Hypothetical AFL Merger: Which VFL, SANFL, and WAFL Clubs Would Survive?

We see a strange thing to consider how the landscape of professional sports can shift based on a few administrative decisions made decades ago. While the conversation regarding the Essendon Bombers and the West Coast Eagles might seem rooted in the distant history of 1991, the ripples of how leagues expand and contract are something One can feel even here in Chicago. Whether it is the way the NFL manages its franchises or how the city’s own sports culture clings to tradition, the tension between a centralized national league and regional identity is a universal struggle. When we appear at the Australian Football League (AFL), we see a mirror of the complex power dynamics that often define the professional sports world in the United States.

The Evolution of the AFL and the Victorian Influence

The transition of the Victorian Football League (VFL) into the Australian Football League (AFL) was not just a name change; it was a fundamental shift in the sport’s architecture. The VFL expanded interstate to become the modern AFL, but this expansion created a lingering friction. For years, the dominance of Victorian teams was a point of contention. In fact, some argue that several clubs in the WAFL (West Australian Football League) and SANFL (South Australian National Football League) were historically larger than some of the old VFL clubs that were essentially promoted to the national league simply because they were based in Victoria.

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This dynamic created a skewed hierarchy. While the AFL stands as the premier competition, the state leagues—the VFL, SANFL, and WAFL—now function largely as semi-professional feeder competitions. The VFL, in particular, has transitioned into a role where it primarily supports AFL clubs. Here’s evident in the 2026 reserves arrangements, where many clubs, such as the Essendon Bombers, Collingwood Magpies, and Richmond Tigers, maintain stand-alone reserves teams within the VFL to develop talent for their senior squads.

The Complexities of Reserves and Affiliations

The way AFL clubs handle their non-selected players varies wildly across the different state leagues. For instance, while the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power operate within the SANFL, the Fremantle Dockers utilize a club affiliation with Peel Thunder in the WAFL. This fragmentation exists because there has not been a league-wide reserves competition since 1987. The AFL reserves competition itself was shut down at the end of the 1999 season, forcing clubs to find alternative ways to keep their listed players match-fit.

This structural instability often leads to debates about what “might have been.” If the expansion had been handled differently, perhaps we wouldn’t see the current concentration of ten Victorian teams, and the merger process might have looked particularly different. The historical weight of these decisions affects how fans in Perth or Adelaide view the league’s center of power in Melbourne. It is a struggle for legitimacy that resonates with any sports fan who has seen their local team sidelined by a corporate league office.

Connecting the Dots to the Chicago Sports Landscape

In a city like Chicago, we understand the intersection of regional pride and national corporate interests. Just as the WAFL and SANFL fought for their place against the VFL’s expansion, our own sporting institutions navigate a complex web of affiliations. When we discuss sports management trends, we are talking about the same tension: the balance between a “national” brand and the local community that provides the heartbeat of the fan base.

The AFL’s reliance on state leagues to act as a talent pipeline is similar to how professional organizations in the U.S. Utilize minor leagues or collegiate partnerships. The “macro” decision to move toward a nationalized model often leaves “micro” gaps—clubs that were once giants in their own right but are now relegated to a feeder status. This is a cautionary tale in organizational scaling; when you expand too quickly or unevenly, you risk alienating the very foundations that made the sport popular in the first place.

Navigating Local Impacts and Professional Guidance

Given my background in analyzing systemic organizational shifts, when these macro-trends in sports and entertainment impact the local economy or community planning in Chicago, you need specialized guidance. Whether you are managing a local sports complex or dealing with the zoning implications of a new athletic facility near the Loop or along the lakefront, the right expertise is non-negotiable. If you are navigating these waters, here are the three types of local professionals you should prioritize:

Municipal Zoning and Land Use Attorneys: Look for specialists who have a proven track record with the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development. You need someone who understands the specific nuances of community benefit agreements and the legal hurdles of developing sports-related infrastructure in dense urban corridors.
Sports Infrastructure Consultants: Seek out firms that specialize in “feeder system” logistics. The criteria here should be their ability to integrate semi-professional facility requirements with high-traffic urban accessibility, ensuring that youth and reserve-level athletes have sustainable access to training grounds.
Community Impact Strategists: When a national entity moves into a local neighborhood, you need a strategist who can facilitate dialogue between corporate stakeholders and neighborhood associations. Look for professionals who utilize data-driven social impact assessments to ensure local businesses aren’t displaced by large-scale sporting expansions.

Understanding the history of the AFL and its state league affiliations helps us see the broader pattern of how power is distributed in professional sports. By focusing on the local community development aspects of these trends, we can ensure that the growth of the “national” game does not come at the expense of the local spirit.

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