It's time to bring to back the AFL reserves competition.
With St Kilda splitting from their alignment with Sandringham and having their own side in VFL 2026, the current 21-club competition is gaining another team.
But with the Tasmania Devils also mooted to join the VFL in 2026 ahead of their AFL entrance in 2028, it will mean the league will feature a bloated 23 teams across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Tasmania.
This season in the VFL, the 21 teams play 18 games across a 21-round season with three byes, meaning each club doesn't play three teams during the home-and-away season.
MORE: St Kilda reveal position on Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera future
With every team not playing each other at least once in the regular season, the integrity of the competition is severely affected at a base level.
If this makes the VFL solely a development league, well okay, but then the three byes a season are a nightmare for AFL clubs involved, as there is three round their non-senior players aren't playing a competitive match.
There are multiple solutions better than the current VFL iteration, one being a reincarnation of the AFL reserves competition.
That would require every AFL team to have a side in the reserves competition, with a fixture that would mirror the AFL season.
While this is likely achievable with the AFL clubs already in the VFL, it might be difficult to get the Adelaide clubs to leave the SANFL and Western Australian clubs to depart the WAFL.
This appears to be the best scenario for AFL clubs and fans, with double headers able to be played with AFL and VFL games.
However, the AFL might be wary in what a reserves competition would do to the standalone VFL teams, as these clubs may struggle to survive a split.
If an AFL reserves competition isn't an option, then a conference-system could be implemented to ensure a fairer competition and also reduce travel costs.
A decision needs to be made on the future of the VFL, because right now the competition is just a big mess with no clear direction or meaning.
Which clubs and teams will be in VFL 2026?
AFL standalone clubs
- Brisbane Lions
- Carlton
- Collingwood
- Essendon
- Footscray Bulldogs (Western Bulldogs)
- Geelong
- Gold Coast Suns
- GWS Giants
- North Melbourne
- Richmond
- St Kilda
- Sydney
- Tasmania
AFL-aligned clubs
- Box Hill Hawks (Hawthorn)
- Casey Demons (Melbourne)
VFL standalone clubs
- Coburg
- Frankston
- Northern Bullants
- Port Melbourne
- Sandringham
- Southport Sharks
- Werribee
- Williamstown