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List of VFL/AFL premiers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
![A medal inscribed with "Carlton Football Club, V.F.L. Premiers 1907"](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/1907_premiership_medal_N._C._Clark_Vice_capt_mossgreen_coll_Capture.jpg/320px-1907_premiership_medal_N._C._Clark_Vice_capt_mossgreen_coll_Capture.jpg)
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 Gold Coast, Fremantle 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]