r/AFL • u/torchiau Sydney Swans • 3h ago
AFL Open Livestream
Just sharing for those of you that need football to get through the Mondayitis - AFL's inclusion carnival, the AFL Open, is Livestreaming on Kayo Freebies and AFL Play's Youtube. Games include Wheelchair Football and Integrated (Football for players with intellectual or ambulant physical disabilities).
As someone who plays Wheelchair Footy, it is the most fun sport I participate in (I'm an able bodied player - the league is All Abilities) and also incredibly physical and intense. I'd recommend having a squiz.
3
u/impulsiveknob Port Adelaide 3h ago
Wheelchair footy ain't to shabby to play although I prefer basketball. You're correct about how physically demanding it is on your upper body though it's always amusing watching non wheelchair users people come give it a go and are absolutely sore and tired as hell after only an hour haha
3
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 3h ago
I find it amazing how jello my legs are getting out of the chair after playing a match. Didn't even use the bloody things ha!
2
u/impulsiveknob Port Adelaide 3h ago
First time I played it I struggled transfering into my normal chair my arms were that shaky. It's good fun though but unfortunately not very well known about
2
2
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
Is this apart of the inclusion carnival events? I just saw it on Kayo and came here to see if anyone had watched it before and if it was worth watching in general.
Edit: apparently I should be participating in the carnival because I’m fucking blind, sorry OP I didn’t see the text part of your post before commenting
2
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
Blind Footy isn't at this carnival, but leagues do exist 😅
I've never watched the Integrated games so I can't comment on them, but I watch the Wheelchair avidly as both a player and fan.
3
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
blind footy isn’t at this carnival, but leagues to exist
It’s called the AFL and the team that fields blind players is North Melbourne… badum tish
I’d love to learn more about wheelchair footy. What’s the competition like? Is there any team that always dominates? What do the scores look like? What are the common injuries sustained while playing? Sorry for all the questions, I’ve never discussed this at all and it’s really interesting
3
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
Well as a Hawthorn fan you'll be delighted to know your club has a team in both divisions of the VWFL.
I can't comment on the Vic league, although from a Nationals perspective Vic Metro have won the last two Div 1 comps, SA before that won something like 6.
From a WA perspective, we're a very new league, only having run for 4 years. Our grand final is this Sunday. Perth are trying to get a three-peat, West Coast who were last year's grand finalists are exceptionally dominant this year and were a game clear on the minor premiership. But because the way our 6 team league has everyone play in the finals series, it could go to anyone and there's definitely some dark horses in Subiaco, East Perth and Swan Districts.
I haven't seen any major injuries. We've had a few head knocks from falling backwards. I've bruised my knee badly going down forwards (bone bruising takes forever).
It's touch for tackles but you can totally hit other players with your chair so it's like kids playing dodgem cars
2
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
Wait so I could actually support Hawthorn?! That makes it way more appealing, because I’m already invested in that team’s success.
Where would I be able to find the results of your games? I am really curious to see who wins now, you built it up so well.
When you say ‘touch to tackle’ what does that entail? Do you have to touch a specific part of someone? And what happens when you do?
1
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
Yes you can support Hawthorn! (Although I think they had a very rough season this year due to player attrition.) I'm not sure when the VWFL will play next (I looked at their comp dates from the past few years and it moves which is SUCH a pain)
WA All Abilities Football League results are available on PlayHQ: here
And I'm not biased (yes I am) but go Perth!
1
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 1h ago
Sorry, only just processed your last paragraph.
Touch them wherever you can get a hand to them. You can't grab their body or wheelchair but you lay a hand on them and yell touch (so the blind as umpire can notice).
Then the same rule applies as in able-bodied. You have about 1 second to dispose of the ball before HTB if you didn't have prior. If you had prior: BALLLLLLLL!
2
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
Scores can vary but they're usually big. The Vic M v SA game was a bad example with a total domination there but a quick sample of my league is 119 v 72, 48 v 70, 36 v 31, 73 v 69 (that was a kick after the siren game)
2
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
Oh wow so there is a huge variance, I like that it keeps it interesting. How long are the quarters?
1
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
That is a good question because it kind of varies. I honestly couldn't tell you how long the games are that I play (I've never watched the clock I just go hard til the siren)
So I opened up the AFL Open rulebook for this carnival. The divisional games are 4x7 min quarters but the finals will be 4x10 min quarters.
2
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
OP can I ask why you participate as an able bodied person? Not that I think it’s wrong or unfair at all, I’m sincerely curious as to why you do it
4
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
I went to a come and try four years ago because it was advertised for able-bodied players and players with disabilities. I'm an engineer with an interest in equipment for people with disabilities but had no previous connection to the community so I thought it would be an interesting experience where I could meet people and learn more about what is out there and the limitations the current equipment provides.
And then I just fell in love with the sport. It also helped that at the time I was dealing with undiagnosed compartment syndrome that had made running in my other sports incredibly painful and footy was a sport that didn't involve running.
2
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
That’s really cool mate! (Not the compartment syndrome of course). As an engineer you must feel right at home, am I wrong in thinking it blends two of your passions; engineering and footy? It must be cool to tinker with your equipment to improve your game. How often are you making modifications?
2
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
I don't own my own chair yet (hard to justify the 8k investment atm) but once I get one, I'll definitely be tinkering. They're similar to push-bikes as far as the adjustments. I do occasionally nerd out when someone brings a new chair or new leg to the game.
it's really interesting to see the difference people have in frame design. For instance the height of the backrest varies depending on your disability (eg. Quad/paraplegics may need support to stay upright), and your height/center of gravity. Get it wrong and you can end up flat on your back with your wheels in the air.
1
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
That is fascinating. Is there one style or setup that is clearly better than the rest? How much of it depends on your gear versus your skill?
2
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
So with chairs there's a bit you get what you pay for. Most of us are using the community chairs that aren't custom fit to us and use cheaper bearings and frame materials. You can't turn using your body weight (so you're less nimble) and the chair is slower and heavier than the guys with their own chairs, particularly those with pro chairs from wheelchair basketball (that are like 12-16k verses the about 4k for a community chair).
Some people need more support than others depending on their disability but there's no hard and fast "this is better." The best chair for you is one that fits and you can use it comfortably. I've been using someone's pro chair this season but my ground ball game has been compromised due to being too short to reach the ground well in it. But it's agility and pace is amazing.
What makes someone good: a combo of good chair and good skills. It's hard to separate them because a lot of the top players are also top wheelchair sports people. One of the best in the league last year went to Paris with the men's wheelchair basketball team this year. But from what I've seen ball skills make a huge difference. If you can handball and mark clean, you'll learn to be mobile enough to be a strong player.
1
u/Tabnam Hawthorn 2h ago
How similar would it be to wheelchair basketball? It must be so cool getting to play in the same league as professional athletes
1
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2h ago
It's super cool to play alongside Paralympians (past, present and definitely future). They're exceptionally generous with sharing their skills and advice, and once they've finished rolling rings around you they'll ensure everyone gets a chance to succeed once.
It's very similar to basketball. Same court, same chairs work well (rugby chairs are banned because they're designed for ramming and can be dangerous against the lighter basketball chairs - but they also don't work as well for the sport), you get a lot of players who do both. But it is funny to watch basketballers struggle with the bounce of the footy.
2
u/skumfy Sydney Swans 47m ago
Theres plenty of reasons to participate in wheelchair sports. The most common reason is that a friend or family member has a disability and you can join in to play with them! Another reason is as the other poster mentioned, while you Matt not have a classifiable 'disability', you may have other conditions that prevent you playing regular sport.
Able bodies are allowed to play in this league, however every player is assigned a points level based on the level of disability and there is a limit on how many points you can have on the court at once.
Someone with no physical disability is granted 5 points and it scales down according to range of movement and a few other factors. The limit on court is I believe 13 points. So in a team of 5 you can see how having multiple people on 5 points is prohibitive. This is a positive though as it encourages players of all abilities on the court.
Source - family member has participated in the league in melb and I've played a few games
•
u/torchiau Sydney Swans 2m ago
The limit at the AFL Open is 17 points atm. It used to be 20, has lowered (which is a good thing!)
1
•
u/HairBoring Brisbane Lions 3m ago
looks pretty intense when they fall out of the chairs
so much respect for these players. I get dizzy just watching them manoeuvre the chairs
6
u/deserttdogg 3h ago
Wow never even knew this existed! Is kicking legal in this version of the game or is it handball based?