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List of VFL/AFL premiers

A medal inscribed with "Carlton Football Club, V.F.L. Premiers 1907"
A premiership medal awarded to Norm Clark in 1907

This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1989, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football.[1]

The inaugural premiership was awarded as a result of a round-robin finals system;[2] this format was replaced after the first season, and a grand final has been held every season since 1898 to determine the premiers,[3] with the exception of 1924 when a modified round-robin system was used.[4][5] The formation of a national competition, beginning in 1987,[6] has resulted in the league attempting to develop "an even and stable competition"[7] through a range of equalisation policies, such as a salary cap and draft (introduced in 1985 and 1986, respectively).[7][8] This has had a significant impact on the spread of premierships: since 1990, thirteen clubs have won a premiership,[9] compared with only five clubs between 1967 and 1989.[10]

Three clubs, Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon, have won the most VFL/AFL premierships, with 16 each.[11] All teams currently competing in the AFL except Fremantle, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney (three of the four newest clubs) have won a premiership, and all except Gold Coast have played in a grand final.[12]

  1. ^ McFarlane, Glenn (9 June 2016). "AFL allows clubs to include VFA flags in their own VFL-AFL premiership records". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  2. ^ "1897 Premiership". essendonfc.com.au. Essendon Football Club. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  3. ^ McGarry, Andrew (29 September 2017). "Adelaide, Richmond to make AFL grand final history, with no players having previous experience". ABC News (Australia). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Essendon premiers". The Argus. Melbourne. 29 September 1924. p. 14. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "1924 Premiership". essendonfc.com.au. Telstra Media. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Chronology of Australian Football". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b "NAB AFL Draft". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League & BigPond. 10 February 2002. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  8. ^ Warner, Michael; Ralph, Jon (11 July 2012). "Stars say salary cap is old hat, urge AFL to look to US". news.com.au. News Limited. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  9. ^ Rise, Brayden (8 May 2018). "The best two clubs of the AFL era (and no, neither is Hawthorn)". The Roar. Conversant Media. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  10. ^ "An object lesson in the perils of hindsight". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. 2 October 2003. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  11. ^ Lerner, Ronny (22 October 2017). "The race for AFL premiership No.17 between Essendon and Carlton has resumed". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  12. ^ Lerner, Ronny (8 January 2019). "Record premiership droughts spurring AFL clubs in 2019". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.

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