International rules football

International rules football (Template:Lang-ga; also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland) is a hybrid code of football, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players.

The first tour, known as the Australian Football World Tour, took place in 1967, with matches played in Ireland, the UK, and the United States. The following year, games were played between Australia and a touring County Meath Gaelic football team; Meath being that year's All-Ireland football champions.^[1] Following intermittent international tests between Australia and Ireland, the International Rules Series between senior teams from Australia (Australian Football League) and Ireland (Gaelic Athletic Association) was played annually between 1998 and 2006, and has generally been a closely matched contest with the early series generally going to the visiting team, and later titles almost always going to the host team.

International rules football is one of few team sports or football codes in the world without any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by men's, junior's and women's teams only in tournaments or once-off test matches.

History and Competitions

Senior Men's

The first games were the idea of Australian sports broadcaster and media personality Harry Beitzel, who organised a tour in October 1967 to play County Meath after Meath had won that year's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The Galahs defeated County Meath 3-16 to 1-10 at Croke Park, and then defeated County Mayo 2-12 to 2-5. The following year, Beitzel organised a second series, the Australian Football World Tour, in which an Australian representative team played six matches against Gaelic sides London, Dublin, Meath, Kerry, and New York. In 1968, Meath visited Australia for a five-match tour, winning all the games by an aggregate score of 26-43 to 3-29.^[2] The feature game of the tour was their victorious rematch with the Galahs at Princes Park in Melbourne. Kerry also won all their games when they toured Australia in 1970.^[3] Beitzel returned in October 1978 and his team played UCD, Dublin and Kerry.^[4] It wasn’t until after Australian schoolboy teams toured Ireland in 1981 and ‘84 and a Dublin Colleges team toured Australia in 1983 that a full-blown international rules series was arranged.^[5]

During the 1980s, at times both teams wore sleeveless Aussie Rules jumpers, with the Australians in a sleeveless yellow (gold) Aussie Rules styled jumper and Ireland at times wore a green sleeveless jumper with a white trim. Prime minister Bob Hawke and wife Hazel toured Ireland with the Australian team in 1987.

**Australia vs Ireland tests (1984-1990)**
Year	Host Country	Results	Stadium	Location	Crowd
Nov. 17 1990	Australia	Australia 50 d. Ireland 44	WACA	Perth	7,700
Nov. 10 1990	Australia	Ireland 52 d. Australia 31	Bruce Stadium	Canberra	7,000
Nov. 2 1990	Australia	Ireland 47 d. Australia 38	Waverley Park	Melbourne	18,332
Nov. 1 1987	Ireland	Australia 59 d. Ireland 55	Croke Park	Dublin	27,023
Oct. 25 1987	Ireland	Australia 72 d. Ireland 47	Croke Park	Dublin	15,485
Oct. 18 1987	Ireland	Ireland 53 d. Australia 51	Croke Park	Dublin	15,532
Oct. 24 1986	Australia	Ireland 55 d. Australia 32	Football Park	Adelaide	10,000
Oct. 19 1986	Australia	Ireland 62 d. Australia 46	Waverley Park	Melbourne	10,883
Oct. 10 1986	Australia	Australia 64 d. Ireland 57	WACA	Perth	24,000
Oct. 28 1984	Ireland	Australia 76 d. Ireland 71	Croke Park	Dublin	32,318
Oct. 28 1984	Ireland	Ireland 80 d. Australia 76	Croke Park	Dublin	12,500
Oct. 21 1984	Ireland	Australia 70 d. Ireland 57	Páirc Uí Chaoimh	Cork	8,000

International Rules Series

The current senior International Rules Series is played each October, after the completion of the AFL grand final and GAA football final, which are both played on the last weekend of September.

The Irish team is selected by the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Australian team is selected by the Australian Football League.

The series alternates host countries each year between Ireland and Australia. Between 1998 and 2006, the average attendance was 48,199. Ireland had won seven matches, while Australia had won five, with a further two being drawn. The 2006 series sold out both matches in Ireland and set a record for international sports in Ireland with a crowd of 82,127 at Croke Park.

Following controversies in the 2006 series, including an Irish player being knocked unconscious in a tackle, the Irish team coach and GAA president again cast doubts on the future of the series. The AFL's chief, however expressed optimism. The two organisations agreed to meet to once again discuss the series.

The International Rules series resumed in October 2008.

Juniors (Under 17s and Under 19s)

Among the first schoolboys international test was played in Melbourne in 1983, when a Victorian under 17 team played Ireland. An interesting twist in these compromise matches is that the ball used was the oval shaped Australian football rather than the round ball.^[6]

In 2005, in addition to the annual senior international series, Australia and Ireland began to play an under 19 and under 17 contest. Australia won the 2006 series.^[7] The junior series was largely instituted by both leagues as a means to identify emerging talent.

Amateurs

The Australian Amateur Football Council has sent an amateur All-Australian team to Ireland in both 2005 and 2008. Unlike the professional vs amateur matches between the AFL and GAA, these matches are fully amateur which has typically meant stronger Irish sides. The Australian amateur team wears a different guernsey to the AFL representative side, dark green and gold, with a kangaroo emblem.

**Significant Matches**
Date	Teams	Stadium	Location	Crowd
2008	Ireland vs Australia (U23)	Donaghmore-Ashbourne stadium	Ashbourne, County Meath	2,500	^[8]
2008	Sydney AFL: 4.3.10 (43) def NSWGAA: 3.6.6 (42)	Mahoney Park	Marrickville, New South Wales		^[9]

Women's international rules

Ladies' Gaelic football has been growing almost exponentially in Ireland since the 1970s with over 100,000 women and girls playing in 2006 and figures expected to reach 150,000 by 2010. Women's footy has far fewer players, but numbers have grown strongly since the 1990s. In early 2006 representatives of the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and Women's Australian Football Leagues met at a Ladies' Gaelic football festival in Singapore, and agreed to compete in the hybrid version of the two football codes to coincide with the senior men's series.

**Significant Matches**
Date	Teams	Stadium	Location	Crowd
31 October, 2006	Ireland 3-5-6 (39) def Australia 0-4-6 (18)	Parnell Park	Dublin		broadcast live on Irish channel TG4 and Australia on Setanta Sports Australia^[10]
4 November, 2006	Ireland 6-26-16 (130) def Australia 1-2-3 (15)	Breffni Park	Cavan		broadcast live on Irish channel TG4 and Australia on Setanta Sports Australia

Masters international rules

International rules also has a masters category with several competitions. There is also a Masters International Rules Series which follows the format of the senior men's series and involves many retired AFL and GAA players.

Rules

The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with Gaelic footballers being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field (Australian rules uses an oval ball and field), while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark, from Australian rules football, with a free kick awarded for any ball caught from a kick of over 15 metres.

The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a crossbar and goal net as in Gaelic football.

Points are scored as follows:

In the goal net (a goal): 6 points, umpire waves green flag.
Over the crossbar and between the two large posts (an over): 3 points, umpire waves red flag.
Between a large post and a small post (a behind): 1 point, umpire waves white flag.

Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 behinds, the score is written as 1-4-10 (28), meaning one goal (six points) plus 4 overs (4 × 3 = 12 points) plus 10 behinds (10 × 1 = 10 points), for a total score of 28 points.

An international rules match lasts for 72 minutes (divided into four quarters of 18 minutes each). Gaelic football matches also go for 70 minutes, divided into two halves, and Australian rules matches typically go for 4 quarters of 30 minutes each (while the official duration varies between 15 and 25 minutes depending on the league, for AFL it is 20 minutes).

As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules (with no keeper).

2006 rule changes

A number of rule changes were introduced before the 2008 International Rules Series:

Each quarter was reduced from 20 minutes to 18 minutes.
A player who received a red card is be sent off and no replacement is allowed. In addition to this a penalty is awarded regardless of where the incident takes place. Previously a replacement was allowed and a penalty was only awarded if the incident happened in the penalty area.
A yellow card now means a 15 minute sin bin for the offending player, who will be sent off if he receives a second card.
Players may not pick the ball up directly off the ground.
Players must carry the ball as in Gaelic football (i.e., they can opt to first bounce, then solo). Previously they could just bounce it.

2008 rule changes

Teams are allowed only four consecutive handpasses before the ball must be kicked.
A dangerous "slinging" tackle will be an automatic red card.
A shirtfront endangering the head will result in a red card.
Physical intimidation can result in a yellow card.
One-handed tackles result in a free kick.
An independent referee can cite players for reportable offenses from the stands.
Suspensions will occur into the next home and away season.
Only 14 interchanges may be made during each quarter, they will not effect changes made in breaks of play.