GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - As soon as the horn blares to end the game, the crowd at Skilled Stadium rises to its feet to sing along with the tune blaring from the loudspeakers.

"We are Geelong," they belt out in unison, "the greatest team of all!"

Once the players make it to their respective locker rooms, another horn sounds and the crowd tears onto the pitch, kicking and punching the balls they brought with them to this quaint little park about an hour away from Melbourne.

Clearly, the Aussies love their "footy" -- a brand of football that looks much different than the one played in the United States, but stirs up just as much passion.

"There's something happening over the whole field," said Paul Kippin, a rabid fan of the Melbourne Demons. "When the ball is down here at the forward line, the guys back in the defense are positioning themselves. Your opponent is standing right beside you. You can see them talking to each other, pushing each other around when it's a critical game."

Although Aussie rules football used to be a late-night staple in ESPN's early days, it's hardly ever shown in the United States these days. In fact, it's one of those rare sports that's essentially played by a single country.

Chances are, you won't see one of these games unless you come Down Under, though a couple of Aussies, Darren Bennett and Ben Graham, were punters in the NFL.

(There is an amateur team based in Raleigh, the North Carolina Tigers, who are a member of the United States Australian Football League. To learn more, go online to www.nctigers.com.)

"I would love for this to be a world game," said Matt Kippin, Paul's brother and a fellow Melbourne fan. "My personal gut feeling is that America would be the best country in the world at AFL if they played it."

The AFL (Australian Football League) is getting ready to kick off its regular season -- remember, it's just turning autumn this part of the world -- and the country is all worked up over a scandal involving one of the top players.

Ben Cousins, star of the defending champion West Coast Eagles, was suspended just days before the opener for missing training, amid reports of a hard-partying lifestyle and supposed ties to underworld figures.

Just imagine Peyton Manning of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts going through a similar ordeal. Now you've got an idea of just how big this story is in Australia, dominating the front pages for most of the week.

Australian footy looks closer to rugby than the American game. The players wear no padding, but they dole out some ferocious hits as they try to advance the ball toward a set of goalposts at each end of the field with a mix of kicks and runs. Passing isn't allowed, but they can punch the ball toward a teammate with their fist.

A ball kicked through the two tall goalposts gets six points for a goal, just like a touchdown in the NFL. A kick that misses the mark but still gets inside one of two smaller posts on each side of the goal is a behind, good for one point.

What makes the Aussie version truly unique is the shape of the field -- oval -- and the quirky traditions that seem to bring the fans closer to their favorite squad.

Each team has its own song to play after victories. The Geelong Cats cranked up their catchy little tune after beating the Demons in a recent preseason game, with the home crowd joining right in.

"If you win, everyone gets up and sings," Paul Kippin said. "It's so lame, but it's beautiful."

Then came the truly unique ritual: AFL teams often allow their fans onto the field once the game is over.

Hundreds hopped over the railings at Skilled Stadium after Geelong's 25-point win over the Demons, many of them with balls in hand. Better keep your head up, too, because it's very easy to get smacked in the face with all those balls flying around the pitch.

Aussie rules football was drawn up in the 1850s as a means of keeping cricket players fit during the winter. That's why it's played on a cricket-shaped field. It is most popular in Melbourne and the state of Victoria, but gradually has spread out to other parts of the country.

The AFL now has 16 teams and has been one of only five leagues around the world that draws an average of more than 30,000 fans per game. The others are the NFL and Major League Baseball in the U.S., along with the top soccer divisions in England and Germany.

Not bad for a country of 20 million people.

Although the Grand Final -- the AFL's Super Bowl -- is held at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Cats still play at a charming, 28,000-seat stadium in Kardinia Park.

The pitch is surrounded by a hodgepodge of seating: modern luxury boxes on one side; covered stands making up the rest. There's even a hand-operated scoreboard.

The concession areas offer everything from Victoria Bitter beer, a glass of Shiraz or even a cappuccino. And don't miss the baked potato stand, where you can get the "works deluxe" for $8 Australian.

That's a spud topped with butter, cheese, sour cream, salsa, bacon, pineapple and coleslaw.

Ahh, can't beat a day at the footy pitch.

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