Ausball Rules
Field: Same as touch football field (about 100 x 60 yards)
Players: 9-a-side on the field, with a minimum of 3 females.
Field Positions: There is no off-side rule in Ausball and players are divided into 3 areas,
these being offense, midfield and defense. 3 players are in each area, one of which must
be a female. Players must be in their areas at the commencement of each half and after a
goal has been scored, but once the ball is in play, are free to run anywhere on the field.
Passing: There are two ways to pass the ball, one is a hand pass (like an underarm
volleyball serve) and the other, and most common, is to kick the ball. The ball cannot be
thrown!
Possession: Once you gain possession of the ball, you have 3 seconds to either hand pass
or kick the ball to a teammate. The only exception to this is when you catch a kick (that
has traveled a minimum of 5 yards) and from the spot you caught the ball, you can have
up to 10 seconds to take your time, steady, then pass the ball to a teammate or kick for
goal. However, once you move on from the spot where the ball was caught, you now
have only 3 seconds to dispose of the ball.
An opposition player can stand on the “mark” where the ball was caught or free kick
awarded. The player with the ball must back up and give themselves enough room to kick
over the opposition player. If the opposition player moves over the “mark” before the
player in possession has kicked or played on, a fifteen yard penalty is awarded.
Contact: Tackling is not allowed, but if you touch (called a tag) a player in possession of
the ball, they must dispose of it immediately regardless of whether their 3 seconds is up
or not. You can also smother a handball or kick but you cannot knock the ball out of
someone’s hands and must give them a chance to dispose of the ball. Intent must always
be for the ball and not the player. Anything deemed too rough will be penalized with a
free kick against the offending player.
Scoring: At either end of the field, there are 4 upright poles. 2 large ones in the center
and two smaller ones on the outside. To score a goal you must KICK the ball between the
taller, center poles. A goal is worth 6 points and it can sail through high in the air or
bounce through, as long as no-one touches the ball after it has been kicked. If the ball is
touched, or goes through between one of the taller poles and an outside smaller pole, it is
called a behind and worth one point. A typical score could be:
Team A: 5 goals (30), 4 behinds (4) = 34 points
Team B: 4 goals (24), 7 behinds (7) = 31 points
Once the ball passes into a teams forward half, it must pass through a female before a
goal can be scored (in other words, she must handball or kick). If a goal is kicked without
a female gaining prior possession, a behind (1) will be awarded. If the ball is in a teams
forward half and is taken out over the center line and into defense, but the team regains
possession of the ball and brings it back into their forward half, it must again be
possessed by a female before a goal can be scored.
After a goal is scored, play recommences in the center of the field with a tip off like in
basketball (this is also how each half begins). If a behind is scored, the defensive team
kicks the ball back into play 10 yards from their goal line. If the offensive team regains
possession, they must again transition through a female before a goal can be scored.
Out of bounds: If the ball goes out of the playing area, a free kick is awarded against the
team to last touch the ball. A tip off results if the umpire cannot determine who last
touched the ball
Turnovers: Are not penalized. Therefore if a player hand passes or kicks the ball and it
hits the ground, it is play on and whoever gathers the ball next wins possession of the ball
and the game continues. Any “lock ups” between two opposing players grabbing the ball
at the same time will result in a tip off. As a safety rule, you also cannot dive to gain
possession of the ball and must gather it up in a crouching, upright position.
Ball: Rubber synthetic, about the same size as an American Football only with rounded
ends.
© Ausball
Author - Denis Ryan 2005
