Australian Football Hall of Fame

The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established with 136 inductees. As of 2014, this figure has grown to 257, including 25 "Legends".

While those involved in the game from its inception in 1859 are theoretically eligible, very few outside the major leagues – the Australian Football League (VFL/AFL), the Victorian Football League (VFA/VFL), the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) – have been recognised to date.

A committee considers candidates on the basis of their ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character. While the number of games played, coached or umpired, or years of service in the case of administrators and media representatives, is a consideration, it alone does not determine eligibility. Players must be retired from the game for at least three years before they become eligible for induction, while coaches, umpires, administrators and media representatives are eligible immediately upon retirement. The committee considers candidates from all the states and territories of Australia and from all Australian Football competitions within Australia.

The following excerpt from the official Hall of Fame website highlights the main criteria used by the committee in selecting inductees to the Hall of Fame:

In 2010, several amendments were made to the selection criteria: The key criteria changes include:

Selection Committee

Every year there is a special Hall of Fame dinner to announce and welcome the new inductees to the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame has been criticised by football writers and historians for being heavily biased towards figures from Victoria. The initial selection committee was made up of 11 Victorians, one South Australian and one Western Australian, with the current selection committee being made up of six Victorians, two Western Australians and one South Australian. Of the 136 inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, 116 played substantial parts of their careers in Victoria, with eleven of the thirteen "Legends" from Victoria.

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