Eight clubs founded the Victorian Football League in 1896.
The breakaway competition was created by eight prominent Victorian clubs: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda, and South Melbourne. The league began playing in 1897 and became the leading competition in Victoria.
The VFL was formed after disagreements within the Victorian Football Association about administration, scheduling, and the financial demands placed on clubs. Its new structure helped establish a more powerful and commercially organised competition.
The league later expanded beyond Victoria and changed its name to the Australian Football League in 1990. Several founding clubs remain in the modern AFL, although South Melbourne relocated to Sydney and became the Sydney Swans.