The Regulations

The book that governs Australian football — translated into plain English. Six thematic guides covering match-day procedures, scoring, umpires, offences, player welfare, and the individual awards that define each season.

The Laws of Australian Football are the governing document of the sport — 71 pages of detail covering everything from the dimensions of the ground to the procedure for ordering a player off the field. The 2026 edition (published 13 February 2026) is the source of truth for every rule, free kick, and scoring decision. These pages translate the 24 Laws into plain English, organised by theme, with direct citations back to the law text.

For the complete laws, read the 2026 Laws of Australian Football PDF — the authoritative source for everything below.

Season & Finals

Team composition, match duration, drawn matches, forfeiture, and the power to vary the Laws. The structural foundations.

Laws 2, 5, 10, 11

Match Day

The playing surface, the football, teams, interchange, match timing, centre bounces, and how every game begins.

Laws 3–7, 10–14

Umpires & Scoring

Field, boundary, and goal umpires. Goals, behinds, score review, and the procedure after every behind.

Laws 8, 16, 17

Offences & Tribunal

Free kicks, prohibited contact, reportable offences, the reporting procedure, sanctions, and the order-off rule.