The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national league in the sport of Australian Rules Football. The league is the most popular sports competition in Australia. In 2017, more than 7.2 million people watched a game in a stadium.

The league started in the city of Melbourne, and was known as the Victorian Football League from 1897 to 1989. In the 1980s, the league expanded outside the state of Victoria into New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and entered South Australia in 1991. With the league becoming more national, the VFL changed its name to the Australian Football League in 1990.

Since 2012 the league has 18 teams, who play against each other in 22 games over 23 rounds between late March and early September. These matches are followed by a series of finals matches which end up in the two best teams playing off for the premiership in the AFL Grand Final, one of the largest domestic club championship events in the world.

The chief executive, titled "Commissioner", is Gillon McLachlan.

The clubs

National Competition 
Since the 2012 season, there are nine clubs from Melbourne, one from Victoria's second largest city, Geelong, two teams from South Australia's capital of Adelaide, two from the Perth area in Western Australia, two from Queensland and two from Sydney, New South Wales.

AFL is the dominant league in television, print and radio news in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Also Australian rules football has more people playing than any other football code in these states and territories.

The AFL is becoming more popular in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. This happened after the finals wins by the Brisbane Lions (2001, 2002 and 2003) and Sydney Swans (2005). With the success of these sides, interest in Australian rules football has grown rapidly in these states in recent years. This directly led to new clubs being added in both states in the 2010s—Gold Coast in 2011 and Greater Western Sydney in 2012.

Major annual awards 

 Brownlow Medal
 Coleman Medal
 AFL Rising Star
 Leigh Matthews Trophy
 Norm Smith Medal
 Jock McHale Medal
 Michael Tuck Medal
 AFL Mark of the Year
 AFL Goal of the Year
 All Australian Team 
 Club Best and Fairest Awards

Present teams 

|-
! Club
! Nickname
! City
! Home Ground
! Entered Competition
! No. of Premierships
! Notes
|-
| Adelaide Football Club
| Crows
| Adelaide, South Australia
| Adelaide Oval
| 1991
| 2
| 
|-
| Brisbane Lions Football Club
| Lions
| Brisbane, Queensland
| Brisbane Cricket Ground (The 'Gabba)
| 1997
| 3
| Club formed after merger of Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy Football Club in 1996.
|-
| Carlton Football Club
| Blues
| Carlton, Victoria
| Etihad Stadium/Melbourne Cricket Ground
| 1897
| 16
|
|-
| Collingwood Football Club
| Magpies
| Collingwood, Victoria
| Melbourne Cricket Ground
| 1897
| 15
|
|-
| Essendon Football Club
| Bombers
| Essendon, Victoria
| Etihad Stadium
| 1897
| 16
|
|-
| Fremantle Football Club
| Dockers
| Fremantle, Western Australia
| Domain Stadium
| 1995
| Nil
|
|-
| Geelong Football Club
| Cats
| Geelong, Victoria
| Simonds stadium
| 1897
| 8
|
|-
| Gold Coast Football Club
| Suns
| Gold Coast, Queensland
| Carrara Stadium
| 2011
| Nil
|
|-
| Greater Western Sydney Football Club
| Giants
| Sydney, New South Wales
| Sydney Showground StadiumANZ Stadium
| 2012
| Nil
|
|-
| Hawthorn Football Club
| Hawks'
| Hawthorn, Victoria
| Melbourne Cricket Ground
| 1925
| 10
|
|-
| North Melbourne Football Club
| Kangaroos| North Melbourne, Victoria
| Etihad Stadium
| 1925
| 4
|
|-
| Melbourne Football Club
| Demons| Melbourne, Victoria
| Melbourne Cricket Ground
| 1897
| 12
|
|-
| Port Adelaide Football Club
| Power| Alberton, South Australia
| Adelaide Oval
| 1997
| 1
|
|-
| Richmond Football Club
| Tigers| Richmond, Victoria
| Melbourne Cricket Ground
| 1908
| 11
|
|-
| St Kilda Football Club
| Saints| St Kilda, Victoria
| Etihad Stadium
| 1897
| 1
|
|-
| Sydney Swans Football Club
| Swans| Sydney, New South Wales
| Sydney Cricket GroundANZ Stadium
| 1897
| 5
| Relocated from South Melbourne, Victoria in 1982.
|-
| West Coast Eagles Football Club
| Eagles| Perth, Western Australia
| Domain Stadium
| 1987
| 3
|
|-
| Western Bulldogs Football Club
| Bulldogs| Footscray, Victoria
| Etihad Stadium
| 1925
| 2
| Formerly the Footscray Football Club, renamed in 1998.
|}

 Legends of the Game 
In 1996, twelve Hall of Fame members were declared Legends of the Game.  Another member of the Hall of Fame is declared a legend every few years. The following is a list of Legends of the Game.

 Ron Barassi Junior (added 1996) Haydn Bunton Senior(added 1996) Roy Cazaly (added 1996) John Coleman (added 1996) Jack Dyer (added 1996) Graham Farmer (added 1996) Leigh Matthews (added 1996) John Nicholls (added 1996) Bob Pratt (added 1996) Dick Reynolds (added 1996) Bob Skilton (added 1996) Ted Whitten Senior (added 1996) Ian Stewart (added 1997) Gordon Coventry (added 1998) Peter Hudson (added 1999) Kevin Bartlett (added 2000) Barrie Robran (added 2001) Bill Hutchison (added 2003) Jock McHale (added 2005) Darrell Baldock (added 2006) Norm Smith (added 2007) Alex Jesaulenko (added 2008) Kevin Murray (added 2010) Barry Cable (added 2012) Royce Hart (added 2013) Tony Lockett (added 2015) Malcolm Blight (added 2017)''

VFL/AFL Records 
 Highest scoreGeelong - 37.17 (239) vs. Brisbane Bears Carrara Oval, May 3, 1992.
 Highest winning marginFitzroy - 190 pointsWaverley Park, July 28, 1979.
 Highest aggregate score 52.33 (345) - Melbourne 21.15 (141) vs St Kilda 31.18 (204)MCG, May 6, 1978
 Highest score in one quarterSouth Melbourne - 17.4 (106) vs. St Kilda Lake Oval, July 26, 1919
 Largest crowdCarlton v Collingwood - 121,696 MCG, September 26, 1970 (Grand Final)
 Largest Home & Away Season crowdMelbourne v Collingwood - 99,346 MCG, 1958
 Largest crowd for a game between a Victorian and non-Victorian clubAdelaide Crows v St Kilda Saints - 99,645 MCG, September 27, 1997 (Grand Final)
 Largest crowd for a game between non-Victorian clubsWest Coast Eagles v Sydney Swans - 97,431MCG, September 30, 2006 (Grand Final)
 Largest International crowdMelbourne v Sydney - 32,789B.C. Place, Vancouver, Canada, 1987
 Most premierships Carlton 16, most recent 1995, Essendon 16, most recent 2000
 Most wooden spoons (last position at the end of the Home and Away Season) St Kilda - 26, most recent 2000
 Most consecutive premiershipsCollingwood - 41927-1930
 Most games won in a seasonEssendon - 24 (incl. finals)2000
 Most consecutive winsGeelong - 231952-1953
 Most consecutive games unbeatenGeelong - 261952-1953
 Most consecutive lossesUniversity - 51 (1911-1914)
 Most games played in a careerBrent Harvey (North Melbourne) - 432 games
 Most games as club captainStephen Kernahan (Carlton) - 226 games
 Most goals in a career Tony Lockett (St Kilda/Sydney) - 1359 goals
 Most goals in a gameFred Fanning (Melbourne) - 18 Goals
 Most goals in a seasonBob Pratt (South Melbourne, 1934) and Peter Hudson (Hawthorn, 1971) - 150 goals
 Most consecutive matchesJim Stynes (Melbourne) - 244
 Most consecutive matches from debutJared Crouch (Sydney) - 194 (Ended Rd 13, 2006 due to unknown injury)
 Tallest playerAaron Sandilands (Fremantle), Peter Street (Western Bulldogs) - 211cm
 Shortest playerDanny Craven (St Kilda/Brisbane) - 162cm
 Heaviest playerAaron Sandilands (Fremantle) - 124kg
 Longest kickAlbert Thurgood (Essendon) - 98.48m (109 yards, 1 foot, 3.2 inches)