Your guide to this weekend’s launch of AFLX

Etihad Stadium will host the second night of AFLX. Photo: By Johntorcasio - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

AFLX is the AFL’s hybrid version that aims to promote a faster and higher scoring affair for the fans to enjoy. It has been introduced as part of the pre-season for 2018 with all 18 AFL clubs set to compete in 6-team-round-robin clashes.

The game is notably shortened, in both size and game duration and is aimed at increasing fan involvement and also attracting a wider variety of people that may not often watch the game.

The first set of matches will be played tonight at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide before heading to Melbourne tomorrow night and finishing in Sydney on Saturday. Each team’s location and pool is listed below, whilst the full fixture can be found here.

Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide – Thursday February 15

Pool A – Port Adelaide, Geelong, Fremantle

Pool B – Collingwood, Adelaide, West Coast

Etihad Stadium, Melbourne – Friday February 16

Pool A – Carlton, Melbourne, North Melbourne

Pool B – Hawthorn, Essendon, St Kilda

Allianz Stadium, Sydney – Saturday February 17

Pool A – Greater Western Sydney, Richmond, Brisbane

Pool B – Sydney, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast

Format:

Each team will play the other two teams in their pool once, making for a minimum of two games for each team.

The winner of each pool will then progress to the final such that Winner Pool A vs Winner Pool B.

Percentage will be used to split teams should that be necessary.

What are the Rules?

Whilst there are a lot of the same rules for AFLX as there are for the original version of the game, there are also quite a few changes, additions and adjustments.

  • The field is the same size as a soccer oval
  • There are two 40m arcs at each end of the field
  • The game is made up of two 10-minute halves
  • There are 7 players from each team on the field at any time with 3 on the bench
  • Two players from each team must start in either 40m arc with three in the middle
  • There are no marks paid for backward kicks, except when they are inside their attacking 40m arc
  • The last team to touch the ball out of bounds results in possession for the other team
  • Kick-ins are from behind the goal line after all scores
  • Goals kicked from outside the 40m arc are worth 10 points

The AFLX kicks off tonight at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide from 6:40pm AEDST with the final set to be played at 9:00pm AEDST.

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