There’s a little bit of everything in Australian Rules Football. Its rules allow players to run with the ball and also require dribbling. The field is oval-shaped, not rectangular. Passing is frequent — but with forward throws prohibited, players often punch the ball in their desired direction.
Like soccer, a game of Australian “footy” is always in motion. But it is much more crowded, with 36 players on the field at any given time. They collide and tackle without any of American football’s extra padding or helmets.
The result is a physically demanding sport that has attracted its own growing American fanbase, including in St. Louis.
“The mechanics are different from what people are typically used to in sports that you grow up playing here in the United States,” said Dave Zitko, a longtime player for St. Louis’ Australian Football Team.
“The ball, it's kind of a funny shape. The grip and everything is unusual, and it’s kind of funny, because grown adults look like 7- or 8-year-olds when they first start out,” he said. “It's just like anything, before they know it, they're running around the field, kicking it like in their sleep.”
The primary method of scoring — kicking an oblong ball through two of four available goalposts — might require the trickiest skill of all to pull off. Kicks are often executed in a split-second, in the middle of a collapsing scrum. Zitko said the maneuver is supposed to feel like “walking down a straight line.”
St. Louis’ team has existed in different forms for decades, with ups and downs on and off the field. This year is decidedly a highlight season: In October, the team beat Denver 52-20 to notch its second-ever Division 4 championship in the United States Australian Football League.
The past season’s successes were a product of both veteran players and recent additions. Rhiannon Duryea joined the team in 2023. She is now a member of its executive board.
“One of the great things about the team is virtually none of us had heard of Australian football until we were adults, much less played it,” she said. “Everyone is very supportive of that learning curve, so you can go out there, kind of mess around a little bit, not be super great at it. And that's fine because all of us have been there.”
On this episode of St. Louis on the Air, Duryea and Zitko discussed their championship-winning season, highlights from the recent season, Duryea’s experience as the team’s sole female player and more.
To hear the full conversation about the St. Louis Australian Football Team, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
