The Victorian Football League (VFL) officially became the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990.

Quick Scoop: When did the VFL become the AFL?

The change from VFL to AFL happened in 1990, after years of expansion beyond Victoria into other Australian states. The new name was chosen to reflect a truly national competition rather than just a Victorian one.

Why the name change happened

  • The VFL had started as a Victorian competition in 1897, built from leading VFA clubs.
  • From the 1980s, clubs from other states (like West Coast and Brisbane) joined the competition, turning it into a de facto national league.
  • By 1990, the name Australian Football League made more sense than “Victorian” Football League, so the rebrand was done to match its national footprint.

Extra footy trivia you might like

  • The original VFL emerged in 1896–1897 when eight clubs broke away from the Victorian Football Association (VFA).
  • In 1996, the old VFA competition was itself renamed the VFL, so today’s state-league VFL carries the old big-league name.

Forum-style takeaway

If you’re answering “when did the VFL become the AFL?” for a quiz or a footy argument, the clean answer is:
1990 – that’s the first season played under the AFL name.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.