The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL, is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
An early football player guernsey and Cap
Port Adelaide played its early games at Bucks Flat, Glanville Hall Estate from 1870 to 1879
The Port Adelaide Football Club won their first premiership in 1884.(1884 Port Adelaide team pictured).
Adelaide's 1886 premiership team. The club which players were solely South Australians was formed from a merger of two junior clubs in 1885 - North Adelaide Juniors and North Park.
The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway co
South Australian National Football League
…the world. For most of its existence, the league was considered one of the traditional "big three" Australian rules football leagues, along with the Victorian Football League and West Australian Football League. Since the introduction of two South Australia-based clubs into the Australian Football League – the Adelaide Crows…
The final standing of the 1896 VFA ladder. Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne, Carlton and St Kilda would form the VFL the following year.
Essendon won the inaugural VFL premiership by finishing on top of the 1897 round robin finals ladder. A new finals system was implemented during the 1898 VFL season in order that a final match, or "grand final", should determine the premiers.
In 1924, Footscray, the premiers of the VFA, defeated Essendon, the VFL premiers, in the Championship of Victoria. The result played a large part in Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne gaining entry into the VFL the following year.
Luke Hodge, the first pick in the 2001 AFL draft. Hodge has played the most VFL/AFL games of any number-one draft pick (346 games played), is the only number-one draft pick to win a Norm Smith Medal, is one of just five number-one draft picks to have won a premiership, and has won the most premierships of any number-one draft pick (4)