Learn Australian Football: A Beginner’s Guide to the AFL
What is AFL? This 5 minute animated explainer video introduces the basic rules and fundamentals of Australia’s biggest football league.
Melbourne, Australia
CASE STUDY: 5 MIN READ
Australian football is a confusing sport. The gameplay, skills and rulebook are unlike any other game’s in the world.
As the AFL pushes into new markets via the east coast expansion teams and introduction of the women’s competition, more potential fans are being exposed to the sport than ever before. Add to that the unexpected global attention during COVID lockdowns — when for a brief period AFL was the only professional sport still playing — and the need for an updated introduction became obvious.
The AFL had previously released an explainer in 2015 (now sitting at over two million views), but the sport had evolved: new rules, a fully established women’s league, and a whole new generation of stars. When the project went to tender, we jumped at it immediately — footy and creative work in the same sentence is hard to ignore.
Our team rewrote and animated a refreshed version aimed at a broader audience, timed for release ahead of the AFL finals and AFLW season.
The brief
Create a fun, educational 5-minute animated explainer that sells AFL to new fans — highlighting the spectacle of the sport while explaining the core rules.
The video needed to combine AFL-supplied live action footage with animation, balancing men’s and women’s vision wherever possible. It would live on AFL digital channels and also play in-stadium before matches.
The audience ranged from kids to adults, interstate and international visitors, and non-English speakers — meaning narration and graphics had to stay simple and readable. With expansion into Queensland and New South Wales, attracting new supporters outside traditional states was a major focus.
Project challenges
The rules of AFL are extensive and sometimes nuanced. We had to reduce them to essentials — enough for someone to understand what’s happening and start enjoying a game.
There are also subtle but important differences between AFL and AFLW: player numbers, match length and season format. Explaining both without repeating everything twice required careful scripting. Breakout graphics were used to clarify differences, while narration only expanded where necessary.
Selecting footage became its own puzzle. COVID-affected seasons meant many games were played in front of sparse crowds, so we had to avoid angles that made the sport feel empty. At the same time, AFLW broadcast coverage often had fewer cameras, limiting usable highlight material.
Balancing all of this — men’s and women’s competitions, team representation, star players, diverse backgrounds, skill demonstrations, and atmosphere — turned the edit process into a constant reshuffle until the right mix emerged.
Approach
The goal was to amplify what makes AFL unique: high marks, long goals, speed and physicality.
Live action remained the centrepiece, supported by full-screen graphic breakouts explaining structure and format. Graphics were intentionally clean and minimal to avoid overwhelming first-time viewers, while still tying visually into AFL and AFLW branding. Linework and text carried a slight distressed texture to match the sport’s casual, organic tone.
Sound design played a big role — crowd noise, commentary and impacts helped place the viewer inside the game, while occasional abstract effects kept the tone light and accessible.
Outcome
The video launched in the lead-up to the AFL finals series and AFLW season across the league’s digital channels and stadium screens, giving new viewers a quick entry point into understanding the game before watching live.
It has since grown into an ongoing introduction to the sport, approaching one million views on YouTube and even prompting a wave of reaction videos from international creators discovering AFL for the first time.
By focusing on clarity and spectacle rather than exhaustive detail, the piece helps first-time audiences grasp the basics while still celebrating the energy and atmosphere that makes AFL compelling to watch.
The pitch
A small selection of frames from the initial project pitch.
Storyboard sketches
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