| Australian Football League | |
|---|---|
| Current season or competition: 2008 AFL season | |
 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Commissioner | Andrew Demetriou |
| No. The Australian Football League season of 2008 commenced on 20 March 2008 and concluded on 27 September 2008 Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Athletics (track and field Olympic Games see "General sporting events" below Baseball The original Andrew Demetriou (born 14 April 1961 is the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League and a former Australian rules footballer He is the son of of teams | 16 |
| Country(ies) |  Australia |
| TV partner(s) | Seven Network, Network Ten, Fox Sports |
| Official website | AFL.com.au |
The Australian Football League (AFL) is both the elite Australian national competition in the sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest governing body. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. Network Ten, or Channel Ten, is one of Australia 's three major commercial television networks. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function
Contents |
Overview
The AFL is the most attended professional sporting league in Australia: it is the most popular sport competition in terms of attendances and TV ratings of the nation. This is a comprehensive list of crowd figures for Australian football codes in 2007. [1] The previous three AFL Premiership Seasons have had a total regular season attendance of over six million (currently the 10th most attended professional sports league in the world) and the average attendance of over 36,000 (the second highest of any professional sports league in the world). The table below lists domestic professional Sports leagues from around the world by total attendances for the last completed season for which data is available
The 16 teams play against each other in 22 rounds between late March and early September in a non-divisional format. These matches are followed by a series of finals matches which culminate in the two best teams playing off for the Premiership in the AFL Grand Final, the best attended domestic club championship event in the world. The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in This article lists the attendances of many sports competitions around the world with the exception of those for Domestic Professional Leagues such as the NFL
The AFL began as a breakway league from the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1896 and evolved from the Victorian domestic competition known as the Victorian Football League (VFL). History The Victorian Football Association (VFA was founded in 1877 on 17 May. Since 1982, it has grown into a national competition and was rebranded as the Australian Football League in 1990 and today has teams based in five of the six Australian states. The Commonwealth of Australia is made up of 8 states and territories controlled under a federal system of government Since becoming a national competition, the AFL has gained considerable media and financial strength, as well as control over the game at most levels. The expansion of the AFL in the 1980s effectively ended 70-year-long competition for public interest with its former rival state leagues, the SANFL, the WAFL and VFA (which became the VFL in 1996). Clubs Several clubs share their nicknames with AFL/VFL clubs This is purely coincidental the teams are not named after each other Current teams The teams currently playing in the WAFL are Salary Cap The WAFL is classed as a Semi-professional competition and has a Salary In recent times, most of these leagues and clubs have either sought or subsequently been granted licences to compete in the AFL and formed affiliations with the AFL to field its reserves sides and developmental players.
The AFL Commission, which runs the league assumed the role of governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in Australia in 1993 when it dissolved the Australian National Football Council. The AFL Commission is the official governing body of the Australian Football League (AFL the elite national Australian rules football competition A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function The laws of Australian football describe the rules of the game of Australian rules football. It is now responsible for the Laws of Australian Football through the AFL Rules Committee (consisting of members from the AFL Players Association). The laws of Australian football describe the rules of the game of Australian rules football. The AFL Players' Association or AFLPA is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players The AFL also became the defacto world governing body in 2002 when it negotiated the disbanding of the International Australian Football Council. The International Australian Football Council (IAFC was a body established in 1995 to govern the Sport of Australian rules football internationally Since 2000, through the commission, the AFL has pushed for all affiliated leagues and bodies to co-brand with the league as well as refer to the sport as "AFL" in preference to its official name of "Australian Football".
Clubs
Since 1997 the AFL has consisted of nine clubs based in Melbourne, Victoria, one in Geelong, Victoria, two teams based in Adelaide South Australia, two Western Australian teams and one each in New South Wales Sydney and Queensland Brisbane. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 MCite/Citephp.--> Geelong (dʒəˈlɔŋ is the second largest city in the state South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland The AFL has stated that it plans to have teams based in both the Gold Coast and West Sydney in the coming years[2][3] Unlike most leagues in other football codes outside Australia, the AFL does not operate on a multi-division or conference system, with no relegation or promotion system. This system is standard for professional sport in Australia.
The Victorian Football League, commonly known as the VFL, started in 1897 with eight teams - Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne, and St. Kilda - some of those teams entering the VFL from the VFA (the Victorian Football Association). Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia Richmond and University entered in 1908, but University disbanded in 1915. Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League. Melbourne University Football Club &ndash often known simply as "University" &ndash is an Australian rules football club In 1925, Footscray (later known as the Western Bulldogs), Hawthorn and North Melbourne (later known as the Kangaroos) entered the competition, making 12 teams as a solely Victorian based league until 1982, when South Melbourne became the Sydney Swans in Sydney, New South Wales. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League.
A further national expansion occurred in 1987, with the introduction of the West Coast Eagles from Western Australia and the Brisbane Bears from Queensland. West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The Victorian Football League then changed its name to the Australian Football League in 1990 to reflect the expanded nature of the competition. The Victorian Football Association has since changed its name to the Victorian Football League.
South Australia was first represented in 1991 when the Adelaide Crows joined the league, and Fremantle joined as the second WA team in 1995. South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country This page is for the Australian Rules Football Club in Adelaide Fitzroy Lions merged with the Brisbane Bears the next year creating the Brisbane Lions, and Port Adelaide Power took their place in 1997. Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia
Present teams
Membership figures as at [[June 6th], 2008. West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Fremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo" is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL This page is for the Australian Rules Football Club in Adelaide Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League. Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia This page is for the Australian Rules Football Club in Adelaide Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment Fremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo" is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports Stadium in Perth, Western Australia. Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. MCite/Citephp.--> Geelong (dʒəˈlɔŋ is the second largest city in the state Not to be confused with Skilled Park, home ground of the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports Stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [4]
Former teams
| Club | Colours | Location | Last Home Ground | Years In Competition | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzroy Lions | Maroon, Blue and Yellow. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne | Fitzroy, Victoria | Whitten Oval | 1897-1996 | Merged with the Brisbane Bears to become the Brisbane Lions in 1997. Fitzroy (sometimes referred to as South Fitzroy is an Inner city Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Whitten Oval is a stadium in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria Australia located at 417 Barkly Street Footscray West. Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane |
| Brisbane Bears | Maroon and Gold | Gold Coast, Queensland | The Gabba | 1987-1996 | Merged with the Fitzroy Lions to become the Brisbane Lions in 1997. Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane |
| South Melbourne | Red and White | Melbourne, Victoria | Lakeside Oval | 1897-1981 | Became the Sydney Swans in 1982. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. |
| University | Black and Blue | Parkville, Victoria | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 1908-1914 | The club was disbanded prior to the 1915 season, due to the outbreak of World War I, and players' enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force. Melbourne University Football Club &ndash often known simply as "University" &ndash is an Australian rules football club Parkville is an Inner city suburb north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. After the club was revived in 1919, it did not apply to rejoin the competition. |
New Teams
The AFL is considering issuing the following new licences, most likely to debut as AFL clubs between 2010-2013.
- Gold Coast New team in Queensland
- Western Sydney New team in New South Wales
Other regions are generally discussed as being candidates for inclusion in the national league:
- Launceston New team in Tasmania [5]
- Perth New team in Western Australia
- Darwin (Northern Territory)
Traditional rugby states of NSW & Queensland already have AFL representation in the form of Sydney and Brisbane, yet Tasmania and the Northern Territory have none. Western Sydney Football Club is the working title of a proposed 18th club for the Australian Football League to be based in Greater Western Sydney. Tasmania has a similar Australian rules football history to that of Victoria, extending back well over 100 years, while the inclusion of a Northern Territory team would likely provide a showcase of the talent of Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. A major setback to these plans is that apart from West Sydney (ANZ Stadium) none of these locations have a viable AFL stadium, and would either have to build one or put serious remodels on current stadiums.
Early in 2008, a meeting held by the AFL discussed the issue of two new teams entering the AFL competition. AFL officials confirmed that a new team on the Gold Coast and a new team in West Sydney would enter the competition around 2010. In April, a problem occurred; the Gold Coast team was allowed to be formed, but they would not be allowed to host home games in Queensland until the end of 2016, which may also delay the arrival of the West Sydney team. Also in April, Tasmanian premier Paul Lennon, had a meeting with AFL boss Andrew Demetriou to discuss the posibillity of a Tasmanian team. The idea was thrown away because Andrew Demetriou claimed it would not be financially sustainable.
National competition
The AFL is the dominant league in television, print, and radio news in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania. Launceston ( (short first vowel /ˈlɔːnsəstən/ is often incorrectly heard in other parts of Australia is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass In addition, Australian rules football is the most participated football code in these states and territories. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Football is the word given to a number of similar Team sports all of which involve (to varying degrees kicking a Ball with the foot in an attempt to score a
Despite the traditional popularity of rugby league in the states of New South Wales and Queensland, the popularity of the AFL is increasing. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent (This is actually not true - I have never met a single Sydney Swans supporter in Sydney). This has been greatly assisted by recent premierships being won by the Brisbane Lions (2001, 2002, and 2003) and Sydney Swans (2005) and to a lesser extent also unsuccessful Grand Final appearances for both Brisbane (2004) and Sydney (1996, 2006). Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. With the success of these sides, participation in Australian rules football has grown in these states in recent years.
Until Geelong won in 2007, the non-Victorian teams have, combined, won 10 of the last 15 premierships. The 3 AFL grand finals prior to 2007 were contested solely by non-Victorian sides.
To raise the profile of the AFL as a national competition and to raise funds for the clubs involved, some Victorian clubs have been transferring home games to interstate locations in return for a guaranteed income of up to $250,000 per game. [6]
Recently, this has included St Kilda and Hawthorn which have played home games at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania, North Melbourne which has played games at Manuka Oval in Canberra, and Carrara Oval on the Gold Coast, the Western Bulldogs which has played games at Manuka and at Marrara Oval in Darwin, Northern Territory and at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and Melbourne which has played games at Carrara Oval and The Gabba in Queensland. The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 Launceston ( (short first vowel /ˈlɔːnsəstən/ is often incorrectly heard in other parts of Australia is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Manuka Oval is a 15000 capacity stadium (10000 seated located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent
The major AFL Stadiums, and their capacity and home teams:
- The MCG (Melbourne) - 100,000 - Melbourne Demons, Richmond Tigers, Collingwood Magpies, Hawthorn Hawks.
- ANZ Stadium (Sydney) - 83,500 - Sydney Swans
- Telstra Dome (Melbourne) - 53,355 - Carlton Blues, Essendon Bombers, North Melbourne Kangaroos, St. Kilda Saints, Western Bulldogs.
- AAMI Stadium (Adelaide) - 51,515-Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Power
- The SCG (Sydney) - 43,649 - Sydney Swans
- Subiaco Oval (Perth) - 42,922 - West Coast Eagles, Fremantle Dockers
- The Gabba (Brisbane) - 42,000 - Brisbane Lions
- Skilled Stadium (Geelong) - 28,500 - Geelong Cats (also play games in Melbourne at Telstra Dome. )
- Aurora Stadium (Launceston) - 23,000 - Hawthorn Hawks (play 4 home games a season here, and the rest at the MCG)
Historic clubs
The modern day Australian Football League (AFL) has many teams dating back to the beginnings of the sport of Australian rules football, including the very first club, Melbourne Football Club (1858), a foundation VFL/AFL club whose founders also first codified the sport in 1859. See also List of Australian rules football clubs in Australia This is a chronological list of Australian rules football clubs since their formation This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC.
Other early clubs still in existence include: Geelong (1859), Carlton (1864), North Melbourne (formerly Hotham) (1869), Essendon (1871), St. Kilda (1873), South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans) (1874), Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs) (1883), Richmond (1885), and Collingwood (1892). Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League. Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League.
Playing lists
The AFL has tight controls over the player lists of each club. Each club can have a senior list of 38 players plus up to six rookie or veteran players. From 2006, up to two international rookieswww.realfooty.theage.com.au are also permitted. Clubs can only trade players during a "trade week" at the end of each season and can only recruit new players through the AFL Draft. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport the Australian The rules for the draft have changed every few years since it was introduced in 1986, but the basic philosophy remains in that players are selected by clubs in the reverse of the order of their positions on the ladder at the end of the preceding season. That is, the club that finished last has first draft selection, then the club that finished second last. However, this philosophy has been compromised by giving priority picks to clubs which win fewer than four matches during the season and by allowing clubs to select sons of former players under a "father - son rule" which itself has been varied over the years.
A salary cap (known as the Total Player Payments or TPP) is also in place as part of the league's equalisation policy.
In 2007, this is AUD$7 million per club. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Salaries of draft selections are fixed for two years. Salaries for senior players are not normally released to the public, although the average is estimated at A$200,000www.realfooty.theage.com.au and the top few players can expect to earn up to AUD$1,000,000 a year. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas www.realfooty.theage.com.au
Infringements by clubs in relation to exceeding the TPP, not informing the AFL of payments or draft tampering are severe and can include large fines, loss of premiership points and exclusion from the AFL draft. However, the AFL has not yet penalised clubs premiership points for a breach of the salary cap.
AFL players by state/territory/nation
The following is the origin of 2007 AFL listed player based on player's nominated junior clubs. www.theage.com.au afl.com.au
- Victoria (334)
- Western Australia (124)
- South Australia (113)
- Queensland (48)
- New South Wales (33)
- Northern Territory (24)
- Tasmania (21)
- Ireland (5)1
- Australian Capital Territory (3)
Note 1: Note that players from Ireland were all converts from other sports. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory There are many players who have converted one Football code to another or even changed from other sports at a professional or representational level
Indigenous players in the AFL
In 2008, there is a total of 73 players of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent on AFL club playing lists, comprising approximately 11% of the overall playing list. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. [7] This compares with the 2. 3% of the Australian population who identified themselves as Indigenous in the 2006 census. [8]
Competition timeline
Season tournaments
AFL Premiership season
- See also: 2008 AFL season
The Toyota AFL Premiership Season, contested between the 16 teams from around Australia, lasts for 22 rounds and begins in late March. The Australian Football League season of 2008 commenced on 20 March 2008 and concluded on 27 September 2008 At the end of the 22 rounds, the top eight teams compete in the four-week AFL Finals Series. The current AFL finals system was devised by the Australian Football League in 2000 as its end-of-season championship Playoff Tournament. In the first week the top four teams play in Qualifying Finals (1st vs 4th & 2nd vs 3rd), with the other four teams playing in Elimination Finals (5th vs 8th & 6th vs 7th). In the second week the two losing teams from the Qualifying Finals play the two winning teams from the Elimination Finals in the Semi Finals. The two winning Qualifying Final teams progress directly into a Preliminary Final in the third week, playing the winners of the Semi Finals. The two winning Preliminary Final teams play in the Grand Final in the fourth week of the finals.
The McClelland Trophy is awarded to the team that finishes the league in first position (sometimes called the minor premiership) but this is not afforded anywhere near the prestige as the Premiership. The Dr Wm C McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football Trophy, instituted in 1951 that was given to a VFL Football Club on the basis of the combined performance The Premiership is awarded to the winning team in the Grand Final.
The Grand Final is traditionally played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, even if two non-Victorian teams are playing, on the last Saturday in September. Recent exceptions to this practice were in 1991 when the MCG was being redeveloped and the Grand Final was played at Waverley Park, and in 2000 when the Grand Final was played in early September as the Sydney Olympics started on 15 September. Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park and then AFL Park) was an Australian rules football Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria A silver cup, known as the Premiership Cup, and a pennant are awarded to the winner of the AFL Grand Final. (With the exception of 1996 - when a gold cup was awarded instead of the usual silver one in the AFL/VFL's 100th season).
The Premiership Cup is manufactured by Cash's International at their metalworks in Frankston, Victoria. Frankston is a seaside suburb of Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, Australia.
Themed rounds and special matches
Themed rounds have become immensely popular. There are themes such as Rivalry Round (in which traditional rivals are matched up against each other), Women's Round and Heritage Round (where teams play in old style guernseys). Heritage Round is a round of matches in the Australian Football League in which all the teams wear guernseys from their past Throwback uniforms and jerseys are one-time or limited-time variations on a sports team's uniforms styled to resemble uniforms from that team's past. Some matches are also themed for special events. For example, each year Collingwood play Essendon in the annual ANZAC Day match at the MCG and the game will typically sell-out regardless of the positions of the two teams on the ladder. The Anzac Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Essendon and Collingwood, held on Another annual match is the Queen's Birthday game between Melbourne and Collingwood. As of 2006, Richmond and Essendon play in the Dreamtime at the 'G match. There are separate trophies for the matches between several clubs and former rivalries such as the Lake Trophy between St Kilda and Sydney Swans.
Pre-season Cup
The Pre-season Cup competition is a knock-out tournament played prior to the commencement of the premiership season. Clubs will often use alternate jumpers and younger/new players play to assess those players potential.
The series is played before the premiership season and on all bar one occasion (1997) was played at Waverley Park until the ground was sold by the league in 1999 (although a number of the lead-up matches of the 2000 series were played at the ground). The 2000 competition decider was held at the MCG. Since 2001, all bar three finals have been played at Telstra Dome, with the 2001, 2006 and 2008 deciders held at AAMI Stadium. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment
The player adjudged best on the ground in the final is awarded the Michael Tuck Medal, in honour of the footballer who has played more league matches than any other (426). Since 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final
History
Before the VFL
Australian rules football dates back to 1858, when Tom Wills began to devise the rules of the code. The history of Australian rules football is claimed to have begun in Melbourne in 1858 with a call by Tom Wills to develop a local foot-ball club Baseball "All New York" and "All Brooklyn" Nines play three matches at the Fashion Race Course in Brooklyn, with the All New York Nine Thomas Wentworth "Tom" Wills (19 August 1835 – 3 May 1880 was an Australian all-round sportsman who is credited along with his cousin Henry Colden Harrison Melbourne Football Club was formed May 14, 1859. This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common On May 17, 1859, at the Parade Hotel in East Melbourne, Wills, W. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson wrote the first set of written rules for Australian rules football. By 1866, several other clubs had also adopted an updated version of Melbourne's rules. In 1877, the amateur Victorian Football Association was established. Amateurism (from Fr amateur "lover of" from OFr from L History The Victorian Football Association (VFA was founded in 1877 on 17 May.
VFL begins
The Victorian Football League was established in 1896 when several clubs broke away from the Victorian Football Association which was the first Australian rules competition in Victoria, second in the country after the South Australian Football Association. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest History The Victorian Football Association (VFA was founded in 1877 on 17 May. The first games were played in 1897 between the foundation clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. Essendon won the first VFL premiership.
Although the Victorian Football League and the Victorian Football Association continued to compete for spectator interest for many years, the VFL quickly established itself as the premier competition in Victoria. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest History The Victorian Football Association (VFA was founded in 1877 on 17 May. In the early years Fitzroy and Collingwood were the dominant teams, but by the mid-1900s Carlton began a dominating period of three successive flags from 1906 to 1908. Essendon under Jack Worrall - the first great coach - won a most convincing victory in 1911 with ten straight wins and surprisingly defended their flag in 1912 after being erratic during the home-and-away rounds.
In 1908, Richmond and University joined the VFL. Richmond eventually succeeded after a slow start, but University, after three promising seasons, won only one of its last seventy matches and its already thin ranks were so depleted it disbanded at the end of 1914.
More information on how war affected the VFL see: The VFL during the World Wars. The Victorian Football League (VFL was heavily affected by both World War I and World War II.
Between the World Wars
Richmond won its first premierships in 1920 and 1921 but Essendon - battlers since their 1912 flag - took over as the dominant team between 1922 and 1926. In 1924 the VFL inaugurated the Brownlow Medal for the player who received the most votes from the umpires for the Best and Fairest player. For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners. Best and Fairest (also known as Fairest and Best in some competitions notably the Australian Football League) is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe
In 1925, Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs), Hawthorn and North Melbourne joined the VFL. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 History The Victorian Football Association (VFA was founded in 1877 on 17 May. Footscray adapted to the VFL relatively quickly and by 1928 were well off the bottom of the ladder. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. However, North Melbourne and Hawthorn remained "chopping blocks" for a very long period. North Melbourne were not to win more than eight games in a season until 1944 and Hawthorn only once won more than seven until 1954. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Between them, Hawthorn and North Melbourne finished in last place fifteen of the twenty-nine years from their admittance until 1953 - by which time however North had become a powerful side and finished in the first two on the ladder in 1949 and 1950. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In all but two of the fifteen seasons between 1941 and 1955 either Hawthorn or St. Kilda finished last. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia
Between the years of 1927 and 1930, Collingwood FC became the first and so far, the only, team to win four successive premierships and finish a season without losing (or drawing) a game. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. This team became known as "the machine" because of the organised and consistent way it played. During this period of success Collingwood became the greatest club in the nation, possessing the largest and fiercest supporter base drawn originally from working class districts in inner Melbourne. With premiership victories in 1935 and 1936 the Collingwood Football Club had already won 11 premierships, and remained the most successful premiership club until Carlton began to lead the premiership tally in 1982. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar)
In the 1930s, Richmond and South Melbourne rivaled Collingwood as the best team, with Richmond's brilliant defence destroying South's powerful attack in the 1934 Grand Final. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Melbourne, which had won the premiership in 1926 but fallen off sharply, developed a powerful attacking side that swept all before it between 1939 and 1941 to win three successive flags; however Essendon, after years in the wilderness from 1927 to 1939, enjoyed a dominant period with nine grand final appearances between 1941 and 1951. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January . . . . . . . . . . .
1950s
In 1952, the VFL hosted ‘National Day’, when all 6 matches were played outside of Melbourne. Matches were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, North Hobart Oval, Albury Sports Ground and Victorian country towns Yallourn and Euroa. The Brisbane Exhibition Ground (also known as the RNA Showgrounds and the Ekka Grounds) is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially North Hobart Oval is a sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania used for Australian rules football. Albury Sports Ground is a sporting venue that is primarily used for Australian Rules football and Cricket, and is located in central Albury New South Wales Yallourn Victoria was a Company town in Victoria, Australia built between the 1920s and 1950s to house employees of the State Electricity Commission Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in North-East Victoria, Australia.
In 1959, the VFL planned the first purpose built mega-stadium, Waverley Park, to give it some independence from the Melbourne Cricket Club which managed the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australian rules' spiritual home. Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park and then AFL Park) was an Australian rules football Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria The Melbourne Cricket Club ( MCC) is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. Waverley Park was planned to hold 167,000 spectators (thus making it one of the largest stadiums in the world). Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park and then AFL Park) was an Australian rules football Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria Land for the stadium was purchased at Mulgrave, in those days just farmland, but one day predicted to be near demographic centre of Melbourne's population.
Geelong was the stand out team at the beginning of the 1950s, winning the premiership in 1951 then setting a record of 23 consecutive wins starting in Round 12, 1952 and ending in Round 13, 1953. This streak included the 1952 premiership.
After Footscray won its first premiership in 1954 by defeating Melbourne, Melbourne became a powerhouse, winning five premierships between 1955 and 1960, including three in a row between 1955 and 1957. In 1958 Collingwood famously defeated Melbourne in the Grand Final, thereby preventing Melbourne from equalling Collingwood's record of four successive premierships.
Television coverage began in 1957, with direct telecasts of the final quarter permitted. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic At first, several channels competed through broadcasting different games. However, when the VFL found that television was reducing crowds, it decided that no coverage was to be allowed for 1960. In 1961, the modern system of replays was introduced and only very rarely have direct telecasts been permitted since.
1960s
In the 1960s, television began to have a huge impact, which continues unabated to this day. Spectators hurried home from games to watch replays and many former players took up positions as commentators on pre-game preview programs and post-game review programs. There were also several attempts at variety programs featuring VFL players, who generally succeeded in demonstrating that their skills were limited to the football ground.
The VFL played the first of a series of exhibition matches in 1962 in an effort to lift the international profile of the league. Australian rules football has been introduced to a wide range of places around Australia and the world since the code originated in Victoria in 1858
Hawthorn won its first ever Grand Final in 1961, beating Footscray. Melbourne's period of success ended with its premiership win in 1964 over Collingwood, after which Carlton famously recruited Melbourne's champion player Ron Barassi as its captain-coach. St Kilda won its first Grand Final by one point over Collingwood in 1966, and after many years in the doldrums, Richmond won the Grand Final in 1967, starting a revival which lasted until the early 1980s. The 1966 VFL Grand Final took place on September 24, 1966 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between VFL clubs Collingwood and St Under Barassi's leadership, Carlton won the premiership in 1968, its first since 1947. On the whole, though, Essendon and Geelong were the best teams during the 1960s, even though they only won three of the ten premierships.
With the number of players recruited from country leagues increasing, the wealthier clubs were gaining an advantage that metropolitan zoning and the Coulter law restricting player payments had prevented in the past. In Australian rules football, zoning (originally called district football) refers to a system whereby a given area either region or lower-level football league is Country zoning was introduced in the late 1960s, and whilst it pushed Essendon and Geelong from the top of the ladder, it created severe inequality during the 1970s and 1980s. Only six teams made the grand final between 1972 and 1987, as against nine between 1961 and 1967.
1970s
1970 saw the opening of Waverley Park, with the inaugural match being played between Geelong and Fitzroy, on 18 April 1970. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Construction work was carried out at the stadium as the 1970s progressed, culminating in the building of the now heritage listed Sir Kenneth Luke stand. The Queen of England, Elizabeth the second was a guest at the game and officially opened the stadium to the public.
The 1970 Grand Final between Carlton and Collingwood attracted a record crowd for a football game in Australia of 121,696. This game also saw the greatest comeback in Grand Final history when after trailing by 44 points at half time, Carlton managed to win by 10 points. Alex Jesaulenko took one of the most memorable marks in the sport's history during this game. Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE (born 2 August 1945 Salzburg, Austria) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach
Hawthorn defeated St. Kilda in the Grand Final in 1971, beginning a long period of success that lasted into the early 1990s. The match was notable for Peter Hudson's famed attempt at breaking Bob Pratt's long held record of 150 goals in a season. Hudson kicked three goals in the match, equalling Pratt's season tally.
North Melbourne won its first ever premiership in 1975, then won again in 1977 in the Grand Final replay, following the second ever drawn Grand Final, against Collingwood. The 1977 VFL Grand Final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground over two weekends in 1977 between VFL clubs North Melbourne and Collingwood 1977 also saw the commencement of State of Origin representative matches, where players were only able to represent the state of their birth, as opposed to representing the state in which they were currently playing. This article is about the general concept of State of Origin For specific information on the annual series of Rugby league games in Australia see the Rugby League
The 1979 VFL Grand Final is remembered for a controversial goal that sealed the Premiership for Carlton. The 1979 VFL Grand Final took place on September 29, 1979 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between VFL clubs Carlton and Collingwood After leading by 28 points during the second quarter, Collingwood had fallen behind by 21 points before mounting a late comeback. They were trailing by four points in the dying stages of the match when Carlton's Wayne Harmes miskicked, chased the ball towards the boundary line and knocked it to his team mate Ken Sheldon who kicked a goal to give Carlton a 10-point lead. Wayne Harmes (born 9 February 1960 is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Kenneth "Ken" Sheldon (born 13 February 1959 is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Their eventual winning margin was just five points. Although Harmes won the inaugural Norm Smith Medal for the best player in the Grand Final, he is best-remembered for this incident as Collingwood supporters still claim that the ball had crossed the boundary line before Harmes knocked it to Sheldon. The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match
Many rule changes were made during the decade in efforts to increase the attractiveness of the game:
- A "final five" system was introduced in 1972. The Grand Final was the highest scoring Grand Final in history, accumulating a total of 327 points with Carlton defeating Richmond by 27 points.
- The centre diamond and a limit of four players per team at the centre bounce were introduced in 1973. The diamond was changed to the square in 1975.
- The two-umpire system was introduced in 1976.
- In 1978 the interchange law was introduced, to allow players to be able to be interchanged at any time (like basketball), rather than a one-off replacement (as in soccer). Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered
1980s - national expansion
At the time, there was no national league for Australian rules that incorporated interstate clubs. The VFL was the most popular and dominant league around the country in terms of overall attendance and interest and began expanding its influence into other states. In 1980, the match of the day was broadcast on television. Interest around the country followed, and new sides from other capitals (many with their own local leagues) soon expressed interest in new licences.
In 1982, South Melbourne relocated to Sydney to become the Sydney Swans. The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The West Australian Football League and Queensland Australian Football League were awarded licences to join the VFL and the West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears were formed. Current teams The teams currently playing in the WAFL are Salary Cap The WAFL is classed as a Semi-professional competition and has a Salary AFL Queensland (AFLQ is the governing body of Australian rules football in the state of Queensland. West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League These expansion team licences were awarded on payment of multi-million dollar fees which were not required of the existing VFL clubs. See also Relocation of professional sports teams An expansion team is a term used for a brand new team in a sports league The first National Draft was introduced in 1986. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport the Australian The West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears joined the league in 1987. West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League The night premiership, the Panasonic Cup moved to the pre-season instead of mid-year. The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian
In 1984, a revival of the International Rules representative series against Ireland occurred. International rules football (Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland is a hybrid In 1987, a salary cap was introduced. In Professional Sports, a salary cap (often called a wage cap in the United Kingdom) is a limit on the amount of money a team can spend on player In 1988, the law changed to make players awarded free kicks be obliged to kick the ball, rather than handpass. This rule change was reversed in 1990.
Ross Oakley was appointed CEO of the VFL in 1986, and immediately set about plans for national expansion of the competition. Ross Oakley (born 30 September 1942 is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda in the VFL.
In 1989, the league began encouraging some of the fledgling Victorian clubs to merge or relocate interstate. Footscray and Fitzroy were almost forced into amalgamation, but a fundraising event from Footscray supporters stopped the proposed merger at the eleventh hour. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne
Collingwood played in its third successive Grand Final in 1981, yet didn't win any of them. This added to Collingwood's already infamous record in Grand Finals, signified by the term "the Colliwobbles" - after their Premiership triumph of 1958, Collingwood lost the next eight Grand Finals in which they played, often after seemingly having the match in their keeping. They also finished on top of the ladder twice after the regular season matches (in 1969 and 1973), only to experience a loss of form in the finals and miss the Grand Final altogether. "The Colliwobbles" was introduced after the 1970 Grand Final loss to Carlton.
A bitter rivalry between Essendon and Hawthorn emerged after competing in three consecutive Grand Finals between 1983 and 1985. Essendon's win in the 1984 marked the first time since 1966 that a team other than Richmond, Carlton, Hawthorn or North Melbourne had won the premiership. The dominance of these few clubs and mounting financial problems for several clubs resulted in the VFL adopting an equalisation policy, centred around the player draft and salary cap measures.
In 1988, Melbourne made its first appearance in a Grand Final since 1964, but it wasn't a memorable return to the big stage. Hawthorn crushed an underdog Melbourne side by 96 points, the then biggest Grand Final win in history, a record which stood until 2007.
In what many believe to be the finest VFL/AFL Grand Final of the modern era, Hawthorn overcame a strong challenge from Geelong in 1989. It was a physical game right from the start when Geelong's Mark Yeates ran through Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce, bruising Brereton's kidney and causing internal bleeding. Mark Yeates (born 10 May 1960 is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the VFL during the 1980s Dermott Hugh Brereton (born 19 August 1964 is a former champion Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League. In a courageous display, Brereton refused to leave the ground and marked and goaled several minutes later to stem Geelong's attempt to establish superiority. Later heavy clashes would see John Platten knocked out and Robert DiPierdomenico suffer broken ribs and a punctured lung. John Patrick "The Rat" Platten (born 17 March 1963 in South Australia) is a former Australian rules footballer With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico (born 5 May 1958 is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL of Italian descent and a member of the VFL-AFL Despite a Grand Final record nine goals from Geelong's Gary Ablett, Hawthorn still went on to win by six points. Gary Robert Ablett senior (born 1 October 1961 After a disastrous debut season with Hawthorn, the Geelong Football Club managed to lure Ablett back
1990s - Australian Football League
To reflect the steps towards a national competition, the VFL was renamed as the Australian Football League in 1990. The VFL name disappeared until it was adopted by the AFL's state feeder competition which was the most recent incarnation of the former VFA.
Collingwood won the inaugural AFL premiership in 1990, ending a drought of near misses that had seen the club lose grand finals in 1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1981. By 1990 Collingwood had played in 36 Grand Finals, just under 40% of all grand finals played.
1990 also saw the Port Adelaide Magpies make a bid for an AFL licence. The Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club - "the Magpies" - was founded in 1997 to replace the original Port Adelaide Football Club that also shared the nickname "magpies" In response, the SANFL formed a composite team called the Adelaide Crows which was awarded the licence and joined the league in 1991. Clubs Several clubs share their nicknames with AFL/VFL clubs This is purely coincidental the teams are not named after each other This page is for the Australian Rules Football Club in Adelaide That same year the Grand Final was played at Waverley Park for first and only time as the MCG underwent redevelopment. This game was also the first time that a non-Victorian team - West Coast Eagles - contested the Grand Final, only to be outclassed by a Hawthorn side coming to the end of their era of dominance. West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League.
With Adelaide bringing the number of teams to 15, the final six was introduced in 1991. In 1992, Waverley Park was renamed "AFL Park" and the West Coast Eagles became the first non-Victorian team to win a premiership, beating Geelong. 1992 was also the final year the Brisbane Bears called Carrara Stadium home, as they moved to the Brisbane Cricket Ground at Woolloongabba (commonly known as The 'Gabba) in time for the 1993 season.
In 1994, the Fremantle Football Club was formed to represent the strong history of Fremantle clubs from the WAFL, and played its first game in the AFL in 1995. Fremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo" is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of That year, the first Western Derby was played between the two Perth-based teams, beginning a fierce local rivalry with West Coast dominating until Fremantle broke the shackles in their 10th meeting in 1999. Carlton made the record books by winning its 16th premiership after 16 consecutive wins and only two losses for the entire season.
Some of the rule changes of the decade included:
- In 1994, a third field umpire was introduced.
- In 1994, the McIntyre Final Eight System system was introduced. The McIntyre Final Eight System was devised by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four Five and Six systems
- A fourth interchange player was added for the 1998 season, increasing match day squads to 22 players.
In 1996, the VFL/AFL celebrated its centenary. One round of games featured a repeat of the games in Round 1, 1897, with players wearing replicas of the guernseys worn 100 years earlier. Late in the season, after it looked like the Fitzroy Lions would succumb to financial problems and merge with North Melbourne, the AFL dramatically announced that Fitzroy would merge with the Brisbane Bears and play as the Brisbane Lions from 1997[9]. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane North Melbourne recovered from being jilted, and became the only team to win the once-off gold premiership cup by defeating Sydney, which had not played in a Grand Final since 1945 (when they competed as South Melbourne).
Later in 1996, an attempt to merge Melbourne and Hawthorn to form the Melbourne Hawks made headlines, but failed to eventuate. The Melbourne Hawks was a planned Australian Football League team that would have consisted of the merger between the Melbourne and Hawthorn Football Clubs Ross Oakley stepped down as the AFL's Chief Executive and was replaced by Wayne Jackson. Wayne Jackson (born 16 April 1944 is best-known for his tenure as the CEO of the Australian Football League 1996 to 2003 The AFL also rejected bids from Queensland club Southport Sharks and the Tasmanian government to enter teams. Southport Australian Football Club, also known as the Southport Sharks is a Gold Coast based club competing in the AFL Queensland Australian rules football Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass
In 1997, the Port Adelaide Magpies were finally awarded a licence to join the AFL as the Port Adelaide Power, coinciding with the Fitzroy/Brisbane merger to keep the league a 16 team competition. The Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club - "the Magpies" - was founded in 1997 to replace the original Port Adelaide Football Club that also shared the nickname "magpies" Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia The inaugural Showdown occurred in that year, with Port Adelaide causing an upset victory over Adelaide, who recovered from the shock and went on to win the first of two consecutive premierships and became the first side in history to win four finals in one series and win the premiership. The Showdown is a term used to refer to the derby match between local rivals the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide in the sport of Australian rules St. Kilda, their opponent, were playing in their first Grand Final since 1971. The Footscray Bulldogs were renamed the Western Bulldogs, in order to reflect the club's representation of Melbourne's western suburbs. The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in 1997 was a year in which the perennial underdogs prospered. St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide all shot up the ladder, renewing the spirits of their clubs, and the competition.
Adelaide repeated its feats of a year before to win the premiership (after losing their first finals match to Melbourne), beating favourites North Melbourne. North had major goal scoring problems in the match and had a dismal second half. Andrew McLeod won his second Norm Smith Medal in two years, and the Adelaide Crows became the first team since Richmond in 1921 to turn their maiden Premiership into a double the following season. Andrew Luke McLeod (born 4 August 1976 is an Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League of Aboriginal descent and is number 23 of the The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match The International Rules series against the Gaelic Athletic Association was rekindled in 1998, after the series was erased from the league fixtures following 1990. The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh Wayne Carey skippered one of the league's finest teams, including Nathan Buckley, Robert Harvey, Matthew Lloyd and Mark Ricciuto. Wayne Carey (born 27 May 1971 is a former Australian rules football player who played for North Adelaide in the SANFL, before joining Australian Football Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972 is a former champion Australian rules football player who played primarily as a Midfielder, for the Brisbane Robert Harvey may refer to Robert Harvey (footballer (born 1971 Australian rules footballer Robert Harvey (musician (born 1983 British Matthew James Lloyd (born 16 April 1978 is an Australian rules footballer who plays for and is captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football Mark Anthony "Roo" Ricciuto (born 8 June 1975 is an Australian rules football player who represented the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football
In 1999, the league sold Waverley Park stadium and used the funds in a joint venture to begin construction of a brand-new stadium situated at Melbourne's Docklands. Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park and then AFL Park) was an Australian rules football Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Docklands is a Coastal area within Melbourne, Australia. The league announced the last AFL State of Origin match (with Victoria thumping South Australia on a wet day at the MCG), its intentions to instead to focus on the new national league. This article is about the general concept of State of Origin For specific information on the annual series of Rugby league games in Australia see the Rugby League Finishing in sixth place at the end of the regular season, Carlton fought hard in the finals and recorded a remarkable one-point upset victory in the Preliminary Final against Essendon. In what was the final Grand Final of the 20th century, the Blues lined up against North Melbourne who the same year had renamed themselves as the "Kangaroos" in order to appeal to a national audience. A competitive game up to half time, the Roos, with thanks to Norm Smith Medallist Shannon Grant, ran away with the game and the premiership by 35 points. Shannon Grant (born 19 April 1977 is a retired Australian rules footballer who was known as one of the premier midfielders in the AFL.
2000s
The AFL logo was again changed in 2000, with a new look for the new millennium. The competition's two most bitter rivals, Collingwood and Carlton, signed off on the 1900s with the 'Millennium Match', played at the MCG on New Years Eve. Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football As a spectacle, the runners up in the previous season's Grand Final flogged the 16th placed Magpies, with Brendan Fevola supplying Blues fans with a taste of things to come, booting 12 goals. Brendan 'Fev' Fevola (born 20 January 1981 is an Australian rules footballer currently playing with the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League The first indoor AFL match was held at Docklands Stadium, now Telstra Dome, in round one of 2000. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment In the first game at the new venue, Essendon crushed Port Adelaide by 94 points. Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia It was a sign of things to come, as Essendon lost only one match for the entire season equaling Collingwood's team of 1929 (dubbed "The Machine"), and one of the highest percentages at 159. 1%. They faced Melbourne in the Grand Final and belted them by 60 points. This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. Skipper James Hird was awarded the Norm Smith Medal, capping off a fine season following three successive injury plagued campaigns; Matthew Lloyd took out the Coleman Medal after breaking the 100 goal barrier for the first time in his career, and Melbourne's previously unheralded Shane Woewodin was a surprise winner of the Brownlow Medal. James Alan Hird (born 4 February 1973 is a retired Australian rules footballer and the former captain of the Essendon Football Club. The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match Matthew James Lloyd (born 16 April 1978 is an Australian rules footballer who plays for and is captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year Shane Woewodin (born 12 July 1976 was an Australian rules football player who played 200 games with the Melbourne and Collingwood Football Clubs For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners.
Season 2001 was the first of several seasons of dominance by the non-Victorian teams. The Brisbane Lions won the first of their historic three successive premierships, becoming the first team north of the Murray River to win a premiership, and non-Victorian team to win more than two on the trot. Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane The changing of the guard from Essendon's dominance took place in a famed clash at the Gabba in round 10 with the Lions overcoming Kevin Sheedy's men by 28 points. Kevin John Sheedy AM (born 24 December 1947 was the coach of AFL club Essendon, and a former player for Richmond. It was the first of the Lions record 19 victories in succession. Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Richmond all made significant inroads in 2001, the Hawks falling short by a mere nine points against Essendon in the Preliminary Final, Trent Croad's shot for goal in the dying minutes looked destined to put the Hawks into the decider, before it swung into the goalpost. Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League. Trent Eric Croad (born 9 March 1980 in New Zealand) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Paul Barnard sealed the win, albeit an unconvincing one, with several Bombers heading into the Grand Final seven days later under injury clouds. Paul Barnard (born 13 February 1973 is a former Australian rules footballer who played from 1994 until 2003 After a closely contested first half, Brisbane streaked away in the third term to record a 26 point victory in the Grand Final, sparking jubilation from fans of Fitzroy and Brisbane Bears, who were finally brought together in arguably the spiritual completion of the 1996 merger. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League Rover Shaun Hart was awarded the Norm Smith Medal, Lion maverick Jason Akermanis took home the Brownlow Medal, whilst Lloyd was again the John Coleman Medallist, once more notching up his ton in the Qualifying Final, on this occasion against Richmond at the MCG. Shaun Hart (born 17 May 1971 is a three-time Australian Football League premiership-winning Utility player for the Brisbane Lions. Jason "Aka" Akermanis (born 24 February 1977 is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs. The season was also notable as it was the 45th and final season of the television broadcast rights remaining in the hands of Channel Seven, with Channels 9, 10 and pay-TV operator Foxtel granted the rights for 2002-2006. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group.
The 2002 season was one of the closest on record, with a change in the status quo taking place. Hawthorn and Richmond both missed out on their share in the September action, and Collingwood finally emerged from a seven year exile from finals action. Carlton, too, suffered from winds of change, winning the first Wooden Spoon in the club's history, a season which terminated the coaching career of Wayne Brittain, John Elliot's ruling as president, and paved the way for Denis Pagan to leave the Kangaroos for Optus Oval. Wayne Brittain is a former coach of the Australian Football League. John Elliot may refer to John Elliot (railway manager (1898&ndash1988 British transport and railway manager John Elliot (colonial governor Denis Pagan (born 24 September 1947 is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Brisbane, however, were at the peak of their powers, and along with Port Adelaide vied for top spot on the league table for much of the season, a battle resolved in the final round at AAMI Stadium, when Power onballer Roger James snapped the match winning goal with a minute remaining. Roger James (born 21 October 1975 is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. The season began in a media frenzy, with North Melbourne captain, and arguably the greatest footballer of the 1990s, Wayne Carey, quitting the Kangaroos after an off field uproar. Wayne Carey (born 27 May 1971 is a former Australian rules football player who played for North Adelaide in the SANFL, before joining Australian Football In the face of adversity, the Roos stuck tight, and the famed Shinboner Spirit continued to prosper, as veterans Anthony Stevens, Glenn Archer and David King helped propel their side back into the September action, only to have their year cut short by Melbourne in the Elimination Final, marking the end of John Blakey's career as a player, and Pagan's 10 year tenure at Arden Street. Anthony Stevens (born 2 July 1971 is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Glenn Archer (born 24 March 1973 is a retired Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne Football Club. David King (born 7 March 1972 is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club. John Blakey (born 24 July 1966 is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. The brave young Magpies began the season in strong form, before striking an end of season slump, which saw them win only one of their final four matches of the premiership season. The form table was swung dramatically in the first week of the finals, as they shell-shocked Port Adelaide in foreign territory in South Australia in the Qualifying Final. The Magpies were superb early, and held off a late Power surge to secure a home Preliminary Final. The win was achieved sans hamstrung skipper Nathan Buckley, with Paul Licuria admirably filling his sizeable breach with a heroic 40 disposals. Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972 is a former champion Australian rules football player who played primarily as a Midfielder, for the Brisbane Paul Licuria (born 4 January 1978 is an Australian rules footballer formerly in the Australian Football League. The Magpies had an unfortunate setback though, when courageous debutant Jason Cloke was suspended for two matches for a clumsy yet honest strike on Crow Tyson Edwards. Jason Cloke (born 6 May 1982 is an Australian rules footballer for Williamstown in the Victorian Football League. Tyson Caleb Edwards (born 6 August 1976 is an Australian rules footballer with the Adelaide Football Club. He was to miss the biggest day of the year, in a cruel twist of fate for a youngster who had not missed a match since his debut in round two against the Eagles. The Grand Final was an absorbing contest from start to finish, with Brisbane finishing the day only nine points ahead of Collingwood on a sodden, overcast day. Match Summary In a tight and overly enthralling exhibition of AFL football Brisbane withstood a brave challenge from Collingwood to win the 2002 AFL Grand Final by nine points The final margin was the largest of the entire match, making it one of the closest Grand Finals in history. It was the little known Magpie second tier which caught the Lions off guard early, the experienced bodies of Glenn Freeborn, Rupert Betheras and Steve McKee, combined with the strong tackling of Scott Burns unsettling the normally unflappable Lions. Glenn Freeborn (born 6 February 1973 was an Australian rules football player for both North Melbourne (1995-1998 and Collingwood (1999-2003 in the Australian Football Rupert James Betheras (born 23 November 1975 is an Australian rules footballer formerly playing in the Australian Football League. Steve McKee (born 20 June 1978 was an Australian rules football player for both Richmond (1998-1999 and Collingwood (2000-2004 in the Australian Football League. For the producer see Scott Burns (producer For the personal finance writer see Scott Burns (newspaper columnist For Not to be outdone, Brisbane ruckman Clark Keating rose to the fore following an injury to teammate Beau McDonald, controlling the centre bounces, while Nigel Lappin and Alistair Lynch threatened all afternoon. Clark Anthony Keating (born 19 March 1976 was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Beau McDonald (born 3 November 1979 is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Nigel Lappin (born 21 June 1976 is an Australian rules footballer. Alastair Graeme Lynch (born 19 June 1968 is an Australian Football League full forward from Burnie, Tasmania who had a highly-successful career despite However, the biggest battle was left to the two biggest names, opposing skippers Nathan Buckley and Michael Voss slugging it out for not only the Norm Smith Medal, but the flag itself. Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972 is a former champion Australian rules football player who played primarily as a Midfielder, for the Brisbane Michael Voss (born 7 July 1975 is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions and also a former Australian rules footballer usually playing midfield for Australian The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match Although Buckley finished the day with the Norm Smith dangling around his neck, it was Voss who held the "Holy Grail" aloft at the days end.
Season 2003 was, to an extent, a continuation of the previous season, in terms of form, however it was also a year of transition, when Andrew Demetriou was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the league, with Wayne Jackson (1997-2003) stepping down from his role. Andrew Demetriou (born 14 April 1961 is the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League and a former Australian rules footballer He is the son of Wayne Jackson (born 16 April 1944 is best-known for his tenure as the CEO of the Australian Football League 1996 to 2003 The season saw one highly emotional moment on 6 June, when Jason McCartney returned to play for North Melbourne after suffering life-threatening burns in the 2002 Bali bombing; he retired immediately after the game was won against Richmond. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Jason McCartney (born 14 March 1974 is a former Australian rules footballer and 2002 Bali bombing survivor The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The status quo remained at the top of the ladder, with Collingwood acting as the premiership favourite for much of the season, whilst Port Adelaide and Brisbane were snapping at their heels. At season's end, all six non-Victorian teams filled positions in the top eight, Collingwood (2nd) and Essendon (8th) the only teams from the "homeland" to keep a foothold in the helter-skelter of league football. The Magpies overcame their bogey side, the Lions, in a tense Qualifying Final, with thanks to Alan Didak's magical left foot goals late in the last quarter. Alan Didak (born 15 February 1983 is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Earning a two week break, the Magpies steamrolled the Power in the Preliminary Final to the tune of 44-points to book their second Grand Final in as many seasons, which was played against, once again, Brisbane. The Lions, after their defeat at the hands of the Magpies in the first week of the finals series, were forced to take the long road home, accounting for Adelaide on home soil before overrunning the Swans at Telstra Stadium. Sydney had earned their home Preliminary Final with their shock victory over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in the First Preliminary Final, a victory which ensured that the Power had much work to do to do away with their take as 'chokers'. Despite going in as favourites, and equipped with Brownlow Medallist Nathan Buckley, who shared it with Adelaide's Mark Ricciuto and Sydney's Adam Goodes, the Magpies Grand Final preparations were turned upside down by the suspension of their centre half forward, Anthony Rocca, who was booked and suspended for two weeks for striking Port's Brendon Lade the week prior. Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972 is a former champion Australian rules football player who played primarily as a Midfielder, for the Brisbane Mark Anthony "Roo" Ricciuto (born 8 June 1975 is an Australian rules football player who represented the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football Adam Goodes (born 8 January 1980 in Wallaroo South Australia) is an Australian rules football player and dual Brownlow Medal winner Anthony Rocca (born 15 August 1977 is an Australian rules footballer who has played with the Sydney Swans and Collingwood in the AFL. Brendon Lade (born 10 July 1976 on Kangaroo Island, Australia) is an Australian rules footballer Able to play as both a relieving ruckman Collingwood appeared to be all at sea on the biggest day of the year, in contrast to their efforts of the previous title tilt, the experienced Brisbane flogged the Magpies, winning their third consecutive premiership by 50-points, a win highlighted by a Grand Final record 39 disposals from Simon Black, and five incredible goals from livewire Jason Akermanis. Simon Black (born 3 April 1979 is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League. Jason "Aka" Akermanis (born 24 February 1977 is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs. Brisbane became the first team since Melbourne in the 1950s to win three consecutive premierships.
The 2004 season was another dominated by the non-Victorian teams, so much so that it was the first Grand final in history not contested by a Victorian team. The Brisbane Lions were out to get their fourth consecutive premiership, however it was Port Adelaide that took home the cup. The Power overran the tiring Brisbane outfit ending its reign as kings of the AFL jungle.
2005 saw a very defensive style of play dominate and the longest premiership drought in history broken. It was the first time in 72 years, and the first time since the relocated from South Melbourne, that Sydney Swans took home the cup. In a tightly fought contest from start to finish, Sydney defeated the West Coast Eagles by four points, one of the lowest scoring Grand Finals in history and the closest final scores since 1966, made possible by a memorable mark from Swan's defender Leo Barry in the dying seconds that halted a late charge by the Eagles. Leo Barry (born 19 May 1977 is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL with the Sydney Swans.
In 2006 there was the so-called Sirengate scandal, when the umpires failed to hear the final siren in the match between Fremantle and St. The AFL siren controversy of 2006 (dubbed Sirengate) surrounded the conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April Kilda at Aurora Stadium, Launceston. Before the on-field officials could be notified that the game should have ended, St. Kilda scored a behind to level the scores and force a draw. In the days that followed, Fremantle appealed and were awarded the game and full competition points. A series of new rule changes were introduced for the 2006 season intended to speed up the game, including allowing the ball to be brought back into play immediately after a point is scored (instead of waiting for goal umpires to wave their flag) and limiting the time allowed for players with a mark to kick for goal to 30 seconds. The Swans and Eagles had built a close rivalry with the Eagles beating the Swans during the season by only four points. In the first Qualifying final, Sydney took their revenge by earning a weeks rest by only one point. The Grand Final was another carbon copy, with the Swans and Eagles facing off again in the decider. This time it was the West Coast Eagles who triumphed by one point, exacting revenge on the Sydney Swans also for the 2005 Grand Final defeat.
In 2007, the Geelong Cats had one of the most dominating seasons in the competition's history. Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. After finishing the home and away season three games clear in first place, winning 19 of the last 20 matches including 15 in a row, having a record nine All-Australian players and winning most of the individual awards including the Brownlow Medal, AFL Rising Star, Leigh Matthews Trophy and the J. J. Liston Trophy (VFL B&F), they competed the finals series with only one close match. The All-Australian Team is an All star team of Australian rules footballers selected by a panel at the end of each season For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners. The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. The J J Liston Trophy is awarded to the Best and fairest senior player in the Victorian Football League (formerly the VFA) After doing away with an unexpected Kangaroos outfit in the first week, whom had been plagued with board instability and pressure to relocate to the Gold Coast, the Cats faced up against Collingwood two weeks later in the preliminary for a close fought match. The Magpie made it only by beating the Eagles in Perth the week before in extra time. The Grand Final then saw Geelong end their 44 year premiership drought with a record breaking 119 point victory over Port Adelaide with Steve Johnson winning the Norm Smith Medal. Port Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as simply Port or the Power is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia [10]
Future
In December 2007, the Kangaroos declined an AFL offer of subsidies to relocate to Queensland. The AFL then announced that the league would begin work on a 17th club, to open in Queensland (most likely based at Carrara Stadium with some home games at the Gabba) in 2010 or 2011, however the AFL signed an agreement with the Gabba and state government stating when the Gabba's capacity was increased that any new Queensland based club must be based there. Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of
In February 2008 the AFL announced plans to increase the competition to 18 clubs by 2012 with one team on the Gold Coast and one in Sydney's west, both areas with established National Rugby League teams are located and where rugby league is the most popular sport. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games [2] However, Tasmania has launched a bid for one of the two licenses on offer.
Individual awards
Major annual awards
- Brownlow Medal
- Coleman Medal
- AFL Rising Star
- Leigh Matthews Trophy
- AFLPA Awards
- Norm Smith Medal
- Jock McHale Medal
- Michael Tuck Medal
- AFL Mark of the Year
- AFL Goal of the Year
- AFL Army Award
- All Australian Team
- Club Best and Fairest Awards
Team of the Century
To celebrate the 100th season of the AFL, the "AFL Team of the Century" was named in 1996. For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners. The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. The Australian Football League Players' Association Awards are a group of awards given annually to players in the Australian Football League, voted for by all AFL players The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match The Jock McHale Medal is an award given to the coach of the winning premiership team in the Australian Football League. Since 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final The Mark of the Year (officially known as the Toyota AFL Mark of the Year) is an annual competition run by the Australian Football League (AFL that celebrates The Goal of the Year is a Competition for the best goals kicked in the VFL/AFL during that season In 2007 the Australian Football League inaugurated the AFL Army Award to recognise players who produce act(s of bravery or selflessness to promote the cause of his team during The All-Australian Team is an All star team of Australian rules footballers selected by a panel at the end of each season Best and Fairest (also known as Fairest and Best in some competitions notably the Australian Football League) is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe
| AFL Team of the Century | |||
| B: | Bernie Smith (Geelong) | Stephen Silvagni (Carlton) | John Nicholls (Carlton) |
| HB: | Bruce Doull (Carlton) | Ted Whitten (Footscray); Captain | Kevin Murray (Fitzroy) |
| C: | Francis Bourke (Richmond) | Ian Stewart (St Kilda/Richmond) | Keith Greig (North Melbourne) |
| HF: | Alex Jesaulenko (Carlton/St Kilda) | Royce Hart (Richmond) | Dick Reynolds (Essendon) |
| F: | Leigh Matthews (Hawthorn) | John Coleman (Essendon) | Haydn Bunton, Sr. (Fitzroy) |
| Foll: | Graham Farmer (Geelong) | Ron Barassi (Melbourne/Carlton) | Bob Skilton (South Melbourne) |
| Int: | Gary Ablett, Sr. (Hawthorn/Geelong) | Jack Dyer (Richmond) | Greg Williams (Geelong/Sydney/Carlton) |
| Coach: | Norm Smith(coached Fitzroy / Melbourne / South Melbourne) | ||
Jack Elder was declared the Umpire of the Century to coincide with the Team of the Century. In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Bernie Smith (19 December 1927 - 21 April 1985was an Australian rules footballer in the SANFL and VFL, who is perhaps best remembered as one of the Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. Stephen "SOS" Silvagni (born 31 May 1967 is a former Australian rules footballer for the Carlton Football Club. Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football John Nicholls (born 13 August 1939 is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton Football Club in the 1960s and 1970s In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Bruce Doull (born 11 September 1950 in Victoria Australia) is a former champion Australian rules football player who played for the Carlton Football Club Edward James 'Ted' Whitten (27 July 1933 - 17 August 1995 was an Australian rules football player The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL club based at the Whitten Oval in Kevin 'Bulldog' Murray (born 18 June 1938 was a champion Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Francis William Bourke (born 2 April 1947 is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1967 and 1981 for the Richmond Football Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League. Ian Harlow Stewart (born Ian Cervi 30 July 1943 son of Aldo Liberale Cervi and Anita Cervi (née Stewart who separated three years after his birth is a former Australian rules The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian Football League club based in Melbourne Victoria Australia Keith Greig (born 23 October 1951 played on the wing for the Australian rules football North Melbourne Football Club from 1971 to 1985 North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE (born 2 August 1945 Salzburg, Austria) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach Royce Desmond Hart (born 10 February 1948 is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football Richard Sylvannus Reynolds (20 June 1915 &ndash 2 September 2002 known as Dick Reynolds, the brother of Tom Reynolds, the cousin of Max Oppy, and Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM (born 1 March 1952 is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 John Douglas Coleman (28 November 1928 - 5 April 1973 was an Australian rules footballer and coach for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (now the Haydn William Bunton (5 July 1911 &ndash 5 September 1955 was an Australian rules football player In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Graham "Polly" Farmer (born 10 March 1935 Farmer said " If it had not been for Sister Kate I would have had an ice block's hope in hell of ever leading a normal life Ronald Dale Barassi Jr (born 27 February 1936 is a former Australian rules football player and coach This article is about the Australian rules club for the Football (soccer club see Melbourne Victory FC. Robert John (Bob Skilton (born 8 November 1938 was an Australian rules football player who played as a rover for South Melbourne and Victoria The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play Gary Robert Ablett senior (born 1 October 1961 After a disastrous debut season with Hawthorn, the Geelong Football Club managed to lure Ablett back John Raymond Dyer senior (13 November 1913 - 23 August 2003 always known as Jack Dyer, was one of the colossal figures of Australian rules football during Greg "Diesel" Williams (born 30 September 1963 is a former champion Australian rules footballer with the Sydney Swans, Geelong Football Club The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations Norman Walter "Norm" Smith (born 21 November 1915 at Clifton Hill Victoria died 29 July 1973 at Pascoe Vale Victoria was an Australian rules footballer and Jack Elder (born 1885 died 24 December 1944 was a former Australian rules football umpire who in 1996 was named as the VFL/ AFL 's Umpire of the Century Since the naming of this side, most AFL clubs have nominated their own teams of the century. An Indigenous Team of the Century was also selected in 2005, featuring the best Aboriginal players of the previous 100 years from both the VFL/AFL and other state leagues. The Australian rules football Indigenous Team of the Century was selected to recognise the role of Indigenous Australians in the sport
VFL/AFL records
- Highest winning margin in a grand final
119 points - Geelong 24. This is a list of records from the Australian Football League since its inception in 1897 (previously known as the Victorian Football League Australian rules football attendance records See also Spectator sport See also Sports attendances Australia Note Since the 19 (163) def Port Adelaide 6. 8 (44)
MCG, September 27, 2007 - Highest score
Geelong 37. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 17 (239) def Brisbane Bears 11. 9 (75)
Carrara Oval, May 3, 1992 - Highest winning margin
190 points - Fitzroy 36. Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) 22 (238) def Melbourne 6. 12 (48)
Waverley Park, July 28, 1979 - Highest aggregate score
52. Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park and then AFL Park) was an Australian rules football Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) 33 (345) - Melbourne 21. 15 (141) wdb St Kilda 31. 18 (204)
MCG, May 6, 1978 - Highest score in one quarter
South Melbourne - 17. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) 4 (106) vs. St Kilda 0. 0 (0) in 4th quarter
Lake Oval, July 26, 1919 - Largest crowd
Carlton v Collingwood - 121,696
MCG, September 26, 1970 (Grand Final) - Largest Home & Away Season crowd
Melbourne v Collingwood - 99,346
MCG, 1958 - Largest crowd for a game between a Victorian and non-Victorian club
Adelaide Crows v St Kilda Saints - 98,828
MCG, September 27, 1997 (Grand Final) - Largest crowd for a game between non-Victorian clubs
West Coast Eagles v Sydney Swans - 97,431
MCG, September 30, 2006 (Grand Final) - Largest International crowd
Melbourne v Sydney - 32,789
B.C. Place, Vancouver, Canada, 1987 - Most premierships
Carlton 16, most recent 1995, Essendon 16, most recent 2000 - Most last placed finishes at the end of the Home and Away Season
St Kilda - 27 - Most consecutive premierships
Collingwood - 4
1927-1930 - Most games won in a season
Essendon - 24 (incl. The Bob Jane Stadium (also known as Lakeside Stadium) is a Football (soccer Stadium in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. finals)
2000 - Most consecutive Grand Final appearances
Hawthorn (7 between 1983 and 1989) and Melbourne (7 between 1954 and 1960) - Most consecutive Finals appearances
Hawthorn (13 between 1982 and 1994) - Most consecutive Preliminary Finals appearances
North Melbourne (8 between 1993 and 2000) - Most consecutive wins
Geelong - 23
1952-1953 - Most consecutive games unbeaten
Geelong - 26
1952-1953 - Most consecutive losses
University - 51 (1911-1914) - Most games played in a career
Michael Tuck (Hawthorn) - 426 games - Most games as club captain
Stephen Kernahan (Carlton) - 226 games - Most goals in a career
Tony Lockett (St Kilda/Sydney) - 1,360 goals - Most goals in a game
Fred Fanning (Melbourne) - 18 goals - Most goals in a season
Bob Pratt (South Melbourne, 1934) and Peter Hudson (Hawthorn, 1971) - 150 goals - Most consecutive matches
Jim Stynes (Melbourne) - 244 - Most consecutive matches from debut
Jared Crouch (Sydney) - 194 (Ended Rd 13, 2006 due to unknown injury) - Tallest player
Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle), Peter Street (Western Bulldogs) - 211cm - Shortest player
James "Nipper" Bradford (Kangaroos/Collingwood) - 154cm - Heaviest player
Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle) - 124kg - Longest kick
Albert Thurgood (Essendon) - 98. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2000. Michael Tuck (born 24 June 1953 is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL with the Hawthorn Football Club. Stephen Kernahan is a former Australian rules footballer best known for his career with Carlton and Glenelg in the 1980s and 1990s Fred Fanning (born 5 November 1921 is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the VFL. Bob Pratt (31 August 1912 &mdash 6 January 2001 was a former Australian rules footballer from Mitcham Victoria. Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player considered one of the greatest Australian rules football Full-forwards Jim Stynes OAM (born 23 April 1966 is a well known Irish Australian who came to fame as a Gaelic footballer who converted to Australian rules football Jared Crouch (born 5 March 1978 is a South Australian Australian football player with the Sydney Swans of the AFL, who is colloquially known Aaron Sandilands (born 6 December 1982 is an Australian rules footballer At 211 cm (6' 11" tall and weighing 125 kg (273 lbs he is the equal tallest Peter Street (born 6 June 1980 in Tasmania) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Aaron Sandilands (born 6 December 1982 is an Australian rules footballer At 211 cm (6' 11" tall and weighing 125 kg (273 lbs he is the equal tallest Albert John "The Great" Thurgood (11 January 1874 &ndash 8 May 1927 was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League and the 48m (109 yards, 1 foot, 3. 2 inches) - Heaviest Suspension
Doug Fraser and Alex Lang (Carlton) - 99 matches (bribery) from 1910-1915 (John Bourke of Collingwood was suspended for 10 years plus 16 matches (numerous offences) in the reserves competition from 1985-1996) - Heaviest fine imposed on club
AUD$987,000 imposed on Carlton F. Alex 'Bongo' Lang (born 12 March 1888 was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Carlton Football Club in the VFL. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas C. 2002 (gross salary cap breaches) - Heaviest fine imposed on player
AUD$40,000 imposed on Simon Goodwin of Adelaide F. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Simon Goodwin (born 26 December 1976 is an Australian rules footballer captaining the Adelaide Football Club. C. 2007 (gambling on AFL matches)
Representative football
International
Each year, the AFL's representative team plays the Gaelic Athletic Association in a compromise rules game - International rules football - as part of the International Rules Series. The International Rules Series is a senior men's competition in International rules football played each October after the completion of the Australian Football League The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh International rules football (Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland is a hybrid This has been called off for a while because of incidents in the last few series involving players.
State
There is currently no official state representation for AFL players, but Interstate and State of Origin matches took place between 1879 and 1999. Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879 This article is about the general concept of State of Origin For specific information on the annual series of Rugby league games in Australia see the Rugby League Despite calls for the return of the concept [11], the popularity of the E. J. Whitten Legends charity event and the popularity of Rugby League State of Origin, a return of the representation series is an unpopular idea with the AFL clubs and ultimately unlikely as the competition becomes more national and the International Rules series continues. The E J Whitten Legends Game is an annual charity Australian rules football All-star game, State of Origin is an annual best-of-three series of Rugby league matches between the Maroons, representing the state of Queensland, and the Blues In recent years, the WAFC and SANFL have named symbolic State of Origin Teams of the Year, to publicly acknowledge the best AFL players from each state. The West Australian Football Commission is the governing body of Australian rules football in the state of Western Australia. Clubs Several clubs share their nicknames with AFL/VFL clubs This is purely coincidental the teams are not named after each other
The AFL has confirmed that there will be a 2008 State of Origin style match to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the codification of Australian rules football. It will be a Victoria V. All-Stars match (rather than the much-hoped traditional format i. e. Vic, Sa, WA, Tasmania) at the MCG during the first bye weekend of season 2008. Victoria will be coached by Geelong's 2007 premiership coach Mark Thompson and captained by Brisbane Lions star forward Johnathan Brown, whilst the All-Stars will be coached by Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams and captained by Adelaide's creative midfielder Andrew McLeod. Each side will be composed of 25 players rather than the usual 22 with 18 players on the field (the same amount as a normal match) and 7 on the bench (up 3 from a normal match). The AFL have stated that the chances of this match being repeated in the future (past the 150 years celebration of the game in 2008) is minimal.
Administration
The AFL Commission is responsible for the administration of the AFL. It was established in December 1985 after club parochialism and self interest threatened to undermine the competition. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)
The Commission's chairman is Mike Fitzpatrick, a former Subiaco and Carlton player, and the Chief Executive is Andrew Demetriou. Michael 'Mike' Fitzpatrick is an Australian businessman sporting administrator and former Australian rules footballer He is the current chairman of the Australian Andrew Demetriou (born 14 April 1961 is the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League and a former Australian rules footballer He is the son of After playing for North Melbourne and Hawthorn, Demetriou had a successful business career before returning to the football world as chief executive of the AFL Players Association. The AFL Players' Association or AFLPA is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players He then crossed to the AFL as Manager of Football Operations before succeeding Wayne Jackson.
The Commission's composition remains almost exclusively Victorian based with one exception, Bob Hammond from South Australia.
In addition to administering the national competition, the AFL is heavily involved in promoting and developing the sport in Australia. It provides funds for local leagues and in conjunction with local clubs, administers the Auskick program for young boys and girls. Auskick is a national program in Australia to develop and promote participation in Australian rules football by children
The AFL also plays a leading role in developing the game outside Australia, with projects to develop the game at junior level in other countries eg South Africa) and by supporting affiliated competitions around the world (See Australian football around the world). See also Countries playing Australian rules football See also Australian Football International Cup Australian rules football
The players of the AFL are represented by the AFL Players Association. The AFL Players' Association or AFLPA is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players
Audience
Attendance
The following are the most recent season attendances:
| Year | Home and Away | Average | Finals1 | Average1 | Grand Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 6,475,521² | 36,793 | 575,424 | 63,936 | 97,302 |
| 2006 | 6,204,056 | 35,250 | 532,178 | 59,131 | 97,531 |
| 2005 | 6,283,788 | 35,703 | 480,112 | 53,346 | 91,898 ³ |
| 2004 | 5,909,836 | 33,579 | 458,326 | 50,925 | 77,671³ |
| 2003 | 5,876,515 | 33,389 | 478,425 | 53,158 | 79,451³ |
| 2002 | 5,648,021 | 32,091 | 449,445 | 49,938 | 91,817 |
| 2001 | 5,919,026 | 33,631 | 525,993 | 58,444 | 91,482 |
| 2000 | 5,731,091 | 32,563 | 566,562 | 62,951 | 96,249 |
| 1999 | 5,768,611 | 32,776 | 472,007 | 52,445 | 94,228 |
| 1998 | 6,119,861 | 34,772 | 572,733 | 63,637 | 94,431 |
| 1997 | 5,853,449 | 33,258 | 560,406 | 62,267 | 99,645 |
| 1996 | 5,222,266 | 29,672 | 478,773 | 53,197 | 93,102 |
| 1995 | 5,119,694 | 29,089 | 594,919 | 66,102 | 93,670 |
1 Finals total and Finals average include Grand Final crowds. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2007. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2003. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2002. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2001. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2000. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1999. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1998. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1997. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1995.
² Record.
³ Capacity reduced due to MCG refurbishment.
Television
Australian television
The official free-to-air television partners of the AFL are the Seven Network and Network Ten. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. Network Ten, or Channel Ten, is one of Australia 's three major commercial television networks. They own the rights to all eight matches per round, but have on-sold four of those to pay-TV providers Foxtel and Austar, meaning only two are actually shown on each network. Foxtel is an Australian Pay television company formed through a joint venture between Telstra, News Corporation and Consolidated Media AUSTAR is an Australian Telecommunications company Its main business activity is Pay TV, although it is also involved with Internet access and Fox Sports shows the other four matches exclusively live across Australia and replays for all eight matches. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation
In a complicated arrangement, Seven holds exclusive rights to Friday Night Football in all the southern states where it is shown at 8:30pm local time. In Australia, Friday Night Football is the broadcasting of both the National Rugby League (NRL and Australian Football League (AFL Friday In NSW and Queensland (except Gold Coast region where it is shown live on Seven affiliate Prime Television), the game is broadcast live on Fox (effectively a fifth match) through the Main Event channel, and delayed on Seven at different times into different regions of the two states. Prime Television is an Australian television network owned by Prime Television Limited. Main Event is Australia 's only Pay-per-view channel It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar. Seven also shows the Sunday mid-afternoon game live or on delay depending on the market. Ten shows one Saturday afternoon and one Saturday night match live or on delay depending on the market, the same as under the previous deal. Fox however shares first choice of game for the "match of the day" Saturday afternoon and Saturday night matches, and have exclusive access to the early Sunday afternoon game and twilight Sunday game. In Victoria, if the early Sunday game is played at Canberra, Launceston or the Gold Coast, Seven replays the match at about 10. 30pm that night. South Australia and Western Australia also have the privilege of most of their local clubs' away matches being shown live or near live on FTA TV through Fox, even if Fox is scheduled to show it live. [12]
The Grand Final was broadcast on Ten in 2007, and alternate between the two FTA networks until 2011, meaning Ten will screen three Grand Finals to Seven's two. As a consolation, Seven screened the Brownlow medal count, the Pre-Season Grand Final and had their choice of the best finals throughout the finals series in the years they don't broadcast the Grand Final. For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners. The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Ten will have the same privilege in 2008 and 2010. [13]
Ten have discussed moving the traditional AFL Grand Final to a twilight time (5:00 P. M) to increase viewers. However, this is unlikely given community support is against any changes. Ten have also announced that their Saturday Night and Finals matches will be shown in full high definition.
Telecast history
Before 2001, Seven had the exclusive rights to the AFL for 45 years. The only year Seven didn't hold the rights was 1987, when the rights were bought by Broadcom, which on-sold the rights to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. Prior to this there were no exclusive television rights, and Seven shared the broadcast areas at venues with the ABC and also the Nine Network for a short period in the early 1970s. The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney The exclusive rights were won back by Seven in 1988 after Sportsplay went out of business. The games were also shown on C7 Sport through Optus and Austar but not Foxtel. C7 Sport was a pay-TV service in Australia owned and run by Kerry Stokes ' Seven Network.
In late 2000, the Seven Network's main rivals set up a consortium which won the rights. This resulted in matches being broadcast on Nine, Ten and Fox Footy Channel for the 2002-2006 seasons inclusive. The Fox Footy Channel was a channel exclusively dedicated to Australian rules football. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2002. Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006. Seven, however, purchased a guaranteed last rights bid which proved to be handy when the AFL invited bids for the rights to telecast the AFL after 2006. In January 2006, shortly after the death of media magnate Kerry Packer, a Seven/Ten alliance used Seven's last rights bid to match Nine's offer of $AUD 780 million for broadcast rights in what was the biggest sport telecasting deal in Australian history. Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC (17 December 1937 &ndash 26 December 2005 son of Sir Frank Packer, was an Australian publishing media and gaming tycoon
The Nine/Ten/Fox Footy consortium saw the AFL telecast regularly on pay-TV, with three matches per round shown un-interrupted. These included one Saturday afternoon, one Saturday night, and one Sunday match. Nine screened Friday Night Football and two matches on Sunday - the 1pm match live, and a 4pm match on delay - while Ten showed a Saturday afternoon and a Saturday night match, with the live or delayed status depending on the viewers location in the country. In Australia, Friday Night Football is the broadcasting of both the National Rugby League (NRL and Australian Football League (AFL Friday
Global telecasts
In 2007, after the record domestic television rights deal, the AFL secured an additional bonus, greater international television rights and increase exposure to overseas markets, including a 5 year deal with Setanta, and new deals with other overseas pay tv networks. [14]
The following countries are ranked by the approximate extent of their television coverage.
- Papua New Guinea - EM TV shows up to 3 games per week free-to-air, as does the Australia Network
- New Zealand - Sky Television Sport pay-TV shows up to 3 games live, highlights packages and AFL Grand Final live
- South East Asia - Australia Network shows highlights packages and some games free-to-air in some countries. Papua New Guinea (or ˈpæpjuːə in Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania EM TV is a commercial Television station in Papua New Guinea. The Australia Network, originally Australia Television and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a Free-to-air international satellite television service New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island SKY Network Television Limited () often trading as SKY is a New Zealand pay Television service The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in The Australia Network, originally Australia Television and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a Free-to-air international satellite television service
- Middle East - Australia Network shows highlights packages and some games free-to-air in some countries. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The Australia Network, originally Australia Television and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a Free-to-air international satellite television service In Israel Fox Sports Israel broadcasts highlights and the AFL Grand Final. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. See also Fox Sports (Australia and Fox Sports Net. Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company (part of The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in
- Indian subcontinent - Australia Network shows highlights packages and some games free-to-air in some countries. This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. The Australia Network, originally Australia Television and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a Free-to-air international satellite television service
- North America - The United States and Canada receive AFL telecast games but not on free-to-air channels. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In the 1980s, ESPN telecast a highlights package called Fosters Australian Rules, and late-night coverage of Australian football became a cult hit on what was then a fledgling network. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to Fox Soccer Channel carried the licence since 2003, but in 2006, announced it was dropping the coverage of AFL games so that it could focus on soccer. Fox Soccer Channel is a United States Digital cable network owned by News Corporation, that specializes in soccer. However, fellow niche-sports network Setanta Sports North America picked up the rights, and now shows live coverage of the AFL in the United States, featuring at least 3 live games per week. Setanta Sports North America is a television channel launched in 2005 by the Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports to offer live and tape-delayed events MHz Worldview also shows a telescoped "Game of the Week" (one of the Setanta games, with pregame, intermissions, and postgame edited out) on Monday nights and the one-hour highlights package on Wednesday afternoons, both on a one-week delay. MHz WorldView is an independent non-commercial television channel that broadcasts newscasts and other programs from around the world The AFANA is an organization aimed at increasing coverage in North America. The Australian Football Association of North America is a non-profit organization that formed out of the campaign to save Television coverage of Australian rules football
- Europe - Shows one live match on Eurosport 2, but is on pay tv. Eurosport 2 is a second channel of the three channels ( Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and Eurosport News) of the Eurosport.
- United Kingdom - AFL matches are not shown on free-to-air, however Sky Sports used to show a weekly highlights package with the Grand Final live. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located From 2007 Setanta Sports will show 2 or 3 live games, per week, during the season with a 1 hour highlights show. Setanta Sports (sɛˈtantə is a sports broadcaster based in Ireland, operating 12 channels in 24 countries
- Ireland - Setanta broadcasts 3 games per week live including all of the AFL Finals and the AFL Grand Final live. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in From 2008, selected NAB Cup games will be also live, while both Setanta and state broadcaster RTÉ televise the International Rules tests between Ireland and Australia. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian International rules football (Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland is a hybrid Irish language broadcaster TG4 airs highlights of the previous week's AFL matches free-to-air on Wednesdays. TG4 ( Spoken as TG Ceathair or TG a Ceathair; tiː dʒiː kʲahəɾʲ is a Television channel in Ireland, aimed
- Spain - Canal+ Spain shows highlights packages and delayed coverage of matches. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Canal+ is a Spanish pay television channel launched in September 1990 on Terrestrial television frequencies
Radio
The official radio broadcast partners of the AFL are Triple M - The Premier Radio Broadcast Partner of the Australian Football League, K-Rock - The Premier Radio Broadcast Partner of the Geelong Football Club, 3AW, ABC Local Radio, FiveAA, 6PR, SEN, and 989fm in Brisbane. Triple M is a network of radio stations owned by the Austereo Radio Network. 955 K-Rock (call sign 3CAT) is a commercial FM Radio station based in Geelong Victoria, Australia. 3AW is a Radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 KHz AM. ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned Radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. dmg Radio Australia operates commercial radio networks in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. Southern Cross Broadcasting (Australia Limited ( was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses SEN 1116 ( Callsign 3AK) the acronym standing for Sports Entertainment Network, is a commercial AM radio station based in Melbourne
Internet
The official internet/3G broadcast partner of the AFL is Bigpond. BigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a Subsidiary of Telstra. The AFL also provides exclusive broadband content including streaming video for international fans via its website. Bigpond also hosts the official websites of all the 16 AFL clubs excluding Essendon. BigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a Subsidiary of Telstra.
The service provided to international fans by Bigpond is very good. Video is available in as little as 12 hours after the game. Video quality is reasonable for internet protocol.
However, the website is frequently derided by users in Australia for its convoluted information architecture and bloated presentation. Information architecture ( IA) is the art of expressing a Model or Concept of Information used in activities that require explicit details Software bloat, also known as bloatware or elephantware, is a term used in both a neutral and disparaging sense to describe the tendency of newer Computer [15][16]
Corporate relations
Sponsorship
The following are the official naming sponsors of the VFL/AFL competition:
- Carlton & United Breweries (1980-81, 86, 89-94, 2001-03)
- Holden (1982-83)
- Nissan (1984-85)
- Sportsplay (1987)
- Elder's IXL (1988)
- Coca-Cola (1995-2001)
- Toyota (2004-present)
¹Note: In 2001 CUB and Coca-Cola were joint sponsors
Publishing and print
The official print broadcast partner of the AFL is News Limited. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest Carlton & United Beverages (formerly Carlton & United Breweries) is an Australian brewing company based in Abbotsford, Melbourne, Victoria GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. Elders Limited is an Australian based Agribusiness company It was founded in 1839 in South Australia by Alexander Lang Elder Coca-Cola is a carbonated Soft drink sold in stores restaurants and Vending machines in more than 200 countries (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. News Limited was the principal holding for the business interests of Rupert Murdoch until the formation of News Corporation in 1979 The AFL Record is a match-day magazine published by the AFL and is read by around 225,000 people each week www.aflpublishing. The AFL Record is the official program available at Australian Football League matches
Membership
The AFL sells memberships that entitle subscribers to reserve seats for matches at the Telstra Dome and Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment AFL members also receive priority access to finals. AFL Members can nominate a club to get priority Grand Final tickets.
Merchandising
The AFL runs a chain of stores that sell merchandise from all clubs. Merchandise is also available from other retailers.
AFL World
A modern museum called the Hall of Fame and Sensation opened in Melbourne in 2003 to celebrate the culture of the AFL and to provide a venue for the Australian Football Hall of Fame. The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996 the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of The museum, a licensed off-shoot of the AFL, was originally touted for the MCG, but the Hall of Fame failed to get support from the Melbourne Cricket Club. The new QV shopping centre on Swanston Street was then chosen as the location. However, controversy followed the appointment of an administrator as the museum began running at a loss. Many blamed high entry prices, which were subsequently reduced, and the museum remains open to the public. In early 2006 the name was changed to AFL World. It features various honour boards and memorabilia as well as a range of innovative interactive displays designed to immerse visitors in the experience of elite Aussie Rules.
Video games
These are computer/video games that were licensed to use the AFL / Australian Football sports brand:
- Australian Rules (1987) C64
- Aussie Rules Footy (1991) NES - first game to have Adelaide; three fictional teams are included
- AFL Finals Fever (1996) PC - first game to use Fremantle
- AFL '97 (1996) PC - last game to have Fitzroy
- AFL '98 (1997) PC/PS1 (PAL) - first game to have Port Adelaide
- AFL '99 (1998) PC/PS1 (PAL)
- Aussie Rules Coach (2001) PC
- Kevin Sheedy Coach (2002) PC
- AFL Live 2003 (2002) PC/PS2/Xbox (PAL)
- AFL Live 2004 (2003) PC/PS2/Xbox (PAL)
- AFL Live Premiership Edition (2004) PC/PS2/Xbox (PAL)
- AFL Premiership 2005 (2005) PC/PS2/Xbox (PAL)
- AFL Premiership 2006 (2006) PS2 (PAL)
- AFL Premiership 2007 (2007) PS2
Online AFL Games
- 1Seven Footy (2007) Flash
Gaming
The AFL is the subject of footy tipping and betting competitions around Australia run by individuals, syndicates, workplaces and professional bookmakers. The following is a list of all official computer games released in the sport of Australian rules football: Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Aussie Rules Footy is a Video game based on the Australian Sport Australian rules football, for the Nintendo Entertainment The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world AFL Live 2003 is a sport football/videogame for the Sony Playstation 2 and the Microsoft Xbox. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. AFL Live 2004 is the 2004 edition of the Australian rules football game for the PlayStation 2, PC and Xbox. AFL Live Premiership Edition is a video game for the Playstation 2 and Xbox and was released in 2004 AFL Premiership 2005 is the 2005 edition of the Australian rules football game for the PlayStation 2. AFL Premiership 2006 is a simulation game for the Playstation 2 based on the Australian Football League. AFL Premiership 2007 is a simulation game for Playstation 2 based on the Australian Football League. Footy tipping is a Betting pool based on a game of skill competition where competitors try to predict the winning teams in a round of games played each round during (usually A bookmaker, bookie or turf accountant, is an organization or a person that takes bets and pays winnings depending upon results and depending on the nature In recent years national website based tipping competitions have started to replace the traditional, but more labour intensive, office or pub run competitions.
Fantasy football competitions based on actual player statistics (number of kicks, marks, goals etc) are also very popular on websites and in newspapers.
References
- ^ V8 Supercars a TV ratings winner - Breaking News - Sport - Breaking News
- ^ a b AFL expansion: 18's enough?
- ^ Roos given 30 days to decide on relocation (November 1, 2007). Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Club members on the march. afl. com. au. Retrieved on 2008-05-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
- ^ Tasmanian AFL team
- ^ Reilly, Stephen. "Demons to sell more home games", The Age, 2004-06-04. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China.
- ^ AFL Current Players and Game Totals (2008). AboriginalFootball. com. au. Retrieved on 2008-3-23.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). The Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS) is Australia 's national statistical agency. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Australia. 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-11-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all
- ^ "ABN lookup", Aust Govt, April 8, 2007. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Witham, Jennifer; Drought over: Cats win by massive 119 points; AFL. com. au;29 September 2007
- ^ http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2004/07/07-0005
- ^ "More games, more viewers", Australian Football League, February 8, 2007. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ "Ten to screen 2007 GF", Sportal. com. au, December 21, 2006. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ AFL seals UK, US TV deal from heraldsun. com. au
- ^ New AFL Website - Whirlpool forums.
- ^ New AFL website - how bad is it? - BigFooty
See also
- List of Australian Football League grounds
- AFL footballers
- List of Australian Football League coaches
- List of Australian Football League premiers
- Australian Football League Pre-Season Cup Premiers
- List of Australian Football League night premiers
- List of VFL/AFL presidents
- List of Australian rules football incidents
- AFL Draft
- List of overseas-born AFL players
- List of VFL/AFL players by ethnicity
- Sports attendances
- Australian rules football in Australia
- List of sports venues in Australia
- Goal of the Year
- Mark of the Year
- AFL Heritage Round
External links
Statistics and Results
- AlltheStats
- Complete VFL/AFL results
- Final Siren with comprehensive AFL Statistics 1980-2008
- AFL Statistics by FootyWire
Major AFL news Sites
History
This is a list of current Australian Football League senior coaches. This page is a chronological listing of Australian Football League premiers. This is a listing of all presidents of the VFL / AFL: VFL/AFL Sir Kenneth Luke (1961-1971 Jack Collins The List of Australian rules football incidents is a collection of both on and off-field incidents that have received media coverage involving footballers from the Australian The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport the Australian The following is a list of Australian rules footballers to have competed in the Australian Football League (previously known as VFL) that were born in a country other This is a listing of Australian Football League (formerly known as the VFL) players listed by their families' country of origin (not to be confused with Ethnicity This article lists the attendances of many sports competitions around the world with the exception of those for Domestic Professional Leagues such as the NFL Australian rules football in Australia is a popular spectator and team sport which originated in Melbourne and has become an important part of Australian The following is a list of sports venues in Australia. Venues are listed here if they are a regular venue for An Australian national team ( cricket The Goal of the Year is a Competition for the best goals kicked in the VFL/AFL during that season The Mark of the Year (officially known as the Toyota AFL Mark of the Year) is an annual competition run by the Australian Football League (AFL that celebrates Heritage Round is a round of matches in the Australian Football League in which all the teams wear guernseys from their pastDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic