ABSTRACT
Australian football was codified in 1859 as a set of 10 rules. Today the Australian Football League (AFL) rule set includes over 360 laws contained in a 100-page book and is updated annually. The evolution of AF extends to the way the game is played, how it looks and the tactics employed by the teams and coaches (Norton et al. 1999). The players became full-time professionals in the 1990s and this led to rapid developments in player fitness, skills and size (Norton et al. 1999). AF is a fast-paced, contact sport with little protective equipment that results in one of the highest injury incidence rates among team sports (Orchard and Seward, 2011). Injury levels rose rapidly as the players became more professional and there has been focused attention on understanding the development of these injuries and on how to reduce the number and severity of injuries at all levels of the game (Norton et al. 2001; Orchard and Seward, 2011). In the most recent decade a large number of rule and umpire-interpretation changes have been introduced, ostensibly to control the injury risk and increase player welfare in the short and long term. This chapter sheds light on why these changes to rules and interpretations have been made, why they are necessary and why there is still the need to continually work towards making the game safer to play.
