AFL players compete to become Telstra’s Australian Dice Football League champion, hosted by Andy Lee
Telstra and the AFL have teamed up to launch the Australian Dice Football League (ADFL) since “our beloved footy season [is] on hold” and “you have to roll with the punches”.
Andy Lee will host ADFL rounds between AFL players from every club, with fixtures beginning tonight at 8pm and mirroring what would have been rounds 8-11 of the AFL season had COVID-19 not ground live sports to a halt.
“It’s great to see dice football played at the elite level as we see the likes of Selwood, Betts, Heppell, Grundy and Riewoldt run out this week,” Lee said ahead of tonight’s match between GWS’ Stephen Coniglio and Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy.
“Obviously, there’ll be no home ground advantage cause all the players will be in their own homes. A truly level playing field, unless their desks or tables have a wonky leg but that’s on them.”
The game will see opponents roll two dice each ‘quarter’. The first roll determines the number of goals (with six points per goal), and the second roll the behinds (for one point per behind).
Telstra’s CMO, Jeremy Nicholas, said the company, which has partnered with the AFL since 2002, “wanted to find a way to continue our support of AFL by giving fans a fun, entertaining game people of all ages can enjoy and be part of at home”.
“We hope that it not only introduces a new pastime to families’ routines at home, but it also gives football fans the chance to get to know their favourite players better by seeing them close up and competing at home in the rough and tumble of dice footy,” Nicholas said.
The AFL’s general manager of growth, digital and audiences, Darren Birch, added that the ADFL is a way for the industry to connect with, and support, people at home.
“It’s not quite footy as we know it, but through this uncertainty we can explore and experiment with some new ways to keep our fans entertained whilst giving our players the chance to perform in a totally different environment,” Birch said.
ADFL matches will be available at afl.com.au/dicefooty, through the AFL Official App, and on Telstra’s social media channels.
Creative agency Taboo worked with Telstra to conceive and execute the AFL Player Ambassador program since the deal was signed almost two years ago.
“The program allows footy fans unprecedented access to their favourite players by continually delivering innovative, engaging and exclusive virtual and real-world experiences,” the agency’s senior strategist, Tatum Ambler, said.
“The ADFL is a demonstration of this and enables fans to connect with their footy heroes and club, at a time when they need it most.”
Round one fixtures:
North Melbourne’s Ben Brown vs Hawthorn’s James Sicily
St Kilda’s Seb Ross vs Carlton’s Eddie Betts
Brisbane’s Lachie Neale vs Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt
Geelong’s Joel Selwood vs Essendon’s Dyson Heppell
Western Bulldogs’s Easton Wood vs Gold Coast’s Lachie Weller
West Coast’s Josh Kennedy vs Sydney’s Josh Kennedy
Adelaide’s Fischer McAsey vs Fremantle’s David Mundy
Melbourne’s Christian Petracca vs Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee
GWS’s Stephen Coniglio vs Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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topics
ADFL
AFL
Andy Lee
Australian Dice Football League
Darren Birch
Jeremy Nicholas
Taboo
Tatum Ambler
Telstra
