how respectful that is to an AFL fan :)
My pleasure!
Just finished watching the last video for this channel and was confused by you saying Aussies are built different, then this came on!!🤣😂 You weren't wrong!
Great work Joel, stand by for lots of new subscribers if you continue with these types of posts
It is coming up to summer time in Australia now which means it is cricket season for sports, I would love to see some cricket reaction videos from you 😀
Thanks, will do!
Great reaction video, the Grand Final is the last week in September. One thing you mentioned was that it was like Rugby, Soccer/Football etc. But the original Aussie Rules dates back before all those other sports around the late 1850s. So a lot of other sports probably got their origins from a sport similar to Aussie Rules.
Hello from Adelaide South Australia, loving these reaction videos thank you
So glad you checked out our Footy....most Americans have the same reaction as yourself which is cool...gotta come over mate for a granny...good times! Your vids are fun to watch. cheers .
I used to play and i've loved the game my whole life but something about watching your reaction gets me so pumped about it haha. Cool video mate. The AFL season is in the winter but the Finals are in September which is Spring here. It's definitely a good time to head to Melbourne. Great vibes there around the Grand Final(late September). Keep up the good work with your channel mate. Very enjoyable!
Mate … Im an American and have lived in Oz for the last 11 years. This game is insanely amazing. Would love to give you some insight into some of the things your videos have got wrong, even if just a little bit. A bit more context, perhaps. I learned this game from an Aussie who loved NFL and he explained it to me that way, would love to reverse the favour. Also, see cricket for the same. 🤣
Love your work bringing our national sport to the masses.
Good reaction Man, hope u delve deeper into our great sport!
imagine watching a game along with your mates and a few beers... you have the cricket season coming up... maybe not watching the tests but we could have fun with the big bash games. maybe you could also have a look at Australian foods... you might have fun with will and them... even try cooking some of them
A great concept that will grow
From Australia and I'm not a huge follower but I do like going to a couple of games a year. The atmosphere is fantastic, especially at large matches. The rules are very simple, and have to be for the players to cover the ground the size that it is. I'm routinely amazed at how far AFL players can kick. There are a couple more rules not covered such as out-of-bounds and push-in-the-back, and holding the ball (you can hear the cries of "ball!" from the crowd whenever someone is tackled still holding it). But basically that video covers the core stuff. It's a fast moving game, almost constantly entertaining.
I'm related to a couple of AFL/former AFL players (Tim and Jobe Watson being the only two I know about) and I remember the biggest flex was that my dad (Tim's cousin) played football with/against him when they played for the Nhill and Dimboola teams and I always thought it was the coolest thing.
Nice reaction, just subscribed. Don’t stress to much about the rules when your first learning. You should checkout the highlights of Eddie Betts, Cyril Rioli and Dustin Martin. Watching these highlights you’ll start to get a feel for the game.
Buddy Franklin’s best goals are a must view for newbies to the greatest game on Earth …
Definitely one of the modern day GOATs. My favourite Buddy moments were his 75m hurdle goal at the MCG vs Collingwood and his 1000th goal at the SCG.
G'day again mate. You got to have an episode showcasing the skill of " high marking" where the players jump high into the air ( often standing on their opponents shoulders) to catch the football. It's an amazing skill that will take your breath away
Aussie here, just caught up on your Australian reactions, loving it.
Hi Joel. It's great that you are now investigating Australia. Apart from all the historical, geographic and social aspects you might also enjoy looking at the Australian sense of humour. As Christmas is coming soon you should get the boys together and react to Kevin Bloody Wilson and his song Hey Santa Claus!
Where's me fuckin bike? 😀
Like you said, its a mix of many sports. Yet the biggest surprise is that it is older than many of them. It was first played in 1858, before soccer and rugby had been codified into the games they are today. In a far flung corner of the world (Melbourne) that had only been settled by the Europeans for less than 25 years. It was also the first football code played under lights (1870s) and the first to have regular crowds of 10,000 watching matches (in what was then not much more than a large country town). It was invented to keep cricketers fit in winter, and was designed to be "a game of our own", taking inspiration from an indigenous game called Marn Grook.
I see Aussie Rules as not being bits and pieces of other sports, but the other way around, other sports lend from Aussie Rules. Long before there was Soccer, Grid Iron and Rugby, we had already invented the game and set the rules of play for Australian Rules, and we were playing for a Pennant. We still play for the Premiership Flag...
It’s such a great sport to watch because it’s never boring, it’s all action, all the time. It is brutal and not for the feint of heart.
Omg I went to see a few Aussie rules football. It’s brutal! Loved it 🤣
I love watching you American's react to our footy. Good on you mate, hopefully we get to see you here one day at a game.
Your enthusiasm is infectious.
Haha your reaction to the jumping to catch the ball (taking a mark) funny shit mate. AFL was modelled on Gaelic Football from Ireland
You might want to look up "Marn Grook", the Australian indigenous game which had many aspects noted in the game of Aussie Rules, particularly the "mark" or catch on the full, the name also coming from Marn Grook.
I played for my junior league and also umpire (referee) games. It’s one hell of a sport. And yeah the high marks are spectacular and come in all different ways. You got your specky’s (leaning up on a players back to catch it above them) your hangers (going way up and getting some hang time) and of course you get your standard jumps and such. Couldn’t help but keep smiling through this entire clip.
In Australia 🇦🇺 we say Soccer!!
So I may be a bit late here, but I am an avid AFL fan and I’ll tell you some stuff. First of all, the Grand Final is usually in September and is held in Melbourne, but was in Brisbane and Perth the past years due to COVID restrictions in Melbourne.
Second, there are some players who have kicked 1000 goals in the sport, and there is a tradition where lots and lots of fans run on the field in celebration of an 1000th goal (don’t worry you don’t get in trouble in this scenario). If you want to know more just search up “Lance Franklin 1000th goal” on UA-cam. I was at that game and it was nuts.
Everyone should go to a game, it is awesome, and each team’s fan base is essentially one big family at the games. All high fives and celebrating goals in unity.
I’m keen to see you learn more about AFL
Hi Joel! OMG you finally got around to an AFL reaction! I said you would be glad you did! I notice ppl comment that this vid is old but I think it's a better one to start with. You've got to barrack for my team!! BTW I tried to send you an Aussie parcel but postage too expensive, but it included Tim Tam family pack and an Aussie Rules Football and some tea for your collection! Also, I had been mentioning this for weeks before the grand final in September - so your fault you've only just found out about it now ha. Good luck with college. BTW the post box address wasn't right is another reason I didn't send the package
Omg this takes me back to living at home and hearing my mum yelling at the tv every time her footy team played 😂🥴 we went to a few games, great atmosphere.
I am an Aussie living in the UK and love this sport as grow up in Melbourne. My dad took us to every Carlton vs collingwood game as they are rivals, my brothers collingwood supporters and me and dad Carlton (those days standing section at princess park).
Anyway my kids are English and have not interest in AFL till we went in August and my nephew took them to MCG to watch collingwood play. They both now love it and kick the ball around
PS game is played from March to September every year and grand final is at the end of September
If you're still curious, the Grand Final is held towards the end of September every year. My birthday almost always falls within a couple of days of it, so I've always had to plan my birthday around it haha
Check out Mason Cox Don't believe in never...he is an American who plays AFL
As a huge footy fan, it is hilarious watching someone from outside Australia reacting!
Very cool reaction, I work for the Melbs city council and rumour has it that they may be extendending the MCG to seat between 140, 00/160,00 people. If elections go as planned next year it will hit the news and construction will start in 2025!!
Grand final is held on the last Saturday in September every year. There are a lot of rules and the worst part is they can change every year (which is one reason why umpiring can be very frustrating and inconsistent). It is a super exciting sport to watch. Games can turn on a dime, as the saying goes. I've been to many nail biters that came down to the final 2 minutes.
It's so popular that in the state of Victoria the Friday before the grand final is a public holiday
Ok, I’m from Australia. I love this game. My Dad, who passed in 2021. Was a Tigers fan ( Richmond) and he was buried in Richmond colours. There is another team called the Brisbane Lions. Any game between these 2 was called the rumble in the jungle.
AFL footy in Melbourne is at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and has a few games played there during the season, the Grand Final is played there in September each year (good luck getting a ticket)
An increasing amount of college and NFL punters and to a lesser extent kickers are recruited from Australian Rules backgrounds - the most famous in the last few years is the Seahawks’ Michael Dickson
Graham 'Polly' Farmer, an indigenous player in the WAFL (West Australian Football League) and AFL was the first player to use the handball and it became an integral part of the game. He has been honoured with the Northbridge Tunnel being called the Polly Farmer FWY.
I watch this every day I love American people react to our sport there reaction is so funny
As an Australian footy is a very fun sport to play and watch great video btw
grand final is played on the last saturday in september each year as a general rule, also a few Aussie footballers have gone to the NFL over the years as Punters
I come from NSW, a state where Rugby League is the biggest game and a strong Sydney - Melbourne rivalry has existed since colonial times. We called Aussie Rules "Cross country basketball". Since the 80's though I have lived in places where the AFL is big and have grown an appreciation for the game.
i’m an aussie and this vid is amazing
The Footy Grand Final is typically within late September, with the season starting in March, progressing throughout Autumn through Winter into start of Spring, during the Summer we play Cricket. Originally the AFL was the VFL Standing for Victorian Football League with 12 teams (I'm pretty sure). VFL eventually became the AFL and introduced more teams over the years with the most recent team added being the Greaten Western Sydney Giants or GWS entering the competition in 2012 making then the 18th team in the AFL. I hope that makes sense :)
Up there Cazaly, this is an oldie, but a goodie
That one day in September
The ALF Grand Final is usually the first Saturday in September and in Melbourne you get a public holiday on the Friday!
I fell in love with this sport when I found out moving to Melbourne meant I got a 3 day weekend on grand final weekend
Hi I go to every afl game. I should send you the last few minutes of a few classic games for you to watch and comment on. My cousin from America and loved it
I've watched a few times, I never follow the rules lol you have to be tough for this game 😂
Some of my favourite memories as a kid are watching Friday night footy with dad. AFL
Just a couple additions
A Mark is when the ball is caught from a kick that was 10+ metres away and then the player who caught it gets a free kick
A Behind can also be called if the defending team can touch the ball before it goes between the posts
When a Behind is called the team that was scored against is given the ball to kick off from their goals
I am Binge watching your videos Bruv
Don’t know if you will end up going the Patreon route for the new channel, but as a Patreon for a while I’d love to see you react to an Oz comedy series called “Summer Heights High”, one of the best series I have seen from Australia. “Kath and Kim” is also a funny and easy watch. My favourite Australian film is “Wake in fright” which has some amazing performances.
These are good suggestions. I could never really get into Kath and Kim but watching some of it to see if Jps likes it as it is popular in Australia and elesewhere
Jonah from Tonga > summer hights high
@@aaronf1078 I like the spin-offs but I think you need to watch the summer heights high series to get to know them first. I wish Mr G had his own series too but Ja’mie was a true comedy monster creation as well!!
The AFL was formally known as the VFL( AFL Australian Football League) (VFL Victorian Football League)the VFL was first played way back in the 1800s AFL started back in the 1980s i think many teams joined with other teams such as the Brisbane and Footscray joined to become the Brisbane Lions this is just one team Sydney Swans were originally known as South Melbourne until they moved to Sydney.
VFL started in 1896, and AFL in 1991. Brisbane and Fitzroy merged to form the Brisbane Lions, Footscray was renamed and is now the Western Bulldogs.
I think the funniest part of the vid is your reactions to marks LOL
Make sure you watch the Top 50 marks and goals, it's truly spectacular.
The AFL grand final is played the last Saturday in September (men, yes there is also an AFLW competition for women played with much the same rules). Australian football was first created to keep cricket players fit over winter (as cricket is a summer sport) and must AFL grounds are duel purpose, footy in winter, cricket in summer even at community level. Oh and the ball being caught is termed a "mark" in our game. You can probably understand why some Aussies have success in NFL as kickers given their Aussie rules background.
If you can find it there is a series called “Biffs, Bumps and Brawls” all AFL/VFL big hits.
A fun add, launching off someone's back to "mark" the ball is called a "screamer".
Would love to see you do a react video to NRL rugby league in Australia. Especially the tackles an hard hits they do
The Grand Final is held every year in September in the Melbourne Cricket Ground or MCG.
As an Aussie myself I can say that this game is so much fun to play.
Yep one of the most intense sports out there where you constantly see action, For a small population many Aussies love their Footy with 6.1m people going to a game last season.
The player wearing number 31 at 1:17, kicking a goal from about 75 metres out, is Dustin Fletcher, a legendary full back for the Essendon Bombers, which I love passionately, and who was my inspiration for my UA-cam handle. The team wears a red sash over black and appears throughout this video. Dustin Fletcher's career spanned from 1993-2015 when he retired at the age of 40, with 400 AFL games, which puts him 5th on the all-time list of players with the most games. He is the father of Mason Fletcher and Max Fletcher who are both playing in the NFL. Mason plays for the Bearcats, and Max for the Razorbacks (yes, I had to look up who they play for, because I've no idea about NFL).
The Grand Final is played on the last Saturday if September. The regular AFL season runs between March and August, with the finals in September. It's off season right now, but I'm pretty sure there are plenty of AFL highlights on UA-cam.
AFL season is roughly from mid March to last Saturday in September
There's an updated version if you wanna check it out.
One of the highlights of my childhood is playing footy with the boys at lunch time
Youre a cool guy, you deserve more subs.
Our season start in March which is our Autumn/ your Fall and the grand final is in September our Spring.
In Australia in the 1950s I became a marksman, I learned to handle automatic weapons, 2" and 3" mprtars, a 6lb semi-armour piercing artillery piece, 38 cal pistols, sub-machine guns.. We even had a 25 yard rifle range in a corner of the school yard! BUT it was all supervised in real time by regular military (a sergeant-major just back from Korea) It was 'Army Cadet Corps'. I could even take my .303 Lee-Enfield military assault rifle home with me. On the train! But with the bolt removed and locked in a safe in the Q Store at school.All safe always.
Well, bully for you little girl.
Got that out of your system now?!
The AFL grand final is played in September but, Covid moved it to the GABBA in Brisbane and Optus stadium in Perth
I hope you're watching this season mate 🎉
The regular seasons and finals are typically played from March-September with the Grand Final played at the end of September so you just missed seeing the 2022 season but it'll be back next year. However, the AFL Draft is coming up at the end of November
If you watch a game, please watch an Anzac Day match, it’s one of the best games 😊 Collingwood and Essendon always play against each other on Anzac Day and it’s just amazing 😊
Footy (both ARL & NRL) is played in winter with grand finals around September
Has indigenous origins “Marngrook” was also mixed with rugby.. It’s huge in the indigenous communities and they generally produce some of the most talented players, on average 10% of the teams are indigenous as of 2022..
The AFL Official Historians had a Memorial constructed Moyston, Victoria (1998) for Tom Wills and how he played a game with Aboriginal children that was the influence of Aussie Rules.
The State library of Victoria has evidence (2017) that Marngrook was played in the area of Ledcourt and Lexington Stations where
Tom Wils and cousin and brother in law Mr Harrison ( Who was the person credited for AFL today.)played sports games with Aboriginal children.
Australian here I love the sport and have been playing since I was 4 I’m a west coast eagles fan and go to every home game at Optus stadium 😂😂
There has to be 18 players from each team on the ground at a time because the ground is so big and a match can go for nearly two hours ( 25-30 minutes per quarter including extra time). It's also a 360 degree game - there are no offsides so play can go in any direction at any time - meaning that it's quite free-flowing. Subsequently, many of these guys run up to 15 kilometres a game. Less than 18 players per team and it'd be too much ground to cover for nearly two hours.
When you are jumping up on someone’s back, if you don’t catch it or interfere with their mark it’s a free kick, 😅😅
You should get an Australian flag and change your flag in the background out depending on which channel you are filming for. Just an idea 🤷🏼♂️
I suggested that he rotates his collection too.
it's so wierd seeing someone react to AFL for the first time, it's such a big deal over here, the first question someone asks you is all to often "what team ya go for"