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. Australian Football League logo General description A 16-team, single division competition, the season is based around a 22-week "home-and-away" (regular) season 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. The regular season is preceded by the Wizard Cup, a pre-season, "night" competition. 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. Current teams Club City Home Ground* Adelaide Crows Adelaide, South Australia AAMI Stadium Brisbane Lions Brisbane, Queensland The Gabba Carlton Blues Melbourne, Victoria Optus Oval Collingwood Magpies Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground Essendon Bombers Melbourne, Victoria Telstra Dome Fremantle Dockers Fremantle, Western Australia Subiaco Oval Geelong Cats Geelong, Victoria Skilled Stadium Hawthorn Hawks Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground Kangaroos Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne Demons Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground Port Adelaide Power Adelaide, South Australia AAMI Stadium Richmond Tigers Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground St. Kilda Saints Melbourne, Victoria Telstra Dome Sydney Swans Sydney, New South Wales Sydney Cricket Ground West Coast Eagles Perth, Western Australia Subiaco Oval Western Bulldogs Melbourne, Victoria Telstra Dome (Note: Many clubs play several "home" matches at alternate grounds.) Former teams University (Withdrew in 1915) Fitzroy Lions (Merged with the Brisbane Bears after the 1996 season to form the Brisbane Lions) South Melbourne (Moved to Sydney in 1981 to become the Sydney Swans) Brisbane Bears (Merged with the Fitzroy Lions after the 1996 season to form the Brisbane Lions) 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 five 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 (Later additions:) Ian Stewart Peter Hudson Kevin Bartlett Barry Robran Bill Hutchison Team of the Century To celebrate the 100th season of the VFL/AFL, the "AFL Team of the Century" was named in 1996. See also Australian Rules Football List of footballers (Australian rules football) List of Australian Football League premiers Brownlow Medal Coleman Medal External links AFL Official Site Complete VFL/AFL results Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Football_League