Truth to be told, when we first came to Melbourne, we had no idea what was Footy. Footsy?? Or Footy?? Everyone kept telling us to watch AFL, which we absolutely have no idea what it was about either. After much googling, we realised Footy is another term for the Australian Football, and AFL, the Australian Football League. You can find the wiki explanation of Footy here, but a super simple description of Footy would be rugby, with Australian rules. (We are not a pro in either sport FYI)

If you go to the parks on weekends, there are many dads teaching their kids how to play the national sport. And since we were in Melbourne where most of the matches were played at, we decided to go for one of the AFL Live matches, specifically the match between St Kilda Football Club and the Brisbane Lions at the Marvel Stadium.

Entry to Stadium Grounds

There are many entrances into the stadium grounds, but there will be a quick security check of your bags that you bring in, so just bring things that you really need!

Food

If you’re like us, from countries where shops exploit the monopoly and end up charging double of what they would charge outside, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise! There are loads of food options inside the stadium, (including Maccas) and the prices are definitely reasonable. Among all the various food choices, you should definitely go for the iconic Four’n Twenty Meat Pies with Ketchup on top to complete the AFL Live experience. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, forget about the meat pies. On top of that, popular snacks Aussies get are beer, burgers, and chips.

Seating

When you buy your tickets online here, you’ll be given the options of seats or just the stands. Although we got the seats, the stands are also quite alright, since you’ll be closer to the toilets and the food 😉

Crash Course on the Game

So, now for a quick crash course. How the scoring works is that players have to kick the ball between the 3 posts. So, for the goal in the middle, they get 6 points, while a goal in the side/touch one of the posts gets 1 point. For the whole game, there are 4 quarters, each lasting approximately 20-30minutes, depending on whether there are penalties involved. And then, you just watch them play. Players are allowed to tackle, but there are certain actions which can cause a foul. Either way, watch closely since you’re there watching the live match and it’s amazing to see supporters cheering for their own teams too 🙂

Regardless, if you happen to visit Melbourne, you should definitely set aside some time to watch the AFL Live, since most matches are played here. Sit in, soak yourself in the atmosphere and cheer the team that you choose!

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