The Australian Football League (AFL) is the outstanding and only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Via the AFL Commission, the AFL is also the sport’s governing body and is responsible for regulating the laws of the game.
Formerly known as the Victorian Football League (VFL), it was established in 1896 as a splinter competition from the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Its opening season starting the following year. The VFL, with the aim of becoming a national competition, started expanding beyond Victoria to other Australian states in the 1980s. It was renamed as the AFL in 1990.
The Composition Of The League
At the moment, the league consists of 18 teams that are spread over five of Australia’s six states (with Tasmania being the exception). Football matches have been played in all states, plus the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory in addition to in New Zealand and China in order to expand the league’s audience.
Currently, the AFL season consists of a 23-round regular (or “home-and-away”) season, which runs in the Australian winter (March to September). The team which has the best record after the home-and-away series is given to the “minor premiership”.
After this, the top eight teams then play off in a four-round finals series, concluding in the AFL Grand Final, which is usually held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground each and every single year. The grand final winner is termed the “premiers”, and is awarded the premiership cup. Carlton and Essendon are the joint-most successful clubs in the competition, having won 16 premierships apiece. The current premiers are Melbourne, who won the 2021 AFL Grand Final.
AFL Players – Gary James Ayres
Gary James Ayres, who was born on 28 September 1960, is an ex-Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club that is a member of the Australian Football League (AFL). At the moment, Ayres is the senior coach for the Montrose Football Club in the Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL).
Ayres’ playing career is honoured by the existence of the Gary Ayres Award, which is a yearly award given to the player who is judged best-afield by the AFL Coaches Association throughout each AFL finals series.
Roderick Jefferson Gonçalves Miranda
Roderick Jefferson Gonçalves Miranda was born in 1991, a few years before the advent of Canadian mobile casinos. He was simply known as Roderick on the field. He’s a Portuguese professional football player who plays at the centre back position for Melbourne Victory in the A-League Men and has racked up the points in his career.
Jamie Maclaren
Jamie Maclaren was born in 1993 and is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for A-League club Melbourne City. Previously, he has played for Darmstadt 98, Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar and Hibernian.