List of Australian rules football clubs by date of establishment
Australian rules football clubs by date of establishment
* = defunct, disputed, poorly documented or dormant for a period.

List of Australian rules football clubs by date of establishment

Section Title: Australian rules football clubs by date of establishment
Table Section Text: * = defunct, disputed, poorly documented or dormant for a period.

Year	Date	Club (original name)	City	State/Country	Status/League	Note

1858	10 July	Melbourne Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League	Origins can be traced to an 1858 letter in which Tom Wills calls for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with the need of a "code of laws".

1859	<30 May	St Kilda Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	defunct	Not related to the current St Kilda Football Club (see South Yarra entry below).

15 June	Castlemaine Football Club*	Castlemaine	Victoria	Bendigo Football League	possibly dormant for periods

18 July	Geelong Football Club	Geelong	Victoria	Australian Football League	One of the founding members of both the VFA and VFL.

Melbourne University Football Club*	Melbourne	Victoria	VAFA	disbanded for some time after World War I, leaving the VFL, then reformed with multiple teams in the VAFA.

1860	26 April	Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Disbanded in 1893. Not to be confused with the present Adelaide Football Club.

20 May	Ballarat Football Club*	Ballarat	Victoria	Ballarat Football League	established as junior club. Senior club established in 1862

15 September	South Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Played its first game as a club on the 15th September against the North Adelaide Football Club.The first of two South Adelaide Football Clubs.

15 September	North Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Played its first game as a club on the 15th September against the South Adelaide Football Club.The first of three North Adelaide Football Clubs.

1861	3 June	Sandhurst Football Club	Bendigo	Victoria	Bendigo Football League	Alleged to have been founded by J.B. Thompson, one of the inventors of Australian rules football

1862	24 July	Modbury and Teatree Gully Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	South Australian Amateur Football League	The club accepted an invitation to play the Adelaide Football Club on the 24 July 1862. The club later split into the modern Modbury Football Club and Teatree Football Club.

Williamstown Club	Melbourne	Victoria	defunct	The first of two Williamstown clubs

1863*	Sydney University Australian National Football Club	Sydney	New South Wales	Sydney AFL	SUANFC claims to be a spin-off of Australia's oldest rugby union club, Sydney University Football Club, which experimented with Australian rules in its early years.

1864	South Yarra Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	defunct	Merged with the St Kilda Cricketers' Club in 1873 to form the present-day St Kilda Football Club.[1]

Williamstown Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Victorian Football League

July	Carlton Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League

1866	18 April	Kapunda Football Club	Kapunda	South Australia	Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association

22 May	Brisbane Football Club*	Brisbane	Queensland	defunct	Club disbanded in the late 1880s (precise date uncertain). No connection to Brisbane Bears or Brisbane Lions

1868	21 August	Gawler Football Club	Gawler	South Australia	defunct	Founded in 1868. Disbanded in 1890 to form the precursor to the Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association.

Woodville Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Club disbanded in 1877. Club with same name later formed in 1938.

Wharehousemen Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	defunct

1869	North Melbourne Football and Creswick Football Club	Melbourne and Creswick	Victoria	Australian Football League	Founded as the North Melbourne Football Club in 1869. Amalgamated with Albert Park to form Albert Park-North Melbourne in 1876.

1870	12 May	Port Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	Australian Football League and SANFL	Fielding teams in the SANFL since foundation and in the AFL since 1997. Only pre-existing non-Victorian club to be competing in the league.

Volunteer Artillery*	Brisbane	Queensland	defunct

Brisbane Grammar School Football Club'*	Brisbane	Queensland	defunct	New junior club established in 2005 to participate in Queensland Independent Schools Australian Football League

Civil Service Football Club*	Brisbane	Queensland	defunct

Ipswich Football Club*	Ipswich	Queensland	defunct

1871	Kensington Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Integral club to the codification of Australian rules in South Australia. Folded in 1881

Ararat Football Club*	Ararat	Victoria	now Wimmera Football League

1872	Lilydale Football Club	Lilydale	Victoria	1st Div Eastern Football League	Formerly Yarra Valley Football League, Mountain District Football League, Eastern Districts Football League

1873	Essendon Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League	16 VFL/AFL premierships

2 April	St Kilda Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League

Hawthorn Football Club*	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League	The continuity of clubs with this name is disputed. The existing Hawthorn Football Club is purported to have formed in 1901.

1874	29 May	Willunga Football Club	Willunga	South Australia	Great Southern Football League	1877 foundation member of SAFA – which became SANFL.

8 June	Rochester Football Club	Rochester	Victoria	Goulburn Valley Football League

South Melbourne Football Club	South Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League	now Sydney Swans

Port Melbourne Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Victorian Football League

Penshurst Football Club	Penshurst	Victoria	Mininera & District Football League

1875	Victorian Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Folded in 1884.

16 July	Launceston Football Club	Launceston	Tasmania	Tasmanian Football League

1876	South Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	SANFL	Merged with a club of the same name to form the modern club in 1876

Inglewood Football Club	Inglewood	Victoria	Loddon Valley Football League

Heidelberg Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Northern Football League

Winchelsea Football Club	Winchelsea	Victoria	Geelong & District Football League

1877	Britannia Football Club	Collingwood	Victoria	defunct	Colours were blue, red and white. Played their first games in 1878.

Bankers Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	defunct	Weak fledgling club that was a founding member of the SAFA. Folded at the end of 1877.

Beechworth Football Club	Beechworth	Victoria	Tallangatta & District Football League

1878	Norwood Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	SANFL

West Melbourne Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	defunct	merged with North Melbourne Football Club

New Norfolk District Football Club	New Norfolk	Tasmania	Southern Football League (Tasmania)

1879	27 March	Reform Football Club	Wellington	New Zealand	defunct

1880	East Sydney	Sydney	New South Wales	Defunct

1881	Murchison Football Club	Murchison	Victoria	Kyabram District Football League

North Hobart Football Club	Hobart	Tasmania	Tasmanian Football League

Sydney	Sydney	New South Wales	defunct	Disbanded in 1954.

1882	April	Rovers Football Club	Perth	Western Australia	defunct	Started as a rugby club but switched to Australian rules in 1885. Inaugural premiers of the WA competition in 1885 and again in 1891.

April	Fremantle Football Club*	Fremantle	Western Australia	defunct	No relation to the present-day club by the same name. Formed as a rugby club but switched to Australian rules in 1885.

Unions Football Club*	Fremantle	Western Australia	defunct	formed as a rugby club in 1882, Unions switched to Australian rules in 1885 and would win 10 premierships in the early days of the WA league.

September	Fitzroy Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	VAFA	playing operations merged with the Brisbane Bears in 1996, but the club continues to trade as standalone entity

1883 / pre 1877	Footscray Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League	The clubs name remains the Footscray Football Club Pty Ltd but now trades & is known as "Western Bulldogs". The letter FFC can still be located near the neck on the back of the jumpers identifying the clubs true name.

1885	Richmond Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League

Victorians Football Club	Perth	Western Australia	West Australian Football League	In 1889, the club merged with the West Australian Football Club and became Metropolitans. In 1891 it became West Perth, the name by which it is still known.

Rosewater Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	South Australian Amateur Football League

1887	Kermandie Football Club	Geeveston	Tasmania	Huon Football Association

1888	Healesville Football Club	Healesville	Victoria	Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League

1889	Cranbourne Football Club	Cranbourne	Victoria	Casey Cardinia Football League

1891	Cheltenham Football Club	Cheltenham	Victoria	Southern Football Netball League

1892	12 February	Collingwood Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Australian Football League	VFA 1892–1896; VFL/AFL 1897– 15 VFL/AFL Premierships A meeting was held at the Collingwood town hall on Friday 12 February 1892 to announce the foundation of the Collingwood Football Club.

Corryong Football Netball Club*	Corryong	Victoria	Upper Murray Football League	UMFL: 31 Premierships (1893–1915; 1918–1940; 1945–present)

Cudgewa Football Netball Club*	Cudgewa	Victoria	Upper Murray Football League	UMFL: 29 Premierships (1893–1915; 1918–1940; 1945–present)

Federal Football Netball Club*	Corryong	Victoria	Upper Murray Football League	UMFL: 26 Premierships (1893–1915; 1918–1940; 1945–present)

1893	North Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	SANFL	SAFA/SANFL (1893–present): 13 premierships, Champions of Australia (1972)

1896	Albury Football club	Albury	New South Wales	Ovens and Murray League

1897	South Bunbury Football Club	Bunbury	Western Australia	SWFL	South West Football League

1898	East Fremantle Football Club*	Fremantle	Western Australia	West Australian Football League	WAFA/WAFL/WANFL (1898–present): 29 premierships

1900	20 April	South Fremantle Football Club	Fremantle	Western Australia	West Australian Football League	WAFL 1900–current 13 WAFL Premierships

1901	Sturt Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	SANFL

1901	Walkerville Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	South Australian Amateur Football League

1903	North Shore Football Club	Sydney	New South Wales	Sydney Australian Football League

1910	Yeronga Football Club	Brisbane	Queensland	AFLQ State Association	Originally known as South Brisbane[2]

1911	Carrum Football Club	Carrum	Victoria	defunct	Went into recess in 1996. Reformed in 2013 as the Carrum Patterson Lakes Football Club (See entry below)[3]

1913	Heatherton Football Club	Heatherton	Victoria	Southern Football League	Originally named the Heatherton Freighters they are now known as the Tunners[4]

1918	Murrumbeena Football Club	Melbourne	Victoria	Southern Football League	The club began as an Under 18 team in 1918, playing in the Caulfield-Oakleigh-Dandenong Junior Football League. [5]

1921	Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club	Oxford	United Kingdom

1924	Mayne Australian Football Club	Everton Hills	Queensland	AFLQ State Association (division 2)	formed as a junior club and became senior club in 1925

1926	Colonel Light Gardens Football Club	Mortlock Park Colonel Light Gardens	South Australia	SAAFL

1935	April	Coorparoo Australian Football Club	Brisbane	Queensland	QANFL, QAFL	Seniors folded in 1995 but the Junior club still operate out of Giffin Park.

1947	Morningside Australian Football Club	Brisbane	Queensland	AFLQ State League	[6]

1956	University of Queensland Australian Football Club	Brisbane	Queensland	AFLQ State Association	[7]

1961	Southport Australian Football Club	Southport	Queensland	AFLQ State League	[8]

1970	4 October	Coolaroo Football Club	Toowoomba	Queensland	AFL Darling Downs	1971–present: AFL Darling Downs (8 Premierships: 1975, 2001–2005, 2009, 2013)

Broadbeach Australian Football Club	Broadbeach	Queensland	AFLQ State League	[9]

Mount Gravatt Australian Football Club	Brisbane	Queensland	AFLQ State League

1971	Dysart Australian Football Club*	Dysart	Queensland	Central Queensland Highlands AFL Defunct League	Club still continues but has no league to play in

1972	West Bundaberg Bulldogs AFC	Bundaberg	Queensland	AFL Wide Bay	Now known as Brothers Bulldogs Bundaberg (1996-)

1977	Hervey Bay AFC	Hervey Bay	Queensland	AFL Wide Bay	Started as Seahawks – now Bombers (1985-)

Maryborough AFC	Maryborough	Queensland	AFL Wide Bay	Started as Tigers – now Bears(1995-)

1981	Brothers Rockhampton Roos AFC	Rockhampton	Queensland	AFL Capricornia

1986	Brisbane Bears	Brisbane	Queensland	Australian Football League	1987–1996, then merged with Fitzroy to form the Brisbane Lions

West Coast Eagles	Perth	Western Australia	Australian Football League	1987–current, 4 premierships

1990	Adelaide Football Club	Adelaide	South Australia	Australian Football League	1990–current, 2 premierships

1995	Fremantle Football Club	Fremantle	Western Australia	Australian Football League	1995–current

1996	Brisbane Lions	Brisbane	Queensland	Australian Football League	1997–current, merger of Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears

Cincinnati Dockers	Cincinnati	United States	United States Australian Football League

Louisville Kings	Louisville	United States	United States Australian Football League

Peel Thunder	Mandurah	Western Australia	West Australian Football League	1997–current

1997	Across The Waves Bundaberg Eagles	Bundaberg	Queensland	AFL Wide Bay	Merger of Norths and Souths

Boston Demons	Boston	United States	United States Australian Football League

Nashville Kangaroos	Nashville	United States	United States Australian Football League

North Carolina Tigers	Raleigh	United States	United States Australian Football League

Saint Louis Blues	St. Louis	United States	United States Australian Football League

San Diego Lions	San Diego	United States	United States Australian Football League

2001	Belfast Redbacks	Belfast	Northern Ireland	Australian Rules Football League of Ireland

2004	Bay Power	Hervey Bay	Queensland	AFL Wide Bay	Replacement Club for Fraser Coast

2009	Greater Western Sydney Giants	Sydney	New South Wales	Australian Football League	Formed in 2009, but the team did not officially make its debut into AFL until the start of season 2012.

Gold Coast Suns	Gold Coast	Queensland	Australian Football League	2009-current

2013	Carrum Patterson Lakes Football Club	Carrum	Victoria	Southern Football League	Takes on the history of the Carrum Football Club Est. 1911.

Sentence(s)

Geelong is home to the Geelong Football Club of the Australian Football League team. They are the second-oldest AFL club.

final_sentence: Geelong is home to the Geelong Football Club of the Australian Football League team. They are the second-oldest AFL club.