The Australian football first league was called Victorian Football Association (VFA). It was formed in 1877 and then consisted of fourteen clubs: St Kilda, Essendon, Rochester, East Melbourne, Inglewood, Carlton, Melbourne, Geelong, Albert Park, Hotham (later North Melbourne), Barwon, Castlemaine, Beechworth and Ballarat. Six clubs from that league represented Victorian county. Essendon had a status of a semi-junior football club; that is why it was granted some concessions, such as 25 fielding players, as opposed to the typical 20.

There were some Australian football leagues outside Victoria. The game, known initially as "Victorian Rules", "Melbourne Rules" or even "Australasian Rules", has extended from Victoria region into other colonies of Australia, particularly into Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia. In 1879 the first match between the two colonies took place.

Competitions of Australian football started in New South Wales and Queensland at the end of the 19^th century. In New South Wales, Newcastle, one of the first Australian football leagues - the Black Diamond league - was formed by gold miners from Victoria. That is why the Black Diamond Challenge Cup is considered the oldest sporting trophy of Australian football.

In 1876 the game of Australian football also extended to New Zealand, and became one of the biggest Australian football leagues that involved 115 clubs. In 1908, at the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival, which was organized in celebration of the Australian Football 50 year's anniversary, New Zealand defeated both Queensland and New South Wales. After that the game was introduced to Japan, Scotland and England.

The rift in the Victorian Football Association resulted in the foundation of the VFL (Victorian Football League), which started to play in 1897 as a breakaway of eight teams of the grand clubs in the Victorian Football Association competition: Collingwood, Carlton, Fitzroy, Essendon, Melbourne, Geelong, South Melbourne and St Kilda.

Other five Victorian Football Association clubs joined the Victorian Football League later: University and Richmond began to compete in VFL in 1908. North Melbourne, Hawthorn, and Footscray joined in 1925. At that time, the Victorian Football League became one of the most prominent Australian football leagues. In 1989 the Australian football national league was called the Australian Football League (AFL).
Nowadays there many state leagues in Australian football, but those leagues (SANFL, WAFL and others) decline their secondary status.

For the centenary of the VFL/AFL in 1996, the Australian Football Hall of Fame was formed. Its members not only consist of those who have contributed to the VFL/AFL, but from Australian football in general (in such leagues as the SANFL and WAFL). That year 136 Australian Rules identities were inducted, including 100 players, 10 coaches, 10 umpires, 10 administrators and 6 media representatives.