This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

(AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1990, is the elite national competition in men's

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

. The inaugural premiership was awarded as a result of a round-robin finals system; this format was replaced after the first season, and a

grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

has been held every season since 1898 to determine the premiers, with the exception of 1924 when a modified round-robin system was used. The formation of a national competition, beginning in 1987, has resulted in the league attempting to develop "an even and stable competition" through a range of equalisation policies, such as a salary cap and draft (introduced in 1985 and 1986 respectively). This has had a significant impact on the spread of premierships: since 1990, thirteen clubs have won a premiership, compared with only five clubs between 1967 and 1989. Two clubs, and , have won the most VFL/AFL premierships, with sixteen each. Every team currently competing in the Australian Football League, with the exception of , has made a grand final; only , Gold Coast and – three of the competition's four newest teams – are yet to win a premiership.

List of premiers

Premierships by club

Minor grade premierships

In addition to the seniors, VFL/AFL clubs have competed in premierships in three minor grades: * ''VFL/AFL Seconds/Reserves premierships: 1919–1999'' * ''VFL/AFL Thirds/Under-19s premierships: 1946–1991'' * ''VFL/AFL Night premierships: 1956–1971, 1977–2013''

VFL/AFL Seconds/Reserves premierships

The reserve grade premiership was held in various formats between 1919 and 1999. It was known as the Victorian Junior Football League from 1919 until 1923, the Seconds from 1924 until 1959, the VFL Reserves from 1960 until 1989, and as the AFL reserves from 1990 until 1999. Until 1991, the competition was run by the VFL/AFL, and from 1992 until 1999 it was administered by the Victorian State Football League. *1919 Collingwood (1) *1920 Collingwood (2) *1921

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

(1) *1922 Collingwood (3) *1923

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

(1) *1924

((2) *1925 Collingwood (4) *1926 Carlton (1) *1927 Carlton (2) *1928 Carlton (3) *1929

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

(1) *1930

((3) *1931

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

(1) *1932

(2) *1933

(3) *1934

(4) *1935

(5) *1936 Footscray (1) *1937

(4) *1938

(5) *1939

(6) *1940 Collingwood (5) *1941

(2) *1942 St Kilda (1) *1943 St Kilda (2) *1944 Fitzroy (1) *1945 Footscray (2) *1946

(2) *1947

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at ...

(1) *1948

(6) *1949

(7) *1950

(3) *1951 Carlton (4) *1952

(4) *1953 Carlton (5) *1954

(3) *1955

(4) *1956

(8) *1957

(2) *1958

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

(1) *1959

(2) *1960

(7) *1961 St Kilda (3) *1962 Footscray (3) *1963

(8) *1964

(9) *1965 Collingwood (6) *1966

(5) *1967

(3) *1968

(5) *1969

(9) *1970

(10) *1971

(6) *1972

(3) *1973

(7) *1974 Fitzroy (2) *1975

(10) *1976 Collingwood (7) *1977

(8) *1978

(4) *1979

(5) *1980

(11) *1981

(12) *1982

(13) *1983

(6) *1984

(11) *1985

(4) *1986 Carlton (6) *1987 Carlton (7) *1988 Footscray (4) *1989 Fitzroy (3) *1990 Carlton (8) *1991

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

(1) *1992

(7) *1993

(12) *1994 Footscray (5) *1995

(6) *1996

(7) *1997

(9) *1998

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

(6) *1999

(8) Source where unlisted

VFL/AFL Thirds/Under-19s premierships

The VFL/AFL's Under-19s competition was held between 1946 and 1991. It was known as the VFL Thirds from 1946 until 1959, and as the Under-19s from 1960 until 1991. *1946

(1) *1947

(1) *1948 Carlton (1) *1949 Carlton (2) *1950

(1) *1951 Carlton (3) *1952

(2) *1953

(2) *1954 Footscray (1) *1955 Fitzroy (1) *1956

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at ...

(1) *1957 St Kilda (1) *1958

(1) *1959

(3) *1960 Collingwood (1) *1961

(4) *1962

(1) *1963 Carlton (4) *1964

(3) *1965 Collingwood (2) *1966

(5) *1967

(2) *1968

(3) *1969

(4) *1970

(5) *1971

(4) *1972

(1) *1973

(6) *1974 Collingwood (3) *1975

(7) *1976

(2) *1977

(8) *1978 Carlton (5) *1979 Carlton (6) *1980

(9) *1981

(5) *1982 Fitzroy (2) *1983

(6) *1984

(3) *1985

(10) *1986 Collingwood (4) *1987

(4) *1988

(5) *1989

(11) *1990

(6) *1991

(7) Source

VFL/AFL Night premierships

The pre-season and night premiership covers three competitions which are considered historically equivalent in status: *

VFL Night Series The Victorian Football League night series, also known during its history by a variety of sponsored names, was an Australian rules football tournament held annually between 1956 and 1971, and again on three occasions in the late 1970's and 1980' ...

, a consolation competition played amongst non-finalists between 1956 and 1971. * Australian Football Championships Night Series, a mid-season knock-out competition played concurrently with the premiership and involving teams from interstate, played between 1977 and 1987. * Australian Football League pre-season competition, played before each season from 1988 until 2013. For a list of premiers in these competitions, see list of VFL/AFL pre-season and night series premiers.

Notes

* In these cases, had the other team won the match, a rematch would have been played the following weekend. * was known as South Melbourne prior to relocation in 1982. * was known simply as the Kangaroos from 1999 to 2007. * was known as Footscray prior to 1997.

References

Sources

Australian Football League

Full Points Footy

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Australian Football League Premiers Australian Football League Premiers Australian Football League premiers