Changing Leagues?
Over the last 150 years Australian Rules Football has been nurtured
by several states, particularly the State of Victoria.
The game has undergone many transitions in name and rules.
The Victorian Football Association, as it was originally originated in a
game on August 7th, 1858 between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar in
Melbourne. In 1897 the name was changed to Victorian Football League (VFL) and
later leagues sprang up in South Australia with the SANFL and Western Australia with WAFL which were peers to the VFL. As the result of the interstate match might indicate the code prospered more in Victora and after the spread of the VFL
interstate in the 1980s the organisation became the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990.
As amusing aside: the change to the AFL meant that the official proponents of Australian Rules Football then had the same initials as the official non-proponents of Australian Rules Football, the Anti-Football League, founded by journalist Keith Dunstan on 16th April 1967 and still going. This has never caused any confusion, but probably demonstrates that in all things there will be balance!
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