Expansion of the Australian Football League

The Australian Football League, currently an 18 team competition, has a history of expansion since 1908 when its 8 club competition, formed as an 1897 breakaway from the rival Victorian Football Association, grew to 10 teams. Many clubs have been proposed since this time, particularly since the 1980s when the league began to expand nationally. Only 3 teams have left the competition in its history.

The AFL Commission controls the competition's expansion licenses. Its most recently granted licenses occurred during the league's nationalisation. The 19th license has been awarded to the Tasmania Devils Football Club in 2023 (to enter the league in 2028). The private ownership model for licenses was more common in the 1980s however most clubs being run under a membership model. As of 2024, 5 of the expansion franchises are now either directly controlled by or owned by the league.

The AFL Women's competition has followed the AFL in its expansion awarding licenses to each of the existing AFL clubs as it expanded from 8 teams in 2017 to the current 18 teams.

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