Adelaide : Watching a Game of Footy at the Oval

Australians love sports, in any form, that much I can truly generalize from the people I met or worked with. They are so physically active and sporty.

One thing you have to really experience when you are in Adelaide (or anywhere in Australia for that matter) is to watch a game of Australian rules Football at the Adelaide Oval. It really is an amazing experience --- the mass of loyal fans who trek all over the country to watch their favorite team play in another state, the energetic cheering and boo-ing during the game.

The venue itself is HUGE! And since we watched during an AFL Final Series game, the place was jam-packed and tickets were sold out. We were very lucky to get free reserve seats (courtesy of my sister's office lol).

To understand the game, lets simplify the complex rules --- you kick the ball, you run with the ball, and you hit the ball towards the two goal posts. It is like a mix bag of everything, you can tackle opponents like they do in American football, and players must continually touch or bounce the ball on the ground to escape being penalized for "holding the ball". There's a bit of wrestling, running, martial arts (what with all the kicking, you need a little Jet Li spirit with you hahaha), and sometimes, boxing....when the players doesn't like the referee's call.

And since we were in Adelaide, we opted to cheer for the local team Adelaide Crows versus the visiting Richmond Tigers. We even bought AC scarves for authenticity hahaha.....

Cheers to my first AFL game!