VFL/AFL premiership and grand final statistics explained

This page is a collection of VFL/AFL premiership and grand final statistics. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1990, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. Each year, the premiership is awarded to the club that wins the AFL Grand Final. The grand final has been played in all VFL/AFL seasons except for 1897 and 1924 (where the premiership was awarded without a grand final being played), and has been an annual tradition in its current format since 1931.

Since the introduction by the League of equalisation policies of a salary cap and draft in 1987,^[1] every team currently competing in the Australian Football League (except for, which has not yet qualified for a finals series as of 2024) has qualified for a grand final. This has had a significant impact on the spread of premierships: since 1990, fourteen clubs have won a premiership, compared with only five clubs between 1967 and 1989.^[2] Of the teams currently competing in the Australian Football League, only, Gold Coast and are yet to win a premiership.

As of 2024, Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton are all tied for winning 16 premierships, with Collingwood winning the most consecutive premierships, at four between 1927 and 1930.

Premierships by team

Club	Years in competition	Premierships		Runners-up
Total		class=unsortable	Years	Total	class=unsortable	Years
	1897–present	align=center	16		align=center	27	1901, 1905, 1911, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2018
	1897–present	align=center	16		align=center	14	1898, 1902, 1908, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1957, 1959, 1968, 1983, 1990, 2001
	1897–present	align=center	16		align=center	13	1904, 1909, 1910, 1916, 1921, 1932, 1949, 1962, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1993, 1999
	1908–present	13		12	1919, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1972, 1982
	1925–present	align=center	13		align=center	6	1963, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2012
	1897–present	13		5	1946, 1954, 1958, 1988, 2000
	1897–present	align=center	10		align=center	10	1897, 1930, 1953, 1967, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2008, 2020
	1897–1996	align=center	8		5	1900, 1903, 1906, 1917, 1923
/	1897–present	align=center	5		align=center	14	1899, 1907, 1912, 1914, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1945, 1996, 2006, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024
	1925–present	align=center	4		align=center	5	1950, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1998
	1987–present	align=center	4		align=center	3	1991, 2005, 2015
	1997–present	align=center	4		align=center	2	2004, 2023
/	1925–present	align=center	2		align=center	2	1961, 2021
	1991–present	align=center	2		align=center	1	2017
	1897–present	align=center	1		align=center	6	1913, 1965, 1971, 1997, 2009, 2010
	1997–present	align=center	1		align=center	1	2007
	2012–present	0	—	1	2019
	1995–present	align=center	0	align=center	—	align=center	1	2013
	2011–present	align=center	0	align=center	—	align=center	0	align=center	—
	1987–1996	0	—	0	—
	1908–1914	0	—	0	—

Table correct to the end of the 2024 season.

Premiership frequency

Club	Years in competition	Seasons	Premierships	Runners-up	Strike rate (based on seasons in competition)	Average years per
						Premiership	Grand final
align=left		align=left	1925–present	99	13	6	13.13%	7.62	5.21
align=left		align=left	1897–1915, 1918–present	125	16	14	12.80%	7.81	4.17
align=left		align=left	1897–present	127	16	27	12.60%	7.94	2.95
align=left		align=left	1897–present	127	16	13	12.60%	7.94	4.38
align=left		align=left	1908–present	116	13	12	11.21%	8.92	4.64
align=left		align=left	1997–present	27	4	2	14.81%	6.75	4.50
align=left		align=left	1987–present	37	4	3	10.81%	9.25	5.29
align=left		align=left	1897–1915, 1919–present	124	13	5	10.48%	9.54	6.89
align=left		align=left	1897–1915, 1917–1941, 1944–present	124	10	10	8.06%	12.40	6.20
align=left		align=left	1897–1996	100	8	5	8.00%	12.50	7.69
align=left		align=left	1991–present	33	2	1	6.06%	16.50	11.00
align=left		align=left	1925–present	99	4	5	4.04%	24.75	11.00
/	align=left	1897–1915, 1917–present	126	5	13	3.97%	25.20	7.00
align=left		align=left	1997–present	27	1	1	3.70%	27.00	13.50
align=left	/	align=left	1925–present	99	2	2	2.02%	49.50	24.75
align=left		align=left	1897–1915, 1918–present	125	1	6	0.80%	125.00	17.86
align=left		align=left	2012–present	12	0	1	—	—	12.00
align=left		align=left	1995–present	29	0	1	—	—	29.00
align=left		align=left	1908–1914	7	0	0	—	—	—
align=left		align=left	1987–1996	10	0	0	—	—	—
align=left		align=left	2011–present	13	0	0	—	—	—

Table correct to the end of the 2024 season.

Premiership droughts

^+	Drought began upon club's entry to league
^†	Drought ended upon club's exit from league
*| Also the longest club premiership drought|} The following tables summarise the different premiership droughts for each club. The first table is limited to droughts lasting fifty or more seasons, while the other three are specific to each club (two of which span the entire competition, including all 21 teams). The duration of the drought is given as the number of full seasons contested between premierships; the season in which the drought is broken is considered to be part of the drought, and if the drought began from a club's entry to the league, the club's inaugural season is also considered to be part of the drought. Grand final replays are not included in grand final appearances. Longest premiership droughts Club Seasons Start End Grand final appearances during drought align=left / 72 align=left 1934, 1935, 1936, 1945, 1996 align=left 69 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1897^+ align=left 1913, 1965 align=left / 62 align=left 1961 align=left 59 — align=left 1971, 1997, 2009, 2010 align=left 57 align=left 1988, 2000 align=left 52 bgcolor=C0FFC0 1996^† — align=left 50 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1925^+ align=left 1950, 1974 Table correct to the beginning of the 2025 season. Longest club premiership droughts Club Seasons Start End Grand final appearances during drought align=left 27 — align=left 2017 align=left 10 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1987^+ bgcolor=C0FFC0 1996^† — align=left 21 align=left 2004, 2023 align=left 30 — align=left 1999 align=left 32 align=left 1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 align=left 25 — align=left 2001 align=left 52 bgcolor=C0FFC0 1996^† — align=left / 62 align=left 1961 align=left 30 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1995^+ — align=left 2013 align=left 44 align=left 1967, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995 align=left 14 bgcolor=C0C0FF 2011^+ — — align=left 13 bgcolor=C0C0FF 2012^+ — align=left 2019 align=left 36 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1925^+ — align=left 57 align=left 1988, 2000 align=left 50 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1925^+ align=left 1950, 1974 align=left 21 — align=left 2007 align=left 37 align=left 1982 align=left 68 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1897^+ align=left 1913, 1965 align=left / 72 align=left 1934, 1935, 1936, 1945, 1996 align=left 6 bgcolor=C0C0FF 1908^+ bgcolor=C0FFC0 1914^† — 12 align=left 2005 align=left 2015 Table correct to the beginning of the 2025 season. Current club premiership droughts Club Seasons Start Grand final appearances during drought align=left bgcolor=FFFFC0 26* || 1998 || align=left | 2017|-| align=left | || 0 || 2024 || —|-| align=left | || bgcolor=FFFFC0 | 29* || 1995 || align=left | 1999|-| align=left | || 1 || 2023|| —|-| align=left | || bgcolor=FFFFC0 | 24* || 2000 || align=left | 2001|-| align=left | || bgcolor=FFFFC0 | 29* || bgcolor="C0C0FF" | 1995^+ || align=left | 2013|-| align=left | || 2 || 2022 || —|-| align=left | || bgcolor=FFFFC0 | 13* || bgcolor="C0C0FF" | 2011^+ || —|-| align=left | || bgcolor=FFFFC0 | 12* 2012^+ align=left 2019 align=left 9 — align=left 3 — align=left 25 — align=left bgcolor=FFFFC0 20* || 2004 || align=left | 2007|-| align=left | || 4 || 2020 || —|-| align=left | || 58 || 1966 || align=left | 1971, 1997, 2009, 2010|-| align=left | || 12 || 2012 || align=left | 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024|-| align=left | || 6 || 2018 || —|-| align=left | || 8 || 2016 || align=left | 2021|} Table correct to the end of the 2024 season. Time taken to win first premiership ° Club has not yet won a premiership ^× Club exited the league without winning a premiership Club Seasons Entry to league First premiership Grand final appearances during drought align=left 7 — align=left bgcolor=C0C0C0 10^× — — align=left 5 — align=left 10 align=left 1904 align=left 6 align=left 1901 align=left 1 — align=left 2 — align=left / 30 — align=left bgcolor=FFE0C0 29° — align=left 2013 align=left 29 align=left 1897 align=left bgcolor=FFE0C0 13° — — align=left bgcolor=FFE0C0 12° — align=left 2019 align=left bgcolor=FFFFC0 37* || 1925 || 1961 || —|-| align=left | || 4 || 1897 || 1900 || —|-| align=left | || bgcolor=FFFFC0 | 51* align=left 1950, 1974 align=left 8 — align=left 13 align=left 1919 align=left bgcolor=FFFFC0 68* || 1897 || 1966 || align=left | 1913, 1965|-| align=left | / || 13 || 1897 || 1909 || align=left | 1899, 1907|-| align=left | || bgcolor=C0C0C0 | 7^× || 1908 || — || —|-| align=left | || 6 || 1987 || 1992 || align=left | 1991|} Table correct to the end of the 2023 season. Consecutive appearances Consecutive premierships Club Years align=center 4 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 3 1906, 1907, 1908 1939, 1940, 1941 1955, 1956, 1957 2001, 2002, 2003 2013, 2014, 2015 2 1898, 1899 1902, 1903 1904, 1905 1911, 1912 1914, 1915 1920, 1921 1923, 1924 1935, 1936 1949, 1950 1951, 1952 1959, 1960 1973, 1974 1981, 1982 1984, 1985 1988, 1989 1997, 1998 2019, 2020 Table correct to the end of the 2023 season. Consecutive grand finals Club Years Win/loss 7 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 L, W, W, W, L, W, W 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 W, L, L, W, L, W, W 6 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 L, L, W, W, W, W 1946, 1947, 1948^1, 1949, 1950, 1951 W, L, L, W, W, L 5 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910 W, W, W, L, L 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 W, W, L, L, L 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977^2, 1978 L, W, L, W, L 4 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 L, W, W, L 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 W, L, W, L 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 L, W, L, W 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 W, L, L, L 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 W, W, W, L 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 L, W, W, W 3 1898, 1899, 1900 W, W, L 1901, 1902, 1903 L, W, W 1914, 1915, 1916 W, W, L 1919, 1920, 1921 L, W, W 1927, 1928, 1929 L, L, L 1939, 1940, 1941 W, W, W 1941, 1942, 1943 L, W, L 1942, 1943, 1944 L, W, L 1951, 1952, 1953 W, W, L 1968, 1969, 1970 W, L, W 1972, 1973, 1974 L, W, W 1979, 1980, 1981 L, L, L 1983, 1984, 1985 L, W, W 2007, 2008, 2009 W, L, W ^1 Essendon drew the 1948 VFL Grand Final, and was defeated by Melbourne in the replay. ^2 North Melbourne drew the 1977 VFL Grand Final, and defeated Collingwood in the replay. Table correct to the end of the 2022 season. Most common match-ups The following table summarises the most common grand final match-ups (not including grand final replays). Match-up Grand final appearances 7 align=left vs align=left 6 align=left vs align=left 1910, 1915, 1938, 1970, 1979, 1981 align=left vs align=left 1908, 1947, 1949, 1962, 1968, 1993 align=left vs align=left 1921, 1932, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1982 align=left vs align=left 1925, 1930, 1937, 1952, 1953, 2011 align=left vs align=left 1919, 1920, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1980 align=left vs align=left 1941, 1946, 1948, 1957, 1959, 2000 4 align=left vs align=left 1907, 1909, 1914, 1945 align=left vs align=left 1901, 1902, 1911, 1990 align=left vs align=left 1903, 1905, 1917, 1922 Table correct to the end of the 2023 season. Premierships at all levels This table summarises premierships won at all levels of the VFL/AFL competition: the seniors, seconds/reserves (1919–1999), thirds/under-19s (1946–1991), night series (1956–2013) and AFL Women's (since 2017). Only AFL and AFLW premierships can currently be won; excluded from this table are premierships won by reserves teams competing in state leagues (including the VFL from 2000 onwards). Club Seniors Reserves Under-19s Night AFLW Total align=left 16 8 5 6 0 35 align=left 13 12 6 3 1 35 align=left 16 8 6 4 0 34 align=left 13 9 11 1 0 34 align=left 16 7 4 2 0 28 align=left 10 13 1 3 0 27 align=left 13 4 1 9 0 27 align=left 4 7 7 5 1 24 align=left 8 3 2 2 — 15 align=left / 2 6 1 4 1 14 align=left / 5 0 1 4 0 10 align=left 1 3 1 4 0 9 align=left 2 — — 2 3 7 align=left 4 — — 1 2 7 align=left 4 — — 0 0 4 align=left 1 — — 2 0 3 align=left 0 1 — 0 — 1 align=left 0 0 — — — 0 align=left 0 — — 0 0 0 align=left 0 1 — 0 0 1 align=left 0 — — 0 0 0 Table correct to the end of the 2025 AFL season. Premierships across multiple grades in a season A club has won premierships in three grades in a single year on only two occasions – in 1950, and in 1973. During the years that it was achievable, no club ever won a senior, reserves, under-19s and night premiership in a single year. Table correct to the end of the 2023 AFL season. See also List of VFL/AFL premiers List of VFL/AFL premiership captains and coaches List of VFL/AFL pre-season and night series premiers List of AFL Women's premiers AFL Grand Final Sources Australian Football League Full Points Footy AFL Tables

Notes and References

1. http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=33841 NAB AFL Draft
2. Web site: An object lesson in the perils of hindsight. The Age. October 2, 2003.
3. The 1956 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).
4. The 1965 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).
5. The 1971 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).