The Fort Worth Press - Australian Rules axes 'centre bounce' after 130 years

The country's most popular spectator sport, similar to Ireland's Gaelic football, traces its roots back to 1858 when spherical or oval balls were first used.

Since 1887, field umpires have been required to bounce the ball at the start of each quarter, rather than throw it in the air. A centre bounce after each goal was introduced four years later.

But mastering the skill has become a barrier for prospective umpires, according to Australian Football League executive manager Greg Swann on Wednesday.

"The centre bounce has long been a part of Australian Football tradition, but as the game has evolved, there are several areas which will benefit from allowing umpires to simply throw the ball up at the restart," he said in a statement outlining the change.

"Currently, umpire pathways are being narrowed by the requirement of the bounce.

"It is a difficult skill to execute, and we believe is preventing some of our best umpiring prospects from progressing any further in the AFL pathway despite having elite decision-making skills."

The new rule will bring the men's game in line with the women's -- the AFLW -- where the ball has been thrown up rather than bounced since its inception in 2017.

Australian Rules is regularly played in front of packed stadiums, with 100,000 fans watching the grand final last weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Brisbane Lions defeated the Geelong Cats to retain their title.

T.Dixon--TFWP