In the sport of Australian rules football, the 50-metre penalty is applied by umpires to a number of different infractions when a free kick or mark has already been paid.
The laws of the game also allow leagues to use a 25-metre penalty in place of a 50-metre penalty. Examples of leagues which do this include the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), Australian Football International Cup and the Australian Amateur Football Council.
Rules
When the umpire pays a 50-metre penalty, he calls time-off, measures out approximately fifty metres from the spot of the mark by running in a straight line towards the goals, and setting the new mark; if the player is already within 50 metres of goal, the mark becomes the exact centre of the goal line.
Players are given a short period of time to follow the play down the field before the clock is restarted. The player can play on at any time while the umpire is measuring out the 50-metre penalty.
50-metre penalties are primarily used to deal with time wasting or unsportsmanlike conduct after a mark or free kick is awarded. Specific infractions which can result in a 50-metre penalty include: Arguing with, disputing the decision of, or using abusive language towards an umpire. Scragging the player who has taken a mark; that is, to tackle the player or impede him from taking the kick as quickly as he would like. Failing to return the ball quickly and on the full to a player who has been awarded a free kick. Wasting time, deliberately or inadvertently, by kicking the ball forward after one's team has conceded a free kick. Using unnecessary roughness against a player who has already taken a mark. Running over the mark; the man standing on the mark cannot move forward, and must respond if called to recede by the umpire. Running through the mark; other defensive players who are not standing on the mark may not run across the imaginary line between the man standing the mark and the man taking the kick, unless following his direct opponent. Entering the protected zone; defensive players may not impede an opponent by entering or remaining within the corridor of space extending ten metres either side of the imaginary line between the man standing the mark and the man taking the kick, and extending backwards, unless following his direct opponent. Impeding a player while he is advancing the ball as part of measuring out a previous 50-metre penalty.
More generally, if any free kick is paid against the defensive team while a mark or free kick is being taken, the umpire will either pay the free kick to the violated player at the spot of the foul, or award a 50-metre penalty to the player with the ball, depending upon which penalty brings the attacking team closer to goal.
There are also two types of in-play infringement for which a 50-metre penalty is automatically applied on top of the initial free kick. These are: A free kick for illegally holding or impeding a player's ability to participate in the "next act of play", for example by preventing a player from receiving a handball while running into open space. Any free kick resulting from an interchange infringement or head count. Otherwise, a 50-metre penalty can only be applied to an infringement which is separate to the initial mark or free kick.
History
The fifteen-yard penalty was first introduced at senior level by the Victorian Football Association in 1939, as one of the rules included in its rival code of Australian rules football. The rule was introduced to give the umpire a means of penalising a player who cribbed over the mark or wasted time on the mark; under standard rules at the time, such infractions could only be policed by reports. The Australian National Football Council introduced the rule into the national rules during 1954 (leagues began using it in 1955), which was applied to both time-wasting and to crude, late challenges on the player with the mark. The length was increased to 50 metres in 1988 when it was determined that the fifteen metre penalty had become insufficient to deter time-wasting and scragging.
For the 2022 AFL season, as part of the AFL's crackdown on umpire abuse, umpires have been empowered to penalise players who talk back to them or remonstrate physically, for example by raising their arms. Due to the increased frequency of the 50m penalty for relatively minor infractions, questions over just how punitive the rule is have led to discussions over whether a 25m penalty should be introduced. Former AFL coaches Kevin Sheedy and Leigh Matthews backed the implementation of a new 25m penalty, based on how frequently the penalty is now applied for minor offenses.