2023 AFL season facts for kids

The 2023 AFL season was a super exciting year for Australian rules football! It was the 127th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), which is the top men's competition in Australia.

Eighteen different clubs played from March 16 to September 30. For the first time ever, teams played 23 games each in the regular season. After that, the top eight teams battled it out in the finals.

The Collingwood team won the championship! They beat the Brisbane Lions by just four points in the 2023 AFL Grand Final. This win meant Collingwood now has 16 premierships, tying the record for the most wins in VFL/AFL history.

What Was New in 2023?

The 2023 season brought some cool changes to the game.

Gather Round

One big new thing was the Gather Round. This was a special weekend where all 18 teams played their games in one city: Adelaide, South Australia. It was a bit like a big festival for footy fans! Two new places, Norwood Oval and Summit Sports Park in Mount Barker, hosted AFL matches for the very first time during this round.

Rule Changes

A couple of rules were updated for the 2023 season:

• More Umpires: The number of umpires on the field during a game went from three to four. This helps them keep an even closer eye on the action!
• Tactical Substitute: The "medical substitute" rule changed. Before, a player could only be swapped out if they were injured. Now, teams could use a "tactical substitute" for any reason. This gave coaches more flexibility during games.

Player Milestones

Many players and officials reached amazing milestones during the 2023 season. Here are some of the highlights:

• Melbourne Cricket Ground: This famous stadium hosted its 3000th VFL/AFL game in Round 1.
• Dylan Shiel (Essendon): Played his 200th AFL game in Round 1.
• Damien Hardwick (Richmond): Coached his 300th AFL game in Round 3.
• David Swallow (Gold Coast): Was the first player to play 200 games for the Gold Coast Suns in Round 3.
• Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne): Played his 300th AFL game in Round 6, becoming the 100th player to do so.
• Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs): Reached 200 AFL games in Round 7.
• Steven May (Melbourne): Played his 200th AFL game in Round 9.
• Toby Greene (Greater Western Sydney): Reached 200 AFL games in Round 11.
• Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood): Played his 300th AFL game in Round 11.
• Lance Franklin (Sydney): Played his incredible 350th AFL game in Round 13.
• Trent Cotchin (Richmond): Reached 300 AFL games in Round 14.
• Brett Rosebury: Umpired his 500th AFL game in Round 18.
• Zach Merrett (Essendon): Played his 200th AFL game in Round 18.
• Taylor Walker (Adelaide): Kicked his 600th AFL goal in Round 22.
• Max Gawn (Melbourne): Played his 200th AFL game in Round 23.
• Charlie Cameron (Brisbane Lions): Played his 200th AFL game during the first week of finals.

Top Goal Scorers

Kicking goals is a huge part of Australian rules football! Here are the players who kicked the most goals during the 2023 season:

See also

• 2023 AFL Women's season