Footy weather: is today a good day for a kick?

Rates a game of Australian rules football, a training run or a kick-to-kick in the park. Footy is played in the wet, so drizzle hardly counts and light rain costs a couple of points. Wind counts for more than in most sports, because a long kick is where it shows. GoDay scores each hour and finds the best 2-hour window of each day.

What it weighs, most important first

  1. Feels-like temperature
  2. Rain
  3. Wind
  4. Rain in the last 24 hours
  5. Gusts
  6. UV

Also on the page, but not in the score: wind direction.

What holds the score down

A thunderstorm holds the score at 1, and one due within two hours at 3. A feels-like above 36°C (97°F) holds it at 3. More than 50 mm of rain in the last day holds it at 3, since grounds are often closed after that much, and rain over 8 mm an hour holds it at 4. Gusts over 75 km/h (47 mph) hold it at 3.

Daylight counts too: once it's dark the score is held at 5.

Questions

How much wind is too much for footy?

Up to 15 km/h (9 mph) barely touches a kick, and up to 25 km/h (16 mph) is still fine. Past 35 km/h (22 mph) the wind counts against the score, and it weighs more for footy than for soccer or rugby because of the long kicking.

Is footy on in the rain?

Almost always. Drizzle hardly counts, light rain costs a couple of points, and a greasy ball is part of winter footy. After a very wet day the ground is the question: past 50 mm in the last 24 hours the score is held at 3.

What about night training?

Most clubs train under lights, so the dark only holds the score at 5. For a kick in an unlit park, check the daylight card for sunset.

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