A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1897 VFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
 Essendon 1897 VFL premiership team | |
| Date | 8 May—4 September 1897 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers | Essendon 1st premiership |
| Minor premiers | Geelong 1st minor premiership |
| Leading goalkicker medallist | Eddy James (Geelong) Jack Leith (Melbourne) 22 goals |
| Matches played | 62 |
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.
Essendon won the inaugural premiership after winning all three of its finals matches. Geelong won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with an 11–3 win–loss record. Geelong's Eddy James and Melbourne's Jack Leith tied for the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkickers.
Background
In 1897, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 20 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves" (although any of the 20 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match).[1] Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 14 rounds.
Once the 14-round home-and-away season had finished, the 1897 VFL Premiers were determined according to the conditions dictated by the specific format and conventions of the 1897 Finals System, which was used in this season only. A round-robin finals series has only been used once since, in 1924.
Home-and-away season
Round 1
| Round 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 6.13 (49) | def. | Carlton 2.4 (16) | Brunswick Street Oval | |
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 5.11 (41) | def. | St Kilda 2.4 (16) | Victoria Park | |
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | Geelong 3.6 (24) | def. by | Essendon 7.5 (47) | Corio Oval | |
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 3.9 (27) | def. by | Melbourne 6.8 (44) | Lake Oval | |
Round 2
| Round 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 6.4 (40) | def. | Carlton 5.6 (36) | Lake Oval | |
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | Essendon 4.6 (30) | def. by | Collingwood 8.2 (50) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 3.8 (26) | def. by | Fitzroy 10.6 (66) | Junction Oval | |
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 9.10 (64) | def. | Geelong 3.1 (19) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
Round 3
| Round 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 22 May (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 6.5 (41) | def. | Geelong 5.7 (37) | Victoria Park | |
| Saturday, 22 May (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 5.9 (39) | def. by | Melbourne 7.8 (50) | Brunswick Street Oval | |
| Monday, 24 May (3:00 pm) | Essendon 12.6 (78) | def. | Carlton 6.5 (41) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
| Monday, 24 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 8.11 (59) | def. | St Kilda 0.2 (2) | Lake Oval | |
Round 4
| Round 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | Geelong 5.14 (44) | def. | Carlton 3.4 (22) | Corio Oval | |
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 5.11 (41) | def. | Collingwood 5.3 (33) | Lake Oval | |
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 2.8 (20) | def. by | Essendon 6.6 (42) | Brunswick Street Oval | |
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 11.10 (76) | def. | St Kilda 7.4 (46) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
Round 5
| Round 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 15.17 (107) | def. | Carlton 3.8 (26) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 5.7 (37) | def. | Fitzroy 2.9 (21) | Victoria Park | |
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 3.8 (26) | def. by | Essendon 9.9 (63) | Junction Oval | |
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | Geelong 10.12 (72) | def. | South Melbourne 3.6 (24) | Corio Oval | |
Round 6
| Round 6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 3.6 (24) | def. by | Carlton 5.5 (35) | Junction Oval | |
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 5.3 (33) | def. | Collingwood 3.8 (26) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 2.4 (16) | def. by | Essendon 1.13 (19) | Lake Oval | |
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | Geelong 3.13 (31) | def. | Fitzroy 2.3 (15) | Corio Oval | |