Australia's richest sports league began as a breakaway over sharing gate money
In 1896 six of Victoria's strongest football clubs faced a proposal to split gate takings equally with weaker teams that drew smaller crowds. Rather than vote, they walked out and formed their own league. That Victorian Football League is now the AFL, the country's wealthiest sporting competition.
Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne led the secession from the Victorian Football Association, bringing in Carlton and St Kilda to help found the new body. Its first season in 1897 introduced two lasting ideas: a finals series to decide the premiership instead of simply crowning the best record, and the scoring system that awards six points for a goal and one for a behind.
Growth came in stages. Richmond and University joined in 1908, and payment of players beyond expenses was allowed from 1911. University, stubbornly amateur and more focused on study, lost 51 matches in a row and left after 1914. Three more clubs crossed from the Association in 1925, and between 1927 and 1930 Collingwood won four straight premierships, a feat no club has matched. Melbourne, coached by Norm Smith with Ron Barassi starring, reached seven consecutive grand finals from 1954.
Television reshaped the game. Final-quarter broadcasts began in 1957, but the league banned coverage entirely for 1960 after crowds fell. A purpose-built stadium at Mulgrave, planned for 155,000, opened in April 1970 holding 78,000. That September, Carlton overturned a 44-point half-time deficit against Collingwood before a record 121,696 spectators. A rival night competition from 1977 helped the league outmanoeuvre the national governing body.
Expansion beyond Victoria in the 1980s prompted the change of name in 1990. The league now has 18 clubs across all five mainland states, with Tasmania due to become the 19th in 2028, and it has staged premiership matches in New Zealand and China. Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon share the record of 16 premierships each.
Source: Australian Football League
