The first organised game of competitive wheelchair Australian rules football was played at the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

base in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

on 8 November 2015. The game involved a team of wounded

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

(ADF) personnel undergoing rehabilitation at Darwin's soldier Recovery Centre and a

Disability Sports Australia Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, s ...

(DSA) team made up of players from South Australia. The game was organized by the ADF,

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

and DSA. The final score was: DSA team 16.8.104 defeated the ADF team 14.5.89. In April 2015,

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

whilst visiting

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...

raised the profile of this new sport by participating in a game of wheelchair AFL. The game involved wounded Australian soldiers. In November 2015, there are plans to create a national league.

Rules

Rules of the game have some similarity to AFL rules for

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

and include: *Game is started by throwing up the ball in the centre of the field. *Six points for a goal, and one point for a behind. *Kicks are replaced with handballs, and handballs replaced with underarm throws. * A red Sherrin football is used, with the game split into four quarters. *Game is played on a basketball court with plastic posts at each end of the court. *Only five players from each team can be on the field at any given time. * Team is divided in backs, centres and forwards but only forwards can score.

References

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External links

Prince Harry playing wheelchair AFL in 2015
Sports originating in Australia Australian Football League Wheelchair sports

Rules

See also

References

External links