HISTORY OF THE AFL
1896
The formation of the Victorian Football League. Initial teams Carlton,Collingwood,Essendon,Melbourne,Fitzroy and South Melbourne form the league after leaving the Victorian Football Association. St Kilda and Geelong follow shortly after.
1897
First season. Essendon wins Premiership.
1907
University joins the league.
1908
Richmond is admitted into the league.
1912
Player numbering on the back of jumpers is introduced.
1915
University disbands.
1924
The Brownlow Medal is introduced. (Award for best player of the year)
1925
Hawthorn,North Melbourne and Footscray join the VFL.
1932
The VFL becomes an incorporated company, composed of 12 teams.
1957
VFL matches are televised (last quarter only).
1970
VFL Park opens on 18th of April, Fitzroy and Geelong contesting the first match.
1972
The VFL introduces a final-five system of playing finals.
1977
The VFL Grand Final is televised live for the first time.
1982
South Melbourne changes its name to the Swans. All the clubs home games are played at the Sydney Cricket Ground and televised back to Melbourne.
1983
The Swans undergo a second name change in as many years, becoming officially known as the Sydney Swans. The Grand Final is telecast direct to the United States for the first time for cable television.
1987
The West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears are included in the expanded 14 team competition.
1990
League becomes known as the Australian Football league. Collingwood wins the first premiership under the new name.
1991
The Adelaide Crows enter the competition. A final six is approved. The first Grand Final is played at VFL Park.
1992
The league renames VFL Park as AFL Park, Waverley. West Coast Eagles become the first interstate team to win the Premiership.
1994
The final eight is implemented.
1995
The Fremantle Dockers join the AFL.
1996
Port Adelaide Power join the league.
1999
Tony 'Plugger' Lockett of the Sydney Swans becomes the highest goal kicker with goal number 1300 against Collingwood.
HISTORY OF THE ADELAIDE CROWS
AFTER an audacious bid by Port Adelaide to enter the competition, the AFL gave Adelaide the green light to become the first South Australian team in 1991. Under coach Graham Cornes, who played only a handful of games in the VFL, but was considered one of the greatest footballers of his era, the Crows proved competitive in their first season winning 10 matches to miss the finals by only three games.
And it is certainly no picnic for visiting teams making the trip to the hostile surroundings of Football Park where an opposition goal is met with a stunned silence.
The Crows finished ninth in their first two years, but the fear Victorians felt for the new Adelaide team was well-founded by 1993.
With glamour full-forward Tony Modra booting 129 goals that year, the Crows led Essendon by 41 points at half-time in the preliminary final only to be overrun by 11 points at the final siren.
It was thought to be only a matter of time before the Crows won their first premiership, but in the comfort zone of their new success and, an inability to win in Melbourne, they finished 11th in the next two seasons.
At the end of 1994, Cornes was made the scapegoat - amid claims of dissension with the players - and was replaced by former Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw. But Shaw had little success and the Adelaide hierarchy - with fans demanding success and the team considered a joke outside South Australia - turned to former South Australian and AFL champion Malcolm Blight in 1997 to lead it to the promised land. Blight was quick to stamp his personal authority when he publicly lambasted the players early on after a loss as he attempted to change the 'soft' culture of the club.
A number of previous stalwarts such as Andrew Jarman and Tony McGuinness left the club and Blight put his faith in youngsters and by the end of 1997 the Crows had made the Grand Final.
While going in as underdogs against St Kilda, Blight's coaching experience and the brilliance of Darren Jarman and youngsters Andrew McLeod and Shane Ellen realised the Victorians' worst nightmare as the Crows took home their first premiership.
After a slow start to the 1998 season many pundits had written the Crows off by the time they were soundly beaten by Melbourne in the first week of the finals. But after brushing past Sydney and the hapless Bulldogs in two successive away finals, the supremely confident Crows staged a magnificent come-from-behind win over North Melbourne to win back-to-back premierships.
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