AFL history

The history of Australian Rules Football is a long and slightly twisted journey to arrive at the game we now see.
In 1857, Tom Wills returned from England and formed the game, along with H.C.A. Harrison, W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson, to keep cricketers fit over the off season in winter.

On August 7th 1858 The Melbourne Football Club was formed. In the year of 1858 there was the first ever match between Scotch Collage and Melbourne Grammar.

Later in 1859 the Geelong Football club was formed and the game got bigger bringing in improved rules around 1866. In 1896 the Victorian Football League was formed. The League consisted at the time of 8 clubs which where Carlton, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne, St.Kilda and South Melbourne. Richmond Uni joined the league in 1908 but later left. Then in 1925 Hawthorn, Footscray (modern day Western Bull Dogs) and North Melbourne joined the League.

Later with the growth of the popularity of the sport, the VFL needed to be bigger and cater to people from all around Australia so in 1897 the AFL was born. The first team from another state was Brisbane bears, who later merged with fitzroy then become Brisbane lions.

Since then the number to teams increased with Richmond, Adelaide crows, Port Adelaide, west coast eagles, Sydney swans, Fremantle and in most recent years Gold Coast suns and Greater Western Sydney giants.