Following the AFL's announcement of the seven rule changes ahead of the 2026 season, General Manager of Game Development Rob Auld said that local competitions will have the "capacity to customise what works for them."
The league has implemented seven alterations to certain rules, on top of scrapping the centre bounce as well as the substitute, to help reduce the total amount of game time.
The major adaptations will see the league welcome the last disposal out of bounds in between the arcs, removing boundary throw-ins.
Auld, speaking at the AFL Wheelchair and Inclusion National Championships in Bundoora, said that some local leagues have adapted certain rules that suit their competition, which will be the same for the most recent changes.
"It's an interesting one, I think people appreciate there's an elite version of any sport and that will have certain infrastructure around it – that's the AFL and AFLW," Auld said, according to the Herald Sun.
"Then there's a capacity for local community footy to customise what works for them.
"Some of the rules do (filter down), some of them don't suit local football – for example, 6-6-6 hasn't really filtered into local footy, but the stand (rule) has.
"The local leagues will now make that assessment as they work through what they can resource and what they're comfortable with."
AFL Football boss Greg Swann announced that the rule changes would help create a better and cleaner spectacle for the fans, but also alleviate some of the pressures on the umpires.
The game's adjudicators have been at the forefront of heavy scrutiny, especially in recent times, due to the inconsistency of calls.
'Deliberate out of bounds' and 'insufficient intent' have been controversial to say the least, but the introduction of 'last touch out of bounds' between the 50m arcs in 2026 will ideally help alleviate any issues regarding the rule.
"Greg (AFL football operations boss Greg Swann) was really clear on two clear things that he wants the rules to achieve," Auld said.
"One was making the game easier to officiate, so yes, there is a correlation between umpiring and making the game easier, and the other was creating more game time without extending the length.
"I think the answer is yes, last touch is in existence in some community footy leagues, so if we can create rules to make it easier, absolutely we will."
