The 1897 VFL season was the inaugural season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season ran from 8 May to 4 September, comprising a 14-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top four clubs. Eight Victorian Football Association (VFA) clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda – featured in the inaugural season after seceding from the VFA in 1896.
David Bertram Miller Smith was an Australian sportsman.
Albert John Thurgood was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Western Australian Football Association (WAFA).
In Victoria Australian rules football is the most popular sport overall, being the most watched and second most participated code of football. Australian rules football originated in Melbourne in the late 1850s and quickly came to dominate in the sport, which it continues to. Victoria has more than double the number of players of any other state in Australia accounting for approximately 42% of all Australian players in 2023 and continues to grow strongly. In 2023 there were 76 competitions and 1,242 clubs. According to Ausplay there are 227,213 adult of which about one in three are female and 96,068 children playing, similar numbers to soccer. The sport is governed by AFL Victoria based in Melbourne. The national governing body, the AFL Commission is also based in Melbourne.
Kevin Morris is a former Australian rules football player who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1971 and 1976 for the Richmond Football Club and then from 1977 until 1981 for the Collingwood Football Club.
Francis William Maher was a decorated Australian soldier who served in the First AIF, and was an Australian footballer and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA).
Hugh Mitchell was an Australian rules footballer and coach who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Dandenong in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) during the 1950s and 1960s.
George James Phillips Vautin was an Australian sportsman who played Australian rules football for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and first-class cricket for both Tasmania and Victoria.
John Joseph "Dookie" McKenzie was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Sydney Quinton Barker Sr. was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond, Essendon and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). His son, also named Syd Barker, had a brief league career with North Melbourne.
Charles Hardy was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) during the 1910s and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1920s.
Lewis Edward Armstrong was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Michael Thomas Madden was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Robert Matthew 'Bob' Wilson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
William Robinson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Stephen Pirrie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond, St Kilda and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Ernest Carl Watson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
David Sullivan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Ross Wright is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He won Essendon's under-19s best and fairest in 1971. Wright later played for Hobart in the Tasmanian Football League from 1975 to 1977, coming runner-up in the league best and fairest in 1976. He then spent five season with Camberwell in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), winning premierships in 1979 and 1981. At a representative level, Wright played for Tasmania in 1976 and the VFA from 1979–81. He finished his career playing for his old side East Ringwood.
Gary Grainger is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). His father, George, also played VFL football, for St Kilda. After leaving Essendon, Grainger played for and captained Preston in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), was captain-coach of Tasmanian side East Devonport, captain-coached Epping back in Victoria, and was captain-coach of Lalor in the Diamond Valley Football League.
