Free Kick (Australian Rules Football) - The "Protected Area"

The "Protected Area"

When a player takes a free kick, the laws of the game stipulated that a protected area exists around him. The protected area is the corridor five metres to either side of the ball-carrier backwards from the mark, including a 5 metre semicircle behind the player with the ball. The laws of the game state that no player from either team is allowed within the protected area zone until the free kick is taken or play-on is called. If a player from the attacking team is within the zone, the umpire will blow time off until he leaves the zone; if a player from the defending team is within the zone, a 50-metre penalty is applied, unless he is following an opponent within 5 metres.