Joanna HolmanGiven how much Australians love to use assorted sports fields as units of measurements I was surprised to learn that AFL fields don’t have a standardised size or even shape
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football_playing_field
Ken Butler@joannaholman my understanding is that Australian football was set up as a game to use cricket fields in winter (and cricket fields don't have a standardized size or shape either: there's one in England with a *tree* in it).
AJ Sadauskas@nxskok @joannaholman This is true.
And the size of the oval at senior AFL level is not standardised, even today.
So you have something like GMHBA Stadium (aka Kardinia Park) in Geelong (170 m × 115 m), which is 35 metres narrower and 10 metres longer than the MCG (160 m x 140 m).
This has a measurable impact on games.
Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn's coach) has a tactic where he spreads out the other team's defenders by having his players deliberately kick the ball across the width of the ground.
(If you ever watch a Hawthorn game and you see the Hawks kick the ball from side to side, or you hear the commentators say they're "stretching" the ground, that's what they're talking about.)
That works a *lot* better at the MCG than at Geelong.
To make the situation worse, the AFL doesn't just use cricket ovals.
Engie Stadium, the GWS Giants home ground, is the former baseball stadium from the Sydney Olympics.
Which is why it has straight sides that converge in a nearly triangular shape at one end (you can see it in this photo): https://pixelfed.social/p/ajsadauskas/973894393236795877
#AFL #sport #football #Australia #WesternSydney #Geelong #Hawthorn
And the size of the oval at senior AFL level is not standardised, even today.
So you have something like GMHBA Stadium (aka Kardinia Park) in Geelong (170 m × 115 m), which is 35 metres narrower and 10 metres longer than the MCG (160 m x 140 m).
This has a measurable impact on games.
Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn's coach) has a tactic where he spreads out the other team's defenders by having his players deliberately kick the ball across the width of the ground.
(If you ever watch a Hawthorn game and you see the Hawks kick the ball from side to side, or you hear the commentators say they're "stretching" the ground, that's what they're talking about.)
That works a *lot* better at the MCG than at Geelong.
To make the situation worse, the AFL doesn't just use cricket ovals.
Engie Stadium, the GWS Giants home ground, is the former baseball stadium from the Sydney Olympics.
Which is why it has straight sides that converge in a nearly triangular shape at one end (you can see it in this photo): https://pixelfed.social/p/ajsadauskas/973894393236795877
#AFL #sport #football #Australia #WesternSydney #Geelong #Hawthorn
AJ Sadauskas (@[email protected])
Engie Stadium, home ground of the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the AFL. #AFL #GWSGiants #Sport #Sports #WesternSydney #NSW #stadium #Australia
Phil Burg (he/him)@aj @nxskok @joannaholman I didn't know that, does explain some things about GWS home games.
There's also Norwood Oval, used each year for matches in Gather Round.
It has straight, parallel sidelines. The ground is the same width at half forward as it is on the wings.
@Standard_Phil @aj @joannaholman the mathematician in me feels compelled to point out that Norwood Oval is the only genuine oval here; the others are more like ellipses.
(Yes, I know that the (Kennington) Oval in London is by this definition not one either.)
@Standard_Phil @nxskok @joannaholman Apologies about the delayed reply...
I just came across this stadium map of Engie/Showgrounds Stadium. You can see its history as a baseball stadium in the odd egg-shaped layout.
I just came across this stadium map of Engie/Showgrounds Stadium. You can see its history as a baseball stadium in the odd egg-shaped layout.
PhilWill@aj @Standard_Phil @nxskok @joannaholman
It is a very odd shape isn't it, for some reason I figured modern fields would be more regularly shaped?
It is a very odd shape isn't it, for some reason I figured modern fields would be more regularly shaped?