View source for AFLX

{{Short description|Shortened variation of Australian rules football}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox sport
| name           = AFLX
| image          = 
| caption        = 
| image_size     = 
| union          = [[AFL Commission]]
| first          = March, 2017; [[Lakeside Stadium]], [[Melbourne, Victoria]] 
| nicknames      = 
| clubs          = 
| registered     = 
| equipment      = 
| team           = originally 7 per side + 5 interchange (differs to men's 18 per side + 4 interchange)
| venue          = [[Football pitch]] (soccer field)
| category       = 
{{Plainlist|
* [[Team sport]]
* [[Ball sport]]
* [[Contact sport]]
}}
}}

'''AFLX''' is a [[Variations of Australian rules football|variation]] of [[Australian rules football]] designed in 2017 to be played on a [[football pitch|soccer field]] (significantly smaller than the [[Australian rules football playing field|Australian rules oval]]). Unlike the full 18-a-side game (or the already established variant for rectangular fields, [[nine-a-side footy]], including the AFL's own variant [[AFL 9s]]), AFLX required fewer players (initially 7, but increased to 8) with some modified rules aimed at generating higher scores, including increased scoring points. It was founded in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience outside of its origin country of [[Australia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afr.com/business/sport/aflx-the-business-strategy-behind-the-spectacle-20180209-h0vud5|title=AFLX: the business strategy behind the spectacle|work=[[Australian Financial Review]]|date=11 February 2018}}</ref> The AFL billed AFLX as its answer to [[Twenty20]] or [[Rugby Sevens]].<ref>[https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/radical-new-concept-aflx-set-to-be-launched-on-prefinals-bye-weekend/news-story/f5410d336ab237b455db5b771d28b765 Radical new concept AFLX set to be launched on pre-finals bye weekend] by Chris Cavanagh for the Herald Sun 22 June 2017</ref>

The AFL held two official [[Australian Football League]] (AFL) pre-season AFLX competitions featuring senior AFL clubs and players, in [[2018 AFLX competition|2018]] and [[2019 AFLX tournament|2019]], but these were unpopular with spectators and did not return in 2020.<ref name="aflx-removal">{{Cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-08-06/x-off-the-map-afl-to-remove-aflx-from-preseason-fixture|title=X off the map: AFL to remove AFLX from pre-season fixture|website=afl.com.au|date=6 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-07}}</ref>

The variation continues to be promoted by the [[AFL Commission]] as a participation sport in development regions and areas, and particularly where full-sized cricket grounds are not available. Since the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], AFLX has been merged with AFL 9s and retained only the X brand, co-branding AFL 9s as Junior X, Youth X and Senior X and aligning it with the more widely established 9-a-side format.

==Rules==
The rules of the game differed from standard Australian rules football in some significant ways. The game was played on a rectangular [[soccer]]-sized pitch, allowing matches to be hosted by stadiums that usually lacked the suitable field dimensions for Australian rules football. The format was modified in the second year, with AFLX 2019 seeing slightly changed rules:<ref name="AFLX2">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeWb_dZ9USI|title=AFLX 2019 rules explained|date=4 February 2019|work=YouTube, AFL official account}}</ref><ref>[http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2019-02-05/aflx-rules-explained AFLX 2019 rules explained, Essedon FC official site]</ref>
* Games consist of two 10-minute halves with a two-minute break at half-time
* Played on a rectangular field with dimensions similar to that of a soccer field
* Eight players on the field per team, with six players on the bench and no limit to rotations (up from the 10 players per side in 2018)
* Last-touch out-of-bounds rule introduced (team that had last touch loses possession)
* The field umpire will throw the ball up to begin play at the start of each half and after a supergoal is scored
* 10-point super goals are registered for goals kicked from outside the 40-metre arc
* No marks paid for backwards kicks (except for kicks/marks inside the forward<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/aflx/aflx-explained|title=AFLX Explained|date=13 February 2018|work=AFL.com.au}}</ref> 40-metre arc)
* Free shot from inside the 40-metre arc to the opposite team in the event of a [[rushed behind]]
* Players can run 20 metres without taking a bounce or touching the ball on the ground.

==History==
AFLX was first trialled at [[Arden Street Oval]] in January 2017.<ref name="2017 AFL Annual Report">[https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2019/12/05/b06c0343-543e-408d-945e-89ce08d8d294/AFL_Annual_Report_2017-min.pdf 2017 AFL Annual Report]</ref> In March 2017, it was trialed at was first trialled on a soccer pitch at [[Lakeside Stadium]] in a match between the [[Port Melbourne Football Club]] and [[Coburg Football Club]].<ref name="2017 AFL Annual Report" /> It was launched by AFL manager of football operations [[Simon Lethlean]] in July 2017 and later hailed by the AFL as key means of kickstarting [[Australian rules football in China]] as part of the AFL and Port Adelaide's push in to the country which was acknowledged to lacked the infrastructure to support the growth of the full 18-player game.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/26/implementation-of-aflx-idea-could-in-the-end-do-more-harm-than-good Implementation of AFLX idea could in the end do more harm than good] by Craig Little for The Guardian 26 July 2017</ref>

On 6 February 2018, the AFLX pre-season competition was launched by AFL [[Chief Executive Officer]] [[Gillon McLachlan]] at [[Docklands Stadium]]. McLachlan said that AFLX would help promote football internationally.<ref name="abc launch">{{cite news |last1=Lusted |first1=Peter |title=AFL launches AFLX, using rectangular fields to attract new supporters overseas |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-06/aflx-launched-by-afl-to-attract-new-supporters/9400956 |access-date=12 September 2018 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date=6 February 2018}}</ref>

The [[2018 AFLX competition|2018 competition]] attracted more than 40,000 fans to tournaments in [[Adelaide]], [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]]. In Melbourne, TV ratings were reported as "modest" by AFL standards, with the three events drawing an average five-city metro audience of over 120,000 on [[Seven Network|Channel Seven]]'s secondary channels.<ref name=int>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Global/Issues/2018/02/19/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/AFLX.aspx|work=[[Sports Business Daily]]|title=AFLX Opening Weekend Attracts Int'l Interest|date=19 February 2018|access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref>

The AFL made several rule tweaks midway through the second season in attempt to make it higher scoring by inflating the scoring points for behinds from 1 to 2, goals from 6 to 12 and Super Goals from 10 to 20.<ref>[https://www.afl.com.au/news/119496/aflx-game-changer-get-ready-for-20-point-supergoals AFLX game changer: Get ready for 20-point supergoals] By Ben Guthrie for afl.com.au 4 February 2019</ref>

The 2019 [[E. J. Whitten Legends Game]] was also played under "EJX" (modified version of AFLX named after [[Ted Whitten|E J Whitten]]) at [[AAMI Park]] in Melbourne.<ref name="EJX">{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-25/get-ready-for-ejx-legends-game-gets-new-format-and-new-home|title=Get ready for 'EJX': Legends game gets new format and new home|publisher=[[Australian Football League]]|date=25 July 2019|access-date=25 July 2019}}</ref> It attracted just 6,000 spectators, the lowest in the series history, which, combined with the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], led to an indefinite hiatus of the Legends series.

In August 2019, the AFL confirmed AFLX would not return in 2020, to allow a greater focus on [[AFL Women's|AFLW]].<ref name="aflx-removal"/>

Post the [[COVID-19 Pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]], the AFL increased the number of players to 9, effectively merging AFLX with AFL 9s and aligning with the widely established 9-a-side format.<ref>[https://www.sheppnews.com.au/sport/new-football-formats-set-to-change-the-game/ New football formats set to change the game] By Daniel Webb for Shepparton News 29 September 2022</ref>

==Reception==
The reception to the two AFL pre-season competitions among fans and the media was mostly poor,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tendaily.com.au/views/a181218obp/the-aflx-is-the-greatest-farce-in-professional-sport-20181218|title=The AFLX Is The Greatest Farce In Professional Sport|work=Ten Daily|date=16 December 2018|author=Jackson Ryan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/dec/17/not-even-superpowers-can-give-soulless-aflx-what-it-most-needs|date=17 December 2018|work=The Guardian|title=Not even superpowers can give soulless AFLX what it most needs|author=Alana Schetzer}}</ref> with [[ABC Radio Grandstand]] journalist Richard Hinds being particularly savage in labelling it a "hollow, unappealing, pressure-free, atmosphere-deficient, oval-in-a-rectangle hole yawn-fest".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-16/aflx-not-an-exciting-new-format-of-a-beloved-sport-richard-hinds/9452570|title=AFLX: If you wanted to kill AFL stone-dead, you'd turn it into this hollow yawn-fest|work=ABC News|date=16 February 2018|author=Richard Hinds}}</ref>

Con Stavros of [[RMIT]]'s school of Economics, Finance and Marketing, expressed doubts about the potential of AFLX to export Australian rules football but acknowledged that using rectangular playing fields instead of the standard cricket ones would make such expansion easier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com.au/afl/story/_/id/22426386/aflx-stroke-sport-marketing-genius|work=[[ESPN]]|title=AFLX - a stroke of sport marketing genius?|date=14 February 2018|access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref>

==AFL Pre-season Tournaments==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season !! Winner(s) 
|-style="font-size: 87%;"
|[[2018 AFLX competition|2018]]
|Group A: [[Adelaide Crows]]<br>Group B: [[Melbourne Demons]]<br>Group C: [[Brisbane Lions]]
|-
|-style="font-size: 87%;"
|[[2019 AFLX competition|2019]]
|Rampage 
|}

==See also==
*[[Nine-a-side footy]]
*AFL 9s
*[[International rules football]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.afl.com.au/ AFL official website]
* [http://www.afl.com.au/aflx AFLX official website]

{{AFLX tournaments}}
{{Australian Football League}}
{{Football codes}}

[[Category:AFLX| ]]
[[Category:Australian Football League| ]]
[[Category:Variations of Australian rules football| ]]
[[Category:Australian rules football competitions in Australia]]