Australian Football League
(This is a page about the national league in Australian Rules Football. For information about the rules and history of the game see the Australian Rules Football page.)
The Australian Football League is the elite, national competition in Australian Rules Football. It was formed through the expansion of the Victorian Football League, during the 1980s and 1990s.
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2 AFL/VFL Hall of Fame 3 Other VFL/AFL identities 4 See also 5 Outside Links |
General description
A 16-team, single division competition, the season is based around a 22-week "home-and-away" (regular) reason starting in March through to August. The top eight teams play off in a series of finals culminating in the Grand Final, always held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and usually held on the last Saturday in September.
In Victoria, where a majority of teams are still based and in the traditional Australian Rules football states of South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, much of the citizenry takes an obsessive interest in the competition. Massive crowds attend many of the games.
All players are now full-time professionals; however, since only a few elite players can expect to earn enough to support themselves for the rest of their lives, many study during their playing careers. The clubs, whilst still owned by their large membership base, are large businesses.
AFL/VFL Hall of Fame
For the centenary of the VFL/AFL in 1997, a Hall of Fame was formed. That year 136 Australian Rules identities were inducted, including 100 players, 10 coaches, 10 umpires, 10 administrators and 6 media representatives. "Legend of the Game" status was conferred on 12 players and another four in following years.
The original legends (in alphabetical order):
- Ron Barassi Junior
- Haydn Bunton Senior
- Roy Cazaly
- John Coleman
- Gordon Coventry
- Jack Dyer
- Graham Farmer
- Leigh Matthews
- John Nicholls
- Bob Pratt
- Dick Reynolds
- Bob Skilton
- Ted Whitten Senior
- Ian Stewart
- Peter Hudson
- Kevin Bartlett
- Barry Robran
- Bill Hutchison