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Fox Footy Longest Kick, established by
Each year, ten or more players (usually a combination of past and current AFL players, although sometimes
Fox Footy
Fox Footy (stylised as FOX FOOTY) is an Australian rules football subscription television channel dedicated to screening Australian rules football matches and related programming. It is owned by Fox Sports Australia operated out of its Melbou ...
in 2015, is an annual kicking competition. Each year, ten or more players take turns to try to kick a Sherrin
Sherrin is a brand of football used in Australian rules football and is the official ball of the Australian Football League, designed to its official specifications. It was the first ball designed specifically for the sport.
Sherrin footballs ...
football as far as they can across the Yarra River
The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia.
The lower st ...
, with the winner being the person who kicks the farthest. The competition takes place on the AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. Prior to 1990 it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league was then known as the Victorian Football Leag ...
day each year. The reigning champion is Daniel Rich
Daniel Rich (born 7 June 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He began his career in 2009, winning the Rising Star in his first year. After 275 AF ...
, who kicked a torpedo punt
The torpedo punt (also known as screw punt, spiral punt, barrel, torp or bomb) is a type of punt kick implemented in Australian rules football, Rugby union & Rugby league, and more generally with an ellipsoidal football. The torpedo punt is the lo ...
on the day of the 2023 AFL Grand Final.
As of the completion of the 2023 edition, Bryce Gibbs' 72.3-metre (237 ft) kick from 2016 is the record, and nobody has ever cleared the river. Due to a revitalisation project at Birrarung Marr
Birrarung Marr is an inner-city park between the central business district in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and the Yarra River. It was opened in 2002. The name refers to the bank of Birrarung, the 'river of mists', in the Woiwurrung languag ...
on the banks of the Yarra River, the 2024 edition did not go ahead.
Procedure
Each year, ten or more players (usually a combination of past and current AFL players, although sometimes AFLW
AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...
players and potential draftees are among the line-up as a wildcard) compete to see who can kick the longest distance over the Yarra River. Usually, a torpedo punt is the type of kick used, as this kick is well known for being the longest kick in Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
. Each player has two kicks in the first round, with each player taking one kick at a time and then rotating out sequentially.
The five players with the longest kicks make it through to the final round, where they have two more kicks in an attempt to improve their kicks. The player with the longest kick out of both rounds is declared the victor and wins A$10,000 and a year's possession of a custom perpetual trophy that features a football, grass, and a disembodied foot.
Notes:
a) The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
b) The event was not held in 2024 due to a revitalisation project at Birrarung Marr
Birrarung Marr is an inner-city park between the central business district in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and the Yarra River. It was opened in 2002. The name refers to the bank of Birrarung, the 'river of mists', in the Woiwurrung languag ...
See also
* AFL Grand Final SprintReferences