A captain of an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 team, sometimes known as a skipper is a player who, during the course of a match and off the field, has several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player.

They are second to the coach and an onfield leader who has various roles including to inspire the players and sometimes address umpires and the media.

When a coach appoints multiple captains, the following captaincy roles may be appointed.

• co-captain (is mulitiple captains)
• vice-captain (is second to the captain)
• deputy vice captain (is used only when both captain and vice captain are injured)

Qualities

Qualities coaches look for in a captain are:

• Tough and courageous - captains must be unquestionably tough. If a captain backs down from a contest, then it can effect the morale of the entire team and decide the outcome of a game.
• Inspirational - they must have flair and be capable of performing feats (such as courageous or spectacular marks or one percenters and defensive skills) which lift the confidence of the team.
• Hard Working - needed to sets the pace at training
• Confident
• Experience - is needed to deal with a range of different situations that confront captains. Uusually senior players are appointed as captains, unless a coach is grooming them early and feels they have all other qualities
• Well spoken - a commanding persona and speaking voice is required to inspire the team on field and during the breaks

A captain does not need great skills, but they need to be tough, hard working and determined.

A captain with these qualities can give an entire team the confidence to win crucial games.

As a result, most Aussie Rules captains are also solidly built.

Though like many sports, nepotism

Nepotism

Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....

 and elitism

Elitism

Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...

 can sometimes influence the selection of a captain at some levels rather than specific captaincy qualities.

The toss

Before the start of a match the home captain (in the AFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

, it is either the umpire

Umpire (Australian rules football)

An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an...

 or a fan

Fan (person)

A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...

) tosses a coin and the away captain calls heads or tails. The captain who wins the toss is given the choice of which end their team will kick it to. The decision usually depends on the weather conditions and the weather forecast, particularly the direction and strength of the wind, which can give a significant advantage to a team. The captain will usually opt to kick against the wind in the first quarter. This means that they will kick with the assistance of the wind in the last quarter when players legs are tired.

Addressing the Players

Before the game and during the quarter and half time breaks, a captain will be asked by the coach to address the players in a huddle after the coach address. Whereas the coach address typically discusses strategy and field positions, the captain's address is usually purely motivational.

Umpires

The captain is the only player on the ground who is allowed to address an umpire to question or discuss a decision. Any other player who does so can be penalised or reported. A captain may also be reported if he becomes abusive.

The umpires will typically visit the rooms of each team before a game and introduce themselves to the captain and advise the captains on any rule interpretations that they will be strict on and what they will and won't tolerate on the field.

Team Selection

Although not always, the captain may be asked to participate on the selection committee to determine which players do or don't make the squad.

Representative for the playing group

The captain and the leadership group represents the playing group. If a player does something to the detriment of the playing group (such as innapropriate behaviour like taking drugs), then the captain will often act in the interests of the playing group and request that the club or league take appropriate action. In the AFL, some examples include Michael Voss

Michael Voss

Michael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....

 representing the playing group against Jason Akermanis

Jason Akermanis

Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...

 (for misrepresenting the club and players to the media) and Scott Burns

Scott Burns

Scott Burns is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.-Football career:Originally from Norwood Football Club in the South Australian National Football League, Burns was drafted by the Collingwood Football Club with the 90th selection in the 1992 National Draft...

 representing the playing group against Heath Shaw

Heath Shaw

Heath Shaw is an Australian rules footballer playing for Collingwood in the Australian Football League-AFL career:...

 (for his drink driving accident).

Count of Heads

The captain of the team may also request the game to be stopped to perform a count of heads to see whether the opposition team is fielding too many players on the field during the game or in the centre square at the bounce. While this occasionally happens at amateur level, it is extremely rare at professional level and has happened just a handful of times in the AFL's history. In the AFL, this is officiated by the game administrators and new interchange rules introduced in 2008 in an effort to prevent the situation of a team fielding too many players.

Grand Final

It is tradition during a grand final that the captain and coach hold up the premiership cup before it is handed to the players. The captain is required to make a speech, including thanking the opposition team.

Australian Football League Premiership Captains

See: List of Australian Football League premiership captains and coaches