145-441: The AFL Players Association ( AFLPA , also simply known as AFL Players ) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players. The AFLPA promotes and protects its members through initiatives including workplace relations, advocacy, career development, and various community events. Players' welfare is the primary function of AFLPA, and it aims to ensure
290-523: A proprietary limited company called Australian Football Championships Pty Ltd in 1978 to run its night competition and offered shareholdings to the other state leagues in an attempt to lure other states into the competition. For the three years from 1977 until 1979, the NFL and VFL night competitions were run separately as rival night competitions. In 1978, the Tasmanian representative team competed in both
435-524: A "prospect of rehabilitation and caters for medical confidentiality." In 2010, the AFLPA supported Anthony Rock with his Accelerate program which provided a unique opportunity for 20 young men rejected by the AFL draft the first time around by putting together an infrastructure of expertise in a bid to keep the game's most talented second-tier players from 18 to 23 in the correct physical and emotional state to win
580-835: A 20% cut in industry jobs. The 2021 grand final was played in September at Perth Stadium in Perth because an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown prevented the match from being played with spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne , Victoria. It was the first grand final played in Perth and the second consecutive grand final to be played outside Victoria. The event set a new attendance record for Australian rules football in Western Australia, eclipsing
725-412: A clearance by Port Melbourne ; and, as a result, spent the season playing for Port Melbourne while coaching Hawthorn during the week. Twice that season, he had the unusual situation of playing a VFA game against the club that he coached. In one of those matches, a Port Melbourne teammate had to be restrained from striking Walton over Walton's vocal support for the player's opponent. In 1922, the club missed
870-510: A far greater margin; souring the final game of club legend Leigh Matthews. Playing alongside him was young Jason Dunstall , from Coorparoo , Queensland; he was recruited after winning the QAFL goalkicking in 1984. Their second premiership came the following year in the 1986 Grand Final , with Hawthorn 16.14 (110) defeating Carlton 9.14 (68) convincingly, with Gary Ayres winning his first of two Norm Smith Medals. 1987 saw Hawthorn finish second to
1015-475: A few home games on the Gold Coast in previous years, was offered significant subsidies to relocate to the Gold Coast but declined. The AFL then began work to establish a club on the Gold Coast as a new expansion team. Early in 2008, a meeting held by the AFL discussed having two new teams enter the AFL competition. In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish sides on
1160-438: A goal could have put them 17 points up. The Hawks went on to dominate play after this incident and never looked back. Their greatest era was arguably the 1980s, when the team won four premierships and played in the grand final seven years in succession, including three in a row against arch-enemy Essendon . The decade started poorly, with Hawthorn failing to finish in the top five (as it was then known) and seen by most critics as
1305-400: A grand final. North Melbourne were competing in their fifth successive grand final and were the reigning premiers. At half time North Melbourne led by four points but Hawthorn finished victors by three goals thanks largely to a strong third quarter which saw them kick 7.6. The turning point occurred when two North players spoiled each other in the goal square at the 6-minute mark, when a mark and
1450-628: A historic meeting of players at the Radisson Hotel in Melbourne. The AFL had informed players that the standard contract would no longer exist and that all contracts would be negotiated individually between the clubs and the players. The players again threatened strike action. In March 1993, the AFL and AFLPA appeared before the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC). At this hearing it
1595-493: A joint venture to begin construction of a brand-new stadium situated at Melbourne's Docklands . Representative state football came to an end, with the last State of Origin match held in 1999. In the late 2000s, the AFL looked to establish a permanent presence on the Gold Coast in the state of Queensland, which was fast-developing as a major population centre. North Melbourne, which was in financial difficulty and had played
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#17327809101361740-522: A new CBA (1998–2003) with the AFL. The association developed a statement of purposes and objectives to assist with CBA negotiations. It also assembled an advisory board of industry leaders to direct the association into the future. The new objectives and purposes focused on the need to enhance the game of Australian football and ensure that players played a strong role in the development of the game, received fair terms and conditions, and were apportioned an equitable share of revenue. Through player feedback
1885-611: A new competition, the Victorian Football League (VFL). The remaining VFA clubs— Footscray , North Melbourne , Port Melbourne , Richmond and Williamstown —were given the opportunity to compete as junior sides at a level beneath the VFL but rejected the offer and remained for the 1897 VFA season . The VFL's inaugural season occurred in 1897. It made several innovations early on to entice the public's interest, including an annual finals tournament, rather than awarding
2030-601: A position as Principal of Stawell High School so Graham Arthur became captain-coach in 1964. The Hawks lost the penultimate game to Melbourne and dropped to fifth – had they won they would have finished on top of the ladder. They fell to last in 1965 with only four wins, and rebuilt the team for the rest of the 1960s. 1966 saw the debut of Peter Crimmins , Des Meagher , Michael Porter and Ray Wilson . John Kennedy returned to coach in 1967. Don Scott , Ian Bremner and Geoff Angus were local recruits. The club convinced Peter Hudson to join them in 1967 and he immediately became
2175-446: A representative body for Victorian Football League (VFL) players was first attempted in 1955. The VFL successfully opposed the registration of this body and the fledgling union was disbanded. The AFLPA in its current form was established in 1974 at the behest of players Geoff Pryor (Essendon), Gareth Andrews (Geelong), Des Meagher (Hawthorn) and David McKay (Carlton). In 1979, the association appointed three key positions to lead
2320-752: A result, the club withdrew from the VFL at the end of 1914. The VFL premier and the premier of the South Australian Football League met in a playoff matches for the Championship of Australia beginning in 1888 with a 3-game playoff between South Melbourne from the VFL and the Norwood the most successful club in the SAFA. Matches where then held sporadically during the 1890s as single game playoffs and then annually from 1907 until 1914 (except 1912). South Australian clubs won 8 of
2465-472: A season and Leigh Matthews won his first of eight club championships. Matthews gained notoriety by shirt fronting Barry Cable in an Interstate Game in Perth. The 1971 Grand Final was between Hawthorn coached by Hawthorn legend John Kennedy and St Kilda coached by Allan Jeans (who would later move to Hawthorn and enjoy success as the Hawks coach in the 1980s). The match was played before 118,192 people at
2610-410: A second chance. In partnership with sports consulting group Infront, three major sponsors, and the AFLPA's support, Rock was able to set up partnerships with seven VFL clubs and worked with 20 footballers hoping to be drafted. Australian Football League The Australian Football League ( AFL ) is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian rules football . It was originally named
2755-452: A sole source of income for players who had previously had part-time or full-time jobs outside of football. Functionally, the AFL gave up control over its Victorian-based minor grades at the end of 1991 – clubs continued to field reserves teams in a competition run by the new Victorian State Football League and the under-19s competition and zone-based recruiting were abolished and replaced with an independent system . Midway through 1990,
2900-517: A spent force. Coach David Parkin left and agreed to coach Carlton and captain Don Scott would shortly retire after playing his 300th game. In a surprise appointment, Hawthorn persuaded former St Kilda premiership coach Allan Jeans to coach the team. Jeans had not coached in the VFL for five years. 1982 would mark the start of Hawthorn being in the finals for 13 years in a row. Hawthorn returned to finals football in 1982, finishing second after
3045-639: A sporting administrator in basketball, sailing and surf lifesaving. Finnis resigned from the position in February 2014 to take up the CEO role at the St Kilda Football Club . Ian Prendergast was named interim CEO. The AFL Players Association appointed a new boss, with Australian Cricketers' Association CEO Paul Marsh announced as successor to Matt Finnis. He started in the role in September 2014. In 2005, AFLPA moved all services provided under
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#17327809101363190-418: A superior Carlton team. The fact that Hawthorn even made it to the grand final is still the centre of some controversy; with Gary Buckenara's after the siren kick in the 1987 Preliminary Final breaking the hearts of tens of thousands of Melbourne supporters. Ill health to coach Allan Jeans meant that Football Operations Manager Alan Joyce took the coaching position for 1988. The Hawks lost only 3 games for
3335-500: A trial of holiday hair testing for illicit drugs—a first in the international sports industry. While all Australian sports are subject to in-competition testing, the AFL is one of only three sports in Australia—the other two being cricket and rugby —that conducts out-of-competition testing. Although the code has drawn criticism from the federal government for its three-strikes policy, it received commendations from others who cite it as
3480-661: A variety of workshops that includes: Upon completion of the camp, the All-Stars Indigenous team play against an AFL club in an exhibition game. The All-Stars have played Carlton (2003), Western Bulldogs (2005) and Essendon (2007). The 2011 team featured a star-studded line-up of the AFL's top Indigenous players including Indigenous All-Stars captain and Sydney Swans co-captain Adam Goodes , Hawthorn 's Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli , Melbourne 's Liam Jurrah and new draftees including Curtly Hampton from
3625-665: A year at their second home ground of York Park in Launceston, Tasmania , with most of the remaining home games usually played at the MCG and one usually played at Marvel Stadium . Hawthorn also fields a women's team in the AFL Women's competition. It joined the league for its seventh season and played its first game on the 27th of August 2022 at Marvel Stadium. Initial ticket allocations sold out within 24 hours. The official club history books and many supporters strongly believe that
3770-566: Is spectemur agendo , the English translation being "Let us be judged by our acts." Hawthorn have competitive rivalries with a handful of teams, but their two fiercest and longest-standing are with Geelong and Essendon . Upon inception and until 1973, the Hawks played home matches at Glenferrie Oval in Hawthorn; they subsequently shifted home matches to Princes Park in 1974, lasting until 1991 when Hawthorn moved to Waverley Park . Later
3915-470: Is also one of the oldest clubs to have later participated in the competition. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was established in 1877 and quickly went on to become Victoria 's football competition. During the 1890s, an off-field power struggle occurred between the VFA's stronger and weaker clubs, the former seeking greater administrative control commensurate with their relative financial contribution to
4060-563: Is stated that "The Hawthorn Club having disbanded, all engagements for the ensuing season have been cancelled." In 1889, the Riversdale Football Club (formed in 1880) is reported to have changed its name to the Hawthorn Football Club. This club also ceased in 1890. No Hawthorn club existed from 1890 to 1892. A new representative club, called the 'Hawthorn Football Club', was formed in 1893. It competed in
4205-506: The Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawthorn , making it the youngest Victorian-based team in the AFL. Hawthorn is the only club to have won premierships in each decade of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. In total, it has won 13 senior VFL/AFL premierships. The team play in brown-and-gold vertically striped guernseys . The club's Latin motto
4350-620: The Beyond Blue Cup match. In 2005, the Illicit Drug policy was introduced to support the Anti-Doping Code, introduced in 1995, that governed AFL players. The voluntary code, which test players for illicit drug use out of the competition, aims at reinforcing players as healthy elite sportsmen and to prevent the sport from falling into disrepute. The code is further strengthened by volunteer AFL players who have agreed to
4495-608: The GWS Giants and recently named Gold Coast Suns recruit Harley Bennell . Due to unsuitable playing conditions being brought on by heavy rain and Cyclone Yasi , the 2011 team was unable to play against Richmond despite having the match moved from TIO Stadium in Darwin to Traeger Park Oval in Alice Springs. The AFLPA Most Valuable Player Awards is an annual event recognising excellence in players by players. Winners of
AFL Players Association - Misplaced Pages Continue
4640-685: The Gold Coast and in Western Sydney . The Gold Coast Suns were established and joined the AFL in 2011 as the 17th team. The Greater Western Sydney Giants , representing both Western Sydney and Canberra, were then established and entered the league as the 18th team in 2012. On 25 April 2013 the Westpac Stadium in Wellington , New Zealand hosted the first ever Australian Football League game played for premiership points outside Australia. The night game between St Kilda and Sydney
4785-513: The MCG on a cool and wet Melbourne day. Hawthorn went into the match without inspirational centre half-back Peter Knights who had suffered a severe knee injury two weeks earlier. It was a hard and tough game played out with the Saints leading the Hawks by 20 points going into the last quarter. Hawks 5.7 (37) to the Saints 8.9 (57). For the Saints, however, as coach Allan Jeans was to comment, "The season
4930-428: The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) became the home ground when Waverley was redeveloped. The club moved its training and administration facilities from Glenferrie to Waverley Park in 2006, which by that point was no longer hosting AFL matches, and continues to be based at the park, which is located in an area of the club's major supporter base in Melbourne's outer-eastern region. Since 2007, Hawthorn have played four games
5075-560: The Melbourne Hawks but the merger ultimately fell through and both teams continued as separate entities. Fitzroy, however, was too weak to continue by itself. The club nearly merged with North Melbourne to form the Fitzroy-North Melbourne Kangaroos but the other clubs voted against it. In 1994 Port Adelaide was awarded an AFL licence but could not enter until a Victorian team had folded or merged. At
5220-553: The VFL Night Series (1956–1971) and records relating to the three competitions are often combined. With the number of players recruited from country leagues increasing, the wealthier VFL clubs were gaining an advantage that metropolitan zoning and the Coulter law (salary cap) restricting player payments had prevented in the past. Country zoning was introduced in the late 1960s and while it pushed Essendon and Geelong from
5365-624: The Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA) until 1898. Without a ground to play on, however, the club was disbanded in 1899. In March 1902, Alf Kosky formed a club from the various district clubs under the banner of Hawthorn Football Club to compete in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA). Hawthorn's first win was in round 4, 1902 , with an 18-point victory over Celtic . The club finished sixth on
5510-655: The West Australian Football League and Queensland Australian Football League were awarded licences to field expansion teams in the VFL, leading to the establishment of the clubs in Brisbane and Perth ( Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles ), who both joined the league in 1987. These expansion team licences were awarded on payment of multimillion-dollar fees which were not required of the existing VFL clubs. In 1989 financial troubles nearly forced Footscray and Fitzroy to merge but fees paid by
5655-575: The 11 Titles of which Port Adelaide was the most successful winning four titles in 1890, 1910, 1913 and 1914. The majority of the matches were held in South Australia at Adelaide Oval . Following the outbreak of World War 1 the Championship playoff ceased and wasn't revived until 1968. In 1916, district football was introduced, meaning new players from metropolitan Melbourne were allocated to clubs based on residential address. In 1925,
5800-429: The 1980s the club struggled to get 10,000 members. The team won the 1999 pre-season competition but missed out on the finals of the premiership season. Ken Judge resigned at the end of 1999 to accept the coaching job at West Coast Eagles . Peter Schwab was appointed coach of the Hawks for the 2000 season and the team played a more attacking style than the "accountable football" discipline of Ken Judge. The Hawks reached
5945-541: The 1992 summer, the Hawthorn players' T-shirts had "Too old. Too slow. Too good" written on them. After having shared Princes Park with Carlton as a home venue since 1974, Hawthorn began to move its home games to Waverley Park in Mulgrave in Melbourne's south-east in 1990. The club played five home games at Waverley Park and the balance at Princes Park in each of 1990 and 1991, and played all home games at Waverley Park from 1992. To further strengthen their links with
AFL Players Association - Misplaced Pages Continue
6090-515: The AFL system. The two-day event, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), was attended by draftees from each of the 17 AFL teams including newly formed Gold Coast Suns . Some of the topics covered were: In 2000, AFLPA created the AFLPA Indigenous Camp to support indigenous players and increase their profiles as good role models. The AFLPA Indigenous Camp has since been held biannually. It has been held at: The Camp consists of
6235-476: The Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles, propped up the struggling VFL sides. The 1980s first saw new regular timeslots for VFL matches. VFL matches had previously been played on Saturday afternoons but Sydney began playing its home matches on Sunday afternoons and North Melbourne pioneered playing matches on Friday night. These have since become regular timeslots for all teams. The first national draft
6380-674: The Collective Bargaining Agreement (2003–2008) reflected a responsible attempt to balance the interests of the players with the realities facing the competition. In 2004, Brendon Gale took over from Peter Mann as General Manager (Football). Following that, Kerr announced his resignation to the AFLPA Executive Committee after five years of service. Former Richmond player, AFLPA President and AFLPA General Manager (Football) Brendon Gale then took over as CEO. On 13 October 2009, Matthew Finnis
6525-548: The Hawks' performance was that its two best players—Paul Dear and Stephen Lawrence—were from the team's younger brigade. It was Michael Tuck 's last game and he bowed out with the league record for games (426), finals (39), grand finals (11) and premierships (7). At the end of 1991, Hawthorn selected a young Shane Crawford with pick 13 in the National Draft, who eventually became the only surviving link between this era of success and its next triumph 17 seasons later. During
6670-490: The League. Roy Cazaly was the non-playing coach of Hawthorn in 1942 ; he was reported to have given the club its nickname the "Hawks" on the suggestion of one of his daughters. Cazaly thought that it was tougher than their original nickname the "Mayblooms" , and 1943 turned out to be the club's best season since joining the VFL, in which the club missed the finals only by percentage. However, Hawthorn immediately returned to
6815-614: The Leigh Matthews trophy is selected by peers through a voting system. Past winners include Andrew McLeod (2001), Ben Cousins (2005), five-time winner Gary Ablett (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013) and Dane Swan (2010). Named in honour of two former AFL Players Association presidents and champion Essendon and Carlton players, Simon Madden and Justin Madden , the Madden Medal recognises outstanding achievement on and off
6960-515: The Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarship—named after Carlton premiership captain and AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick —awards young players who have shown a combination of football and academic excellence. In partnership with the AFL and AFL Players Association (AFLPA), Beyond Blue developed and delivered a depression-awareness program within the AFL, incorporating information sessions for players, coaches and other football club staff, and
7105-647: The NFL and VFL night competitions but all SANFL and WAFL clubs and the minor states teams remained in the NFL Night Series. In 1979, the WAFL clubs and the New South Wales and A.C.T. representative teams defected from the NFL Night Series and joined the VFL's night competition, leaving the NFL Night Series mostly composed of SANFL teams. The NFL Night Series was not revived in 1980 and the SANFL clubs joined
7250-669: The Peter Crimmins Medal and also came second in the Brownlow Medal by a single vote. During the 2004 pre-season Hawthorn coach Peter Schwab declared that the Hawks would "win the premiership" although this statement would be followed by a horrific season for Hawthorn as the Hawks managed just four wins and eighteen losses. The club imploded, and by mid-season coach Peter Schwab was sacked, and Captain Shane Crawford broke his arm, and eventually relinquished
7395-567: The Player Development Program in-house, employing experts in the fields of education, player welfare and career transition. In 2006, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (2007–2011) was negotiated with the AFL. The key principles of the five-year agreement focused on delivering stability and opportunity, ahead of a crucial period where the game will push for unprecedented national growth. The AFLPA organised an Induction Camp on 10 January 2010 to introduce new draftees into
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#17327809101367540-543: The SANFL's most successful club, Port Adelaide , made a bid for an AFL licence. In response, the SANFL gained an injunction via Glenelg and Norwood against Port Adelaide , allowing it time to establish a composite South Australian team called the Adelaide Crows , which was awarded the licence and joined the league in 1991 as the fourth non-Victorian club. The same year saw the West Coast Eagles become
7685-487: The VFA and University Football Club from the Metropolitan Junior Football Association . Professionalism began from the 1911 season, with clubs permitted to pay players beyond the reimbursement of expenses for the first time. University, after three promising seasons, finished last each year from 1911 until 1914, including losing 51 matches in a row, in part caused by its players' focus on their studies rather than football and in part because it had chosen to remain amateur; as
7830-481: The VFL commenced in 1957 with direct telecasts of the final quarter permitted. At first, several channels competed through broadcasting different games. When the VFL found that television coverage had reduced crowds, it decided no that television coverage was to be allowed for 1960. In 1961 television replays in Melbourne were introduced although direct telecasts were rarely permitted, where as the rest of Australia received live telecasts every Saturday afternoon. In 1959,
7975-434: The VFL expanded from nine teams to twelve, with Footscray , Hawthorn and North Melbourne each crossing from the VFA. North Melbourne and Hawthorn remained very weak in the VFL for a very long period. Although North Melbourne would become the first of the 1925 expansion sides to reach a grand final in 1950 , initially it was Footscray that adapted to the VFL with the most ease of the three clubs and by 1928 were well off
8120-435: The VFL night competition was at its largest, with all VFL, WAFL and SANFL clubs plus the four minor states teams (selected under residential qualification rather than state of origin qualification) competing for a total of 34 teams. In 1982, the size of the competition was reduced and, thereafter, only the top two or three teams from the SANFL and WAFL and the winner of the minor states' annual carnival were invited. In 1987,
8265-483: The VFL planned the first purpose-built mega-stadium, VFL Park (later known as Waverley Park) , to give it some independence from the Melbourne Cricket Club , which managed the Melbourne Cricket Ground . VFL Park was planned to hold 155,000 spectators, which would have made it one of the largest stadiums in the world – although it would ultimately be built with a capacity of 78,000. Land for the stadium
8410-442: The VFL's finals revenue making the club more competitive financially – despite no Hawthorn team in any grade playing VFL finals to that point —this proved the decisive step in the movement of Hawthorn away from the bottom of the ladder. He eliminated the casual attitude that prevailed at the club during its first thirty years in the VFL and made the club less accepting of defeat than before. Although Hawthorn finished last in 1953, from
8555-423: The VFL's night competition. Although the NFL itself continued to exist as an administrative body into the early 1990s, the power gained by the VFL as a result of its take-over of night competition was one of the first significant steps in the VFL's spread interstate and ultimately its take-over and control of Australian football across Australia. In 1980 and 1981, the first years after the NFL Night Series ended,
8700-476: The VFL's weaker clubs into dire financial situations. The South Melbourne Swans became the first VFL team to relocate interstate. The South Melbourne Football Club was deeply indebted, including to the VFL which took over the club's Swans team and moved the team's home games to Sydney in 1982 and renamed the team the Sydney Swans the following year. Under the private ownership of Dr Geoffrey Edelsten during
8845-428: The VFL, SANFL and WAFL, as well as state representative teams from other states. In November 1976, the VFL announced that it was withdrawing from the NFL's competition, having arranged more substantial television and sponsorship deals for its own, rival night competition for 1977 to be based in Melbourne and feature only the VFL clubs. Light towers were erected at VFL Park specifically for the event. The VFL established
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#17327809101368990-648: The Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition from the Victorian Football Association (VFA), with its inaugural season in 1897. It changed its name to Australian Football League in 1990 after expanding its competition to other Australian states in the 1980s. The AFL publishes its Laws of Australian football , which are used, with variations, by other Australian rules football organisations. The AFL competition currently consists of 18 teams spread over Australia's five mainland states, with Tasmania to join
9135-569: The area a second social club was established nearby at the Waverley Gardens shopping centre. The club, which operates as a gaming venue, has also been a lucrative source of revenue for the club. The end of the 1993 season saw the first cracks in the Family Club facade; coach Alan Joyce was replaced by Peter Knights and club legends Gary Ayres and Dermott Brereton departed. Chris Mew injured his achilles tendon and retired. Behind
9280-574: The assistance of state governments and health officials, the season resumed on 11 June, with the length of the season reduced from 22 matches per team to 17 matches. The grand final was played in October at The Gabba in Brisbane , the first time it was held outside of Victoria since the creation of the league due to the spiking cases in that state. The pandemic caused the league to lose out on up to $ 400 million in anticipated revenue and also precipitated
9425-641: The association as the negotiating body for all players. In 1984, Bryan Roberts resigned. Len Coysh left one year later. Peter Allen remained to run the association and stayed committed to the cause for two decades before resigning to head the AFL Coaches Association until his death in June 2007. By 1990, the VFL had renamed itself the Australian Football League (AFL). The AFLPA followed suit, and signed its first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in tumultuous circumstances, as it worked through
9570-459: The association was able to identify the following key areas as its chart for the future: In 1998, the AFLPA achieved a membership of 100 per cent for the first time in its history. In late 2006, the AFLPA opened up a new membership category allowing past VFL / AFL players to become members of the AFLPA. When Andrew Demetriou left the AFLPA to join the AFL , Robert Kerr became AFLPA's CEO, taking up
9715-426: The bottom of the ladder, consistently competing with St Kilda for the wooden spoon . Between 1944 and 1953, the club finished last or second-last in every year but one. Half-back flanker Col Austen tied with South Melbourne 's Ron Clegg for the 1949 Brownlow Medal but was not awarded it based on the "countback" system in place at that time. The League later changed the system for tied results, and, in 1989, he
9860-511: The bottom of the ladder. Between the years of 1927 and 1930, Collingwood became the first and only VFL team, to win four successive premierships. In 1952, the VFL hosted a national day, when all six matches were played outside Melbourne. Matches were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground , Brisbane Exhibition Ground , North Hobart Oval , Albury Sports Ground and Victorian country towns Yallourn and Euroa . Footscray became
10005-466: The business or political patrons available to Carlton , Richmond and Collingwood —were not able to even pay their players the match payment then allowed by the Coulter Law . Despite the presence of a number of players of true class—such as Bert Hyde , Bert Mills , Stan Spinks , Alec Albiston , and Col Austen —Hawthorn never won more than seven games in a season in its first seventeen years in
10150-408: The captaincy. Following the collapse of the club on the field, many players either left or were sacked from the club. Nathan Thompson left the club citing a fresh start following his admission that he suffered from depression. Rayden Tallis , Mark Graham , Kris Barlow and Lance Picioane were also released from the club. More than 700 games of experience left the club following the season. After
10295-566: The club continued to be known simply as Hawthorn. In 1912 , the club merged with the Hawthorn Rovers , a successful junior club, changing to a gold guernsey with a blue "V" of the Rovers, and again renaming officially to "Hawthorn City". The council then applied to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) for inclusion, which was granted in 1914 when Hawthorn replaced the disbanded Melbourne City Football Club . The first task for
10440-409: The club he wanted to return to Adelaide. Falling on-field and off-field fortune saw the club almost merge with Melbourne in 1996. The resulting club was to be known as the " Melbourne Hawks " – a fusion with the Melbourne nickname of "Demons". A groundswell of support led by former champion Don Scott scuttled the proposal, with Hawthorn members voting strongly against it. Melbourne members supported
10585-443: The club to finish last in 1915. The VFA then went into recess in 1916 and 1917, and Hawthorn did not compete when resumption occurred in 1918. Upon Hawthorn's resumption in 1919, it was more competitive, winning eight games and finishing sixth out of ten teams. Hawthorn dropped to eighth in 1920, but in 1921 they won seven games and finished sixth. Bill Walton was appointed captain-coach of Hawthorn in 1922. He was, however, refused
10730-472: The club was to decide on club colours; their jumper of blue and gold was already taken by Williamstown , so a change was required. At a Special General Meeting held on 17 February 1914, a Mr J. Brain proposed brown and gold as the new colours, and the motion was carried. The Mayblooms won three games and had one draw in their first season in the VFA. The consequences of players enlisting in World War I caused
10875-409: The club while Nathan Thompson was traded to North Melbourne . In turn, the Hawks took Jarryd Roughead , Lance Franklin and Jordan Lewis at picks 2, 5 and 7 respectively in the 2004 AFL Draft . With Clarkson at the helm, the Hawks made solid progress and instituted a culture of discipline at the club. During the 2005 season, Hawthorn won only five games and finished in 14th position. Despite this,
11020-496: The club's origins date back to its founding in 1873 at a meeting at the Hawthorne Hotel. Although a Hawthorn Football Club did indeed form at this time—and the region has since continuously been represented by a football team—it was not the Hawthorn which competes at AFL level today. It is likely that today's club is actually the third club to carry the name 'Hawthorn Football Club'. In The Daily Telegraph of 12 May 1883 it
11165-504: The competition's leading full-forward. In 1968 he kicked 125 goals, the first centurion since John Coleman, and again in 1969 with 120 goals. Despite this, Hawthorn still failed to make the finals, but the acquisition of the powerful Mornington Peninsula recruiting zone gave the club a huge boost in its quest for success and permitted the club a much more powerful list than ever before. In 1968, Kevin Heath and Norm Bussell become members of
11310-434: The day and as a result, it was not surprising that John Hendrie was voted best on ground by radio and newspapers of the day. Hendrie had kicked two goals and eight behinds for the day. After the disappointment of losing to North Melbourne in the 1977 Preliminary Final, the Hawks were back to play in the 1978 Grand Final , again against North Melbourne. It was the third time in four seasons that these two sides were to meet in
11455-408: The decade was in the 1983 Grand Final , with Hawthorn 20.20 (140) defeating Essendon 8.9 (57) This was at that time a record margin in a grand final; signifying the juggernaut that Hawthorn was to become during the 1980s. Hawthorn competed in the next two grand finals against rival Essendon, losing the 1984 Grand Final due to Essendon's famous final quarter charge, and losing the 1985 Grand Final by
11600-548: The end of 1996 Fitzroy played its last match and merged with Brisbane to form the Brisbane Lions. This allowed Port Adelaide to enter the AFL for the 1997 season as the sixth and only pre-existing non Victorian club. Through the 1990s there was a significant trend of Melbourne-based teams abandoning the use of their small (20,000–30,000 capacity) suburban venues for home matches in favour of the MCG and VFL Park , which have and had larger seating capacities. The 1990s saw
11745-484: The field by an AFL player over the entire course of his career. The AFLPA launched the Madden Medal in 2007 to annually recognise the achievements and contributions of retiring AFL players through four award categories: Football Achievement Award, Personal Development Award, Community Spirit Award and the top accolade, the Madden Medal. As of 2022, the most recent winner of the Madden Medal is former Carlton and Adelaide player Eddie Betts . Recipients: Started in 2001,
11890-774: The field, a succession of owners and transfer to its supporter "members", the Sydney Swans remain indebted to the AFL and subject to its veto control and reversion rights in what became a model for the AFL control of teams. Throughout the 1980s, approaches were made by SANFL and WAFL clubs to enter the VFL. Of particular note were approaches by the East Perth Royals in 1980, the Norwood Redlegs in 1986 and 1988, and an East – South Fremantle merger proposal in 1987. None of these attempts were successful despite Norwood trying again in 1990 and 1994. In 1986,
12035-501: The final quarter, with Keddie kicking four, to run out winners (12.10.82) to the Saints (11.9.75). The final term saw ten goals being scored. A skinny lad from Berwick made his debut in 1972. Michael Tuck played the first of a club record 426 games after Hawthorn lost champion full forward Peter Hudson to a knee injury in the first game of the year. Hudson had kicked 8 goals before being injured before half time. John Hendrie whose grandfather played in Hawthorn's first VFL game and played
12180-500: The finals altogether in 2002, finishing tenth, which was considered a very disappointing result for the club. Shane Crawford won the Peter Crimmins Medal after another strong season. Players that made their debuts that year, Luke Hodge , Sam Mitchell , Campbell Brown , Robert Campbell and Mark Williams would all play in the 2008 premiership side. In the off-season, the Hawks again proved to be big players and gained
12325-471: The finals by percentage and Hawthorn set a new record score in the VFA, scoring 30.31.211 to Prahran 6.9.45. In 1923, Walton was granted his clearance, and the club made the finals by finishing in fourth place, losing to Port Melbourne in the first semi-final. 1924, the club finished fifth, missing the finals by four points. Since 1919, the VFL had nine clubs which caused one team to be idle every Saturday. The VFL
12470-584: The finals. The Hawks bowed out in the Elimination Final to Melbourne. Alan Joyce replaced Allan Jeans as coach for the 1991 season, which began with the Hawks winning the pre-season cup, before they suffered an embarrassing 86-point loss to AFL newcomers Adelaide at Football Park in the opening match of the season proper. However, on the back of the recruitment of skillful South Australian Darren Jarman and with improvement from young players, such as Paul Hudson , Ben Allan and Stephen Lawrence
12615-565: The first 197 games for the club. During the 1970s a strong rivalry grew with North Melbourne and they met in three grand finals with the Hawks prevailing twice. The 1976 Grand Final team was inspired by the illness of former Captain Peter Crimmins who died 3 days after the victory from cancer, and by the humiliating defeat of the 1975 Grand Final loss to the North Melbourne Kangaroos. The Hawks greats such as
12760-596: The first non-Victorian club to reach the grand final, which was won by Hawthorn. The Eagles would then win the premiership in 1992 and 1994. In 1994, Fremantle obtained an AFL licence and joined the AFL in 1995, becoming the fifth non-Victorian club, and the second from Western Australia. The VFA took over the Victorian Football League name in 1996. In 1996 several Victorian clubs were in severe financial difficulties, most notably Fitzroy and Hawthorn. Hawthorn proposed to merge with Melbourne to form
12905-443: The first of the 1925 expansion teams to win the premiership in 1954. Melbourne became a powerhouse during the 1950s and early 1960s under coach Norm Smith and star player Ron Barassi . The club contested seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, winning five premierships, including three in a row from 1955 to 1957. The became the only club to win the minor premiership 6 times in a row from 1955-1960. Television coverage for
13050-417: The first semi-final long remembered for the freak hailstorm after half time. It was a surreal look of the MCG covered in golfball-size hailstones. They were outclassed by Melbourne in the preliminary final. It was a great thing for people who had followed the club through all the bad years. Until then, before and through the match, I had been absorbed with the conviction that we were fighting for something that
13195-601: The first-ever AFL match for premiership points in Shanghai , China, attracting a crowd of 10,114 at Jiangwan Stadium . Port Adelaide won the game by 72 points. In 2020, the AFL season was severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic . The first round of matches was played in front of no crowds due to the pandemic, before the season was suspended on 22 March due to health concerns and strict government regulations on non-essential travel. After nearly two months of planning with
13340-500: The following year improvement was steady. Hawthorn had their first recruitment coup in 1954 by signing Clayton "Candles" Thompson from South Australia. Thompson was the glamour player from the 1953 National Football Championships , kicking ten goals against Western Australia. Fresh from school, teenagers John Peck , Allan Woodley , Noel Voigt and Brian Kann started at Hawthorn and the club won eight games. Gifted schoolboy from Sandhurst , Graham Arthur , arrived in 1955 and became
13485-452: The football ground. The VFL played the first of a series of exhibition matches in 1962 in an effort to lift the international profile of the league. In 1967, district football was expanded throughout all of Victoria, clubs now allocated a country zone in addition to their metropolitan districts. The 1970 season saw the opening of VFL Park, with the inaugural match being played between Geelong and Fitzroy, on 18 April 1970. Construction work
13630-556: The game by 10 points, featured a famous spectacular mark by Alex Jesaulenko and was witnessed by a record crowd of 121,696. In 1976, the National Football League , which was the peak national administrative body of Australian rules football at the time, established the NFL Night Series to succeed the Championship of Australia . The Night Series was played concurrently with the premiership season and
13775-446: The game. This came to a head in 1896 when it was proposed that gate profits, which were always lower in matches involving the weaker clubs, be shared equally among all teams in the VFA. After it was intimated that the proposal would be put to a vote, six of the strongest clubs— Collingwood , Essendon , Fitzroy , Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne —seceded from the VFA and later invited Carlton and St Kilda to join them in founding
13920-557: The greatest grand final of the modern era occurring in this year. The Hawks defeated Geelong in the 1989 Grand Final. The match is now legendary for its amazing toughness, physicality, skill, massive scoring and tension. The Hawks jumped out to an enormous lead as Geelong attempted to unsettle the Hawks through rough physical play. However, the physical toll on the Hawks began to show as the match wore on; with John Platten being concussed, Robert DiPierdomenico puncturing his lung, Dermott Brereton breaking his ribs and Michael Tuck splitting
14065-467: The home and away season, Hawthorn fans saw Subiaco champion Gary Buckenara for the first time and also a cameo appearance of Gary Ablett in a Hawthorn jumper and Dermott Brereton who was a skinny kid from Frankston made his debut in the semi-final against North Melbourne and kicked five goals. Hawthorn lost the Preliminary Final to Carlton by 31 points. The first of four premierships for
14210-418: The inaugural season. Six clubs joined the league in the coming years; Geelong and North Melbourne entered the competition in 2019, while Gold Coast , Richmond , St Kilda and West Coast made their debut in 2020. The remaining four clubs— Essendon , Hawthorn , Port Adelaide and Sydney — entered AFL Women's in the seventh season in 2022. On 14 May 2017, Port Adelaide and the Gold Coast played
14355-593: The ladder at the end of the 1902 season with six wins from its 16 games. On 30 April 1905, prior to the start of that year's MJFA season , Hawthorn merged with the Boroondara Football Club and adopted Boroondara's colours of a black guernsey with a red sash, but retained the "Hawthorn" name. Hawthorn changed its official name to the Hawthorn City Football Club in 1906 as a result of Glenferrie Oval opening, although
14500-460: The last matches played at Windy Hill (Essendon), Moorabbin Oval (St Kilda), Western Oval (Footscray) and Victoria Park (Collingwood) and saw Princes Park abandoned by its long-term co-tenant, Hawthorn. The transition to the use of only two venues in Melbourne was ultimately completed in 2005 when Carlton abandoned the use of Princes Park. In 1999, the league sold VFL Park and used the funds in
14645-483: The league as its 19th team in 2028. AFL premiership season matches have been played in all states and mainland territories, as well as in New Zealand and China to expand its audience. The AFL premiership season currently consists of a 23-match regular (or home-and-away) season, which runs from March to September. The team with the best record at the end of the home-and-away season is awarded the minor premiership ;
14790-429: The main scoreboard end and kicked the opening four goals. However, from that point the Hawks began to gain the ascendancy and, if not for inaccuracy in front of goal in the second term, they would have had a significant half-time lead. Having maintained the half-time margin, against the wind, in the third term, the Hawks scored 8.4 (52) to 1.3 (9) in the final quarter, to win a fifth premiership in nine seasons. A feature of
14935-410: The merger by a small margin. The failure of the merger led to the resignation of the board and its replacement, led by businessman Ian Dicker. After fighting off the merger the new board launched the "Proud, Passionate and Paid Up" campaign in a bid to get more members. 27,450 memberships were bought by supporters, more than doubling the memberships from the previous year. Even in the successful years of
15080-535: The mid-1980s, the Sydney Swans became successful on-field. Moving the Swans team to Sydney effectively shifted the debts of a Melbourne club onto Australian football in Sydney and re-directed support and finance to the Swans team to the detriment of existing Australian Football clubs and league competitions in Sydney. However, the Swans team attracted new prominence and supporters for the sport. Despite becoming successful on
15225-475: The negotiation process with the AFL. The CBA was eventually finalised and called a Deed of Agreement. In July 1992, the AFLPA negotiated a new CBA, which included a minimum salary of $ 7,500, minimum payments of $ 750 per senior game, and $ 250 for a reserves game. This signified the start of what was to be a key feature of AFLPA's function. The AFL withdrew recognition of the association in January 1993, prompting
15370-488: The new coach and gave Albiston and Austen open clearances. Without the club's best two players, the team did not win a match in 1950 . New captain Kevin Curran was suspended for striking Austen on the first occasion Hawthorn and Austen's new club Richmond played. The club decided to change its playing jumper to the brown and gold vertical stripes. Two positives were the arrival of John Kennedy and Roy Simmonds . Over
15515-456: The next ten years, Kennedy would play 169 games for Hawthorn, serving as Captain from 1955 until his retirement in 1959, and winning the club's Best and Fairest award four times (in 1950, 51, 52 and 54). Simmonds would play 192 games and win the club's Best and Fairest award in 1955. In 1952, Jack Hale took over as coach, Hale had been Bob McCaskill 's assistant, but McCaskill's health was failing and he died in June 1952. Aided by dividends from
15660-400: The night competition reverted to include only the VFL teams. The competition was pushed earlier into the year, with the final played on 28 April. The following season, the competition did not overlap with the day premiership season at all and became entirely a pre-season competition . The night competition is generally considered to be of equivalent importance as the pre-season competition and
15805-435: The organisation: At this point, the only source of funding was the annual $ 35 membership fee. In late 1980, the VFL withdrew recognition of the AFLPA, effectively leaving the players without a negotiating body. In 1981, a pre-season match between Essendon and Fitzroy was threatened with strike action by the association over the VFL's non-recognition of the body. The VFL halted the proposed strike by agreeing to recognise
15950-410: The position in June 2000. Previously, Kerr had been the AFLPA's executive director (Player Development). A significant focus for the AFLPA at this time was to implement the player support programs and ensure that the shift to full-time professionalism was balanced by efforts to prepare players for life after football. In 2003, a new CBA was negotiated between the AFLPA and the AFL. The key principles for
16095-494: The premiership to the team with the best record through the season; and, the formal establishment of the modern scoring system, in which six points are awarded for a goal and one point for a behind. Although the VFL and the VFA continued to compete for spectator interest for many years, the VFL quickly established itself as the premier competition in Victoria. In 1908, the league expanded to ten teams, with Richmond crossing from
16240-558: The previous record set in 2018 despite not featuring any WA-based teams and being played during the COVID pandemic. [REDACTED] The AFL operates on a single table system, with no divisions and conferences, nor promotion and relegation from other leagues. Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club , nicknamed the Hawks , is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria , that competes in
16385-531: The prolific goal-kicker Michael Moncrieff , rover Leigh Matthews , ruck rover Michael Tuck, ruckman Don Scott , full back Kelvin Moore and centre half-back Peter Knights played through this era. The Hawthorn North Melbourne clash was a close encounter, but injuries to champions such as Keith Greig and Brent Crosswell made North's chances of winning difficult. However, when Hawthorn looked threatened, they replied quickly and kept their lead intact. The forward line won
16530-491: The question of expanding the competition from nine clubs to twelve; and then, at a further (full) meeting on 16 January 1925, the VFL decided to admit the three Victorian Football Association (VFA) clubs: Hawthorn, Footscray and North Melbourne . The Mayblooms , as they were then known, became the perennial whipping boys of the competition. Hawthorn had an almost casual attitude towards playing football and—lying remote from major industrial areas and consequently devoid of
16675-429: The reigning premiers, having won the 2024 AFL Grand Final . Several of the AFL's current member clubs date back to the origins of Australian football and were instrumental in establishing the sport's popularity and the AFL. The oldest club is Melbourne Football Club , which wrote the first laws of the code, and Geelong , which date back to 1858 and 1859 respectively, while Melbourne University , also founded in 1859,
16820-406: The scenes the Hawthorn board began to spend large amounts of money that the club didn't have, board members flew first class to games interstate and $ 1 million was spent renovating club offices by a company owned by the then-club president. Despite a decade of onfield success, the club failed to attract supporters who would become long term backers of the club. Loss of key players continued, Ben Allan
16965-405: The second player to win the club's Best and Fairest in his first year, the other being John Kennedy. Brendan Edwards followed Arthur to Hawthorn in 1956 and, although the seniors showed a slight decline to seven wins and a draw, the reserve grade side gave Hawthorn a first finals appearance in any grade. In 1957 the senior team broke through for their first finals appearance, defeating Carlton in
17110-532: The semi-finals before losing to the reigning premiers, the North Melbourne Football Club . The team made steady progress all over the field. Daniel Chick and Nick Holland were the joint winners of the Peter Crimmins Medal. Chance Bateman became the second Indigenous Australian to play for Hawthorn. In 2001 the Hawks again enjoyed a successful year, but it was to be their last for several seasons. The Hawks won eight games straight at
17255-482: The senior team and in 1969 two teenagers, Peter Knights and Leigh Matthews , were recruited. Hawthorn started the 1970s missing the finals even though Peter Hudson kicked a home-and-away record of 146 goals in 1970. The team's spine was strengthened with the arrival of full back Kelvin Moore and centre half-forward Alan Martello . In 1971 the Hawks finished on top of the ladder, the first time since 1963, Peter Hudson equalled Bob Pratt 's record of 150 goals in
17400-485: The services of St Kilda ruckman Peter Everitt . After a poor start to the 2003 season, the Hawks went on to finish the second half of the year strongly and finished in ninth position, narrowly missing the finals. Sam Mitchell shone for the Hawks and won the AFL Rising Star award. This form had punters excited and the team was early favourites for a top four finish the next year. Shane Crawford once again won
17545-479: The share of revenue from marketing activities and an increase in injury and illness benefits. By this time, 99 per cent of all AFL players were members of the association. In 1998, the association underwent significant change. Long-serving president Justin Madden retired from football, and Fremantle 's Peter Mann took over the presidency. Peter Allen resigned as CEO after a twenty-year involvement. Former North Melbourne and Hawthorn player , Andrew Demetriou ,
17690-502: The start of the season and, despite faltering late in the home-and-away season, had a close win in a semi-final against Port Adelaide and made it to the preliminary finals in when they narrowly lost to Essendon . In the off-season, Hawthorn traded Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin for the Number 1 draft pick, Luke Hodge , no. 20 (Daniel Elstone) and no. 36 ( Sam Mitchell ). Croad would return to Hawthorn two years later. The Hawks missed
17835-493: The sustainability and integrity of the game by investing in the personal development of past, present, and future AFL footballers. Established in its current form in 1974, the AFL Players Association provides a means for the AFL and Clubs to consult with players, lobby for players, and collaborate on rules and other issues affecting AFL players. The current CEO of the AFLPA is Paul Marsh. The formation of
17980-582: The sustained dominance of the Hawks in the late 1980s, having played in a record seven successive grand finals. Leading players of the 1980s included Dermott Brereton , Gary Ayres, Chris Mew , Michael Tuck , Jason Dunstall , Gary Buckenara , John Platten and Chris Langford . The Hawks ended their era of dominance which included eight grand final appearances in nine seasons (1983–1991). Injuries to key personnel hampered Hawthorn's 1990 campaign. Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton both missed many games, others like Robert DiPierdomenico carried injuries into
18125-421: The team bounced back to reach the 1991 Grand Final . Grand Final Day 1991 was a historic occasion. It was the only grand final played at Waverley Park and featured the first-ever appearance by a non-Victorian team. West Coast had dominated the home and away season but Hawthorn, written off by many early in the season, won the match. West Coast began the match kicking with the aid of a strong wind blowing down to
18270-518: The top eight teams then play off in a four-round finals series , culminating in the AFL Grand Final , which is normally held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground each year. The grand final winners are termed the premiers , the most important team prizes for which are the premiership cup and flag . Carlton , Collingwood and Essendon are the joint-most successful clubs in the competition, having each won 16 premierships. The Brisbane Lions are
18415-455: The top of the ladder, it created severe inequality during the 1970s and 1980s. Between 1972 and 1987, only six of the league's twelve clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Richmond – played in grand finals. (equivalent to $ 53,142 in 2022) (equivalent to $ 2,898,675 in 2022) (equivalent to $ 3,221,426 in 2022) (equivalent to $ 99,714 in 2022) (equivalent to $ 12,885,702 in 2022) The 1980s
18560-500: The turmoil of the 2004 season Hawthorn produced a surprise move by appointing Alastair Clarkson , a little known Port Adelaide assistant coach, to his first senior AFL coaching role for the 2005 season. Clarkson was selected over the higher profiled former players Terry Wallace and Gary Ayres and embarked on a rebuild of the team, delisting older players and instituting a youth policy. Club veterans Rayden Tallis , Mark Graham , Kris Barlow , Luke McCabe and Lance Picioane left
18705-502: The webbing on his hand. By midway through the final quarter the Cats were charging; with Hawthorn desperately trying to hold off the Cats' avalanche of goals while containing the brilliance of Ablett who ended the match with a grand final record of 9 goals. Hawthorn's experience and determination allowed them to hold off Geelong just long enough, scraping through to victory by one goal. Other clubs have had success since but none have matched
18850-449: The year; Jason Dunstall kicked 132 goals and the team would win the 1988 Premiership 22.20 (152) against Melbourne 6.20 (56); a then-record margin in a Grand Final of 96 points. Gary Ayres won his second Norm Smith Medal. The 1989 season was viewed as one of the most spectacular VFL/AFL seasons to date; with Dunstall again kicking a century of goals, the resurgence of Geelong and dominating play of Geelong great Gary Ablett Sr. , and
18995-499: Was a period of significant structural change in Australian football around the country. The VFL was dominant among the Australian football leagues around the country in terms of overall attendance, interest and money and began to look towards expanding its influence directly into other states. The VFL and its top clubs were asserting their financial power to recruit top players from interstate. The resulting rising cost pressures drove
19140-500: Was acknowledged as the best player for the Grand Final. However, Hawthorn fell back in 1962, winning only five games and finishing in ninth position on the ladder as the club's modest support base and lack of wealthy supporters limited its ability to compete for the growing number of country recruits joining the VFL. In 1963 the club finished on top of the ladder only to lose the grand final to Geelong by 49 points. Kennedy accepted
19285-428: Was appointed as the new CEO. In 2016, the AFLPA welcomed more than 200 female players from the upcoming AFL Women's competition into its membership. The association is responsible for managing women's pay and condition deals. Former North Melbourne and Hawthorn player Andrew Demetriou was appointed as the new CEO. The new administration set about examining the views and wishes of players so that they could negotiate
19430-463: Was awarded the medal retrospectively, a year before his death. 1950 started with the club in turmoil. The club appointed Bob McCaskill as coach, and he wanted Kevin Curran to be captain. Outgoing captain-coach Alec Albiston was angry as he was told by a member of the board that he would remain as captain. Brownlow Medallist Col Austen sided with Albiston and a split occurred. The board sided with
19575-406: Was carried out at the stadium as the 1970s progressed, culminating in the building of the now heritage listed Sir Kenneth Luke Stand. Queen Elizabeth II , was a guest at the game and formally opened the stadium to the public. The 1970 grand final between traditional rivals Carlton and Collingwood, arguably the league's most famous game, saw Carlton recover from a 44-point deficit at half-time to win
19720-536: Was contested among twelve clubs from the VFL, SANFL and WAFL , invited based on their finishing positions from the previous year. The event was mostly played on Tuesday nights, with night games at Norwood Oval in Adelaide and all games were televised live in colour on Channel 9 , which opened up unprecedented revenue streams from television rights and sponsorship opportunities for the sport. The NFL began plans to expand its Night Series to incorporate more teams from
19865-750: Was determined that a dispute between the parties did exist and that the AIRC had jurisdiction to determine an Award. The AFL and AFLPA were instructed by the AIRC to attempt negotiations away from the AIRC environment. These negotiations led to the CBA of 1994–1995. In 1995, negotiations began on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The new CBA period was from 1 November 1995 to 31 October 1998, and increased minimum salaries for season 1996 to $ 15,000 and match payments to $ 1,000 per senior game. These payments further increased to $ 20,000 and $ 1,500 in 1997, and $ 20,680 and $ 1,550 in 1998 respectively. The players gained an increase in
20010-541: Was introduced in 1986 and a salary cap was introduced in 1987. District football within Victoria was discontinued around the same time. The league was renamed the Australian Football League in 1990 to reflect its national composition. In 1990 the AFLPA , the players union, signed its first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league which outlined wages and conditions in what was becoming
20155-400: Was just 25 minutes too long". "Kennedy's Commandos" (the term given to the team after the coach's tough physical training program and loudly proclaimed in the huge banners that swept around the MCG (now sadly replaced by advertising signs)) came into force. The Hawks moved Peter Hudson out to centre half-forward and Bob Keddie into the goal square. The Hawks slammed on seven goals to three in
20300-517: Was keen to do away with this bye via the admission of a tenth club. In 1924, a group calling itself the Hawthorn Citizens' League Campaign Committee began gathering support for the football club's admittance to the VFL. Other representations came from Brighton , Brunswick , Footscray , North Melbourne , Prahran , Camberwell , and Caulfield . On 9 January 1925, a committee meeting of the VFL, chaired by Reg Hunt of Carlton , examined
20445-494: Was named AFLPA Chief Executive Officer, replacing Brendon Gale who resigned from the position to become Richmond Football Club's CEO. Finnis is a former sports lawyer with Lander & Rogers, advising sport and recreation organisations on insurance requirements, risk management and associated liability issues. In addition to that, he was the sponsorship services manager for the SunSmart and Quit campaigns following his work as
20590-420: Was offered the captaincy of the new Fremantle Dockers and left at the end of 1994, as did Andrew Gowers , who went to Brisbane . After a promising start in 1995 the Hawks lost their last seven games to finish fifteenth and missed the finals for the first time since 1981. The board sacked the coaching staff and appointed Ken Judge who was an assistant to David Parkin at Carlton. Club Champion Darren Jarman told
20735-516: Was our right, to be up there with the best of them. After three seasons in mid-ladder Hawthorn appointed John Kennedy as coach in 1960. Kennedy and 1960 Club Champion Brendan Edwards believed that footballers were not fit enough so a training regime was implemented. John Winneke , Phil Hay , Malcolm Hill , Morton Browne , Ian Mort and Ian Law made their debuts in 1960. Kennedy took the Hawks further than ever before in 1961, winning their first premiership by defeating Footscray . Brendan Edwards
20880-570: Was played in front of a crowd of 22,183 on Anzac Day to honour the Anzac bond between the two countries. A national women's league comprising a subset of AFL clubs began in 2017. Thirteen AFL clubs placed bids to participate in the women's competition. Eight clubs – Adelaide , Brisbane Lions , Carlton , Collingwood , Fremantle , Greater Western Sydney , Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs – were granted licences to participate in
21025-658: Was purchased at Mulgrave, then farmland but predicted to be near the demographic centre of Melbourne's population. The VFL premiership trophy was first awarded in addition to a pennant flag in 1959; essentially the same trophy design has been in use since. In the 1960s, television coverage began to have a huge impact on the VFL. Spectators hurried home from games to watch replays and many former players took up positions as commentators on pre-game preview programs and post-game review programs. There were also several attempts at variety programs featuring VFL players, who generally succeeded in demonstrating that their skills were limited to
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