Australian Football
Australian Football rules: scoring, quarters, marks and disposal
A practical introduction to the structure of Australian Football: four quarters, goals and behinds, legal disposal, marks and centre restarts.
Four quarters of actual playing time
Under the 2026 Laws, a standard match is 80 minutes: four quarters of 20 minutes of actual playing time, with stoppages excluded from those 20 minutes. A controlling body may vary match and interval lengths for its competition.
Goals, behinds and the score
A goal is worth six points and a behind is worth one point. A goal is scored when an attacking player kicks the ball completely over the goal line without another player touching it; several other outcomes across the goal or behind lines are recorded as a behind.
Kick, handball and the mark
The Laws define correct disposal as a kick or a handball. A mark is awarded when a player controls a ball kicked by another player at least 15 metres and the ball has not touched the ground or another player.
Centre restarts and competition variations
Each quarter begins with the umpire throwing the ball up in the centre circle, and play is restarted at the centre after a goal. Teams change ends after every quarter, while the controlling body can vary some competition settings such as player numbers and match duration.