FAQ Sections

• FAQ Home
• Introduction to Australian Rules Football
• The Rules of Australian Football
• What is the Australian Football League?
  • How did the AFL start?
  • Why did the VFL admit interstate teams and expand?
  • Why did the VFL change its name to the AFL?
  • Who runs the Australian Football League?
  • What Teams are part of the AFL?
  • When is the AFL season played?
  • How is the draw for the season determined?
  • How is the Premiership Ladder worked out?
  • How do the Finals work?
    1. QUALIFYING FINALS
    2. SEMI FINALS
    3. PRELIMINARY FINALS
    4. GRAND FINAL
    5. Tied Finals Games
  • How do the teams acquire players?
• Other Australian Football Leagues
• Australian Football League Clubs
• Major Awards
• Significant Players in the AFL
• Miscellaneous/Trivia

3. What is the Australian Football League?

How did the AFL start?

Eight clubs left the original Victorian Football Association to form the Victorian Football League on 2 Oct 1896. These clubs (Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda) formed the basis of the league, with further teams joining in later years. By 1925 Victoria boasted a 12 team competition widely acknowledged as the strongest state league in Australia. Known as the VFL, it remained in this format until 1982, when the South Melbourne Football Club relocated to Sydney. A new era of expansion came as more teams were admitted, however, these teams were from other states than Victoria. The VFL changed its name in 1990 to become the Australian Football League (AFL).

Why did the VFL admit interstate teams and expand?

Despite the success of the VFL, many teams were suffering financially by the 1980s. Much of this is blamed on "cheque-book recruiting", clubs attempting to buy successful players from other clubs in the VFL or in other states. This lead to many clubs being technically bankrupt, with some being investigated by the Department of Corporate Affairs. In addition, crowds were falling, as were club memberships. Transfer fees were excessive and the competition was operating at a loss, while ground facilities were falling into disrepair. The new teams provided income to save the failing Victorian clubs by firstly paying substantial licence fees to join the competition, and secondly by providing increased income from television rights. The money from these two areas helped refinance the VFL and its clubs.

Why did the VFL change its name to the AFL?

In admitting the interstate clubs, the view of the direction of the VFL changed. This is best summed up in the first underlying principle of the AFL's first 5 year plan: "... we take a national view of football, simply not an expanded VFL view. The AFL emerged from the VFL and a Victorian focus was inevitable given the beginning. This plan, however, is based on the view that football followers throughout Australia are of equal importance." Hence the VFL became the AFL to reflect the change in focus from just Victoria, to Australia as a whole.

Who runs the Australian Football League?

On December 4, 1985, the then VFL Board of Directors resolved to appoint a Commission with specific powers to administer the competition. The Commission was entrusted with the powers of the League, but required explicit approval by the League (clubs) for major items, such as further Expansion, Mergers, Relocations, Major Capital Works and similar items.

On August 11, 1992 the AFL Board of Directors recommended an independent review of the AFL structure. On March 1,1993 Mr David Crawford of KPMG Peat Marwick presented his report to the AFL Board of Directors and Commission. On July 19, 1993 the Board of Directors approved a new Memorandum and Articles of Association for the AFL, reflecting the recommendations of the Crawford Report. These being:

• Commissioners - up to 8 commissioners be appointed
• Chairman - appointed by the Commission and not being the CEO, to chair meetings of the Commission, as well as those between the Commission and the Clubs, and to act as a sounding board for the CEO.
• Chief Executive Officer - appointed by Commission, must be a commissioner. Role is to: be responsible for operating performance of the AFL, for implementation of Commission policy, being the public face of the commission.
• Admission, Relocation or Merger of Clubs - AFL Commission has power to do all three. Can be reversed by a two-thirds majority of clubs within 14 days of decision. Three clubs required to call for meeting to vote on reversal of decision. Clubs cannot be merged unless relevant parties agree first.
• Expulsion of Clubs - Commission can suspend or expel clubs but the decision must be ratified by a simple majority of clubs.
• Other Powers - all powers to run AFL transferred to AFL Commission and AFL Board of Directors abolished.

The current AFL Commission is:

• Ron Evans
• Andrew Demetriou (Chief Executive Officer)
• Colin Carter
• Bill Kelty
• Chris Langford
• Mike Fitzpatrick
• Grame John
• Bob Hammond

What Teams are part of the AFL?

For full team details see Australian Football League below.

When is the AFL season played?

Games usually start in the Premiership season in the last weekend of March, and continue through until the end of August. The Finals then start, culminating in the Grand Final on the last Saturday in September.

Pre-season practice matches generally begin in mid-February. The Ansett Australia Cup pre-season tournament, with the majority of games being played at night, is played from late February to the last week before the regular season begins. Exhibition games are sometimes played overseas between seasons, and during the Ansett Cup rounds.

Games traditionally start Saturday afternoon at about 2:10 PM, but AFL games are played on Friday nights, Saturday afternoons and evenings and Sunday afternoons and evenings. Games are occasionally scheduled on Monday nights and on public holidays.

How is the draw for the season determined?

Each team plays 22 games in the regular (or Home and Away) Season. The majority of teams will play 11 games at home, and 11 games at away venues. For the purposes of scheduling games for the next season, the League is split into two divisions, being the top and bottom eight teams (Port Power was considered team number 16 for its first season in 1997). Each team will play the teams in their division twice, and those in the other division once. There are some exceptions due to the AFL policy of maximising the number of potentially large audience games, such as West Coast vs Fremantle or Adelaide vs Port Power "derbies" and Collingwood v. Essendon on ANZAC Day.

The resulting season schedule is known as the "fixture". Because the AFL uses it as a marketing tool, the fixture is copyrighted by the AFL, and may not be reproduced without permission.

Ian Collins, the AFL's football operations manager, still boasts of being able to sit down at a personal computer after one season ends and schedule the next personally.

How is the Premiership Ladder worked out?

The weekly results of games produce a Premiership ladder. The top eight teams at the end of the 22 Home and Away Games go through to the finals. As of this update of this FAQ, the current AFL ladder (round 3 of the 2004) season is:

The Finals system is currently being reviewed.

* Finals games are committed to the MCG as partial compensation for the use of the ground, under the terms of a controversial 25-year contract with the Melbourne Cricket Club signed in 1990 which facilitated the building of the four-tier Great Southern Stand.  Many Australians support the use of the MCG for the Grand Final, as it is located very near the site of the Richmond Paddock, scene of the first official match in 1858.  Others understandably believe the contract should be renegotiated to allow home-ground advantage to be given to whoever earns it in all Finals rounds.  In any event, staging games at the MCG maximizes attendance and revenues for the AFL, so even Carlton, Geelong and Western Bulldogs finals matches are brought to the MCG instead of Optus Oval or Shell Stadium.

Tied Finals Games

If a Grand Final is tied at the end of regular time, the game will be replayed the following Saturday. This has only happened twice in modern times.

In all other finals, if the game is tied at the end of regular time, extra time consisting of two five minute halves will be played. Teams will maintain the same ends as at the completion of play for the first five minute period of extra time, and will change ends after the first five minute period.

If the scores remain tied after extra time, additional periods of extra time will be played until a result is achieved. Each additional period will also consist of two five minute halves. Players cannot be addressed by the coach or any other club staff during extra time.

How do the teams acquire players?

There are several ways in which teams can acquire players, but the system is heavily regulated to foster the strengthening of weaker teams. The major ways of being registered with an AFL team are as follows:

The National Draft - Held in late October

The Pre-Season Draft - Held in late February

Pre-Draft trading - Allowed for one week in October, prior to the National Draft

The Father/Son Rule - players now included in the Draft

The National Draft

A draft compulsory for teams to participate (for at least two picks - more are available if a greater number of players have been 'delisted' or dropped from the team rosters after the end of the season). Players eligible to be drafted must be 18 years old or older by June 30 of the following year (17-1/2-year-olds are now fully eligible) and:

-has been previously registered with the AFL or
-the player has been registered continuously from the 1st June immediately preceding the National Draft meeting and has played at least one game in the season immediately preceding the National Draft Selection Meeting with either the WAFL, SANFL, TFL (Statewide Leagues) or QAFL, or
-the player has been registered continuously from the 1st June immediately preceding the National Draft Selection Meeting with any recognised Club or School competition in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory or the Australian Capital Territory.

The National Draft is primarily used to draft young players from minor leagues in anticipation of starting an AFL career, but that is not a hard and fast rule.

The Pre-Season Draft

A non-compulsory draft for AFL clubs. Is primarily used for the transfer of players previously delisted from AFL clubs, and is similar to a re-entry draft in American sports. To be eligible to be drafted in the Pre-Season Draft a player must:

- not be bound to an AFL club: and
- have attained the age of 18 years at the date of the Pre-season Draft; and
- have previously been registered with the AFL; or
- have been previously drafted by an AFL club or otherwise included on a club list and been deleted from such list; or
- have been registered with the VSFL continuously from June 1st immediately preceding the Pre-Season Draft.

The Pre-Season Draft seems to be dying a natural death.Only eight clubs participated in the 1998 draft, and Melbourne's choice was reserved for former St. Kilda fullback Jamie Shanahan ever since his contract lapsed in October 1997; Adelaide failed to even exercise its only choice. The causes of death are probably 1) the salary cap imposed on the clubs by the AFL earlier in this decade ($3.275 million total salary budget per club in 1998) and 2) increasing player salaries and match payments. Between these two factors, most clubs can barely afford a full list, a substantial minority stay a few players short, and a few break the rules each year (Collingwood, Geelong and Richmond in 1998). The penalties for exceeding the salary cap include a substantial fine, and exclusion from the Pre-Season Draft.

Pre-Draft Trading

For a week sometime prior to the National Draft, clubs can trade players as well as picks in the National Draft.

The Father/Son Rule

A club can draft a player as a second or third round selection if his father:

- played 50 or more senior VFL/AFL matches with any one club; or
- served for not less than 5 years as President, Vice-President, General Manager, Football Manager, Senior Coach or elected member of the Senior Grade Committee of any club, and the player has not been registered with the AFL as a player for any club, then the club which the players Father played or served for can select him.

In addition, if a player's father played at least one senior game in the WAFL prior to 1987, or in the SANFL prior to 1991, prior to the above qualifications (50 games/5 years), then an AFL club in the respective States of those competitions can select him under this rule.

This rule also applies to fathers having played in the QAFL or SFL (NSWAFL) at any time (providing it is not to provide entitlement under this rule) for AFL clubs in the respective states of those competitions.

Free Agency

A player coming out of contract must usually be picked up in the Pre-Season Draft; however, he has the rights to specify his required financial terms and conditions which a drafting club must meet.

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