Rec Footy

Recreational Football (also known as Rec Footy or Recreational Footy) is a non-contact version of the Australian rules football game sanctioned by the Australian Football League. It is a more accessible version of Australian rules football that people can pick up and play with some degree of skill and ability and it is directly aligned to the traditional game of Australian rules football. It is a mixed competition, accessible to players of both sexes, all shapes and sizes and requires minimal equipment to play.

Rec Footy teams are much smaller than Australian Rules Football, with two teams of 8. Unlike Australian Rules Football, unlimited number of interchange players are allowed. The field is also much smaller than an Australian Rules Football oval, consisting of a rectangular surface with a maximum length of 100 metres by 50 metres wide. Games are much shorter and do not consist of quarters, with only two 20 minute halves.

The game encourages female participation, with a minimum of 3 female players per mixed side. In addition, teams are encouraged to play females in the forward line, with a goal kicked by a female worth 3 more points (9) than a goal kicked by a male player (6). The game is played with a modified Australian rules ball, which is the same size but prevents it from being kicked long distances to reduce the kicking advantage of males over females.

Unlike Australian rules football, there is no contesting for possession with the exception of removing a player's tag, which substitutes for a tackle and gives the player 3 seconds prior opportunity to dispose of the ball before the Holding the ball rule is applied. All one percenters, such as sheparding, blocking, spoiling or smothering are strictly penalised with a free kick. Marking contests are strictly enforced to avoid contact via a drop-zone rule. When any contact is made by an opposition player, a free kick is awarded to the opposition player that is infringed. For deliberate contact, an immediate send-off rule applies and red and yellow cards are shown as in soccer.

There is no minimum kick distance for a mark to be paid, although kicking off the ground (or "soccering") is strictly banned. A 15-metre penalty substitutes for a 50-metre penalty. If the ball it disposed of by a player and hits the ground, it is a free kick to the nearest opposition player. Although there is no offside rule in Australian Football, Rec Footy restricts player movement to zones, similarly to netball, and players wear netball like bibs to identify their position on the ground. In order to score from a rebound, the ball must be possessed by a player from each of the three zones, otherwise a free kick is paid to the nearest defender when it reachers the forward line.

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