Violence in the Australian football league: Good or bad?

Abstract

In this chapter, the trend in violence in the Australian Football League (AFL) is examined for the period 2000-2009. We begin with a brief history of the league and the key features of the game. A distinction is made between controlled aggression and unsanctioned violence. The potential effects of both forms of violence on the future of the AFL are discussed along with the responses by the league in terms of programs to increase participation, changes to the laws of the game and their interpretation, and implementation of the tribunal system. Tribunal data for the period 2000-2009 is analyzed to see whether these changes have had any impact on both the level of violence and of attendance.