This is a list of seasons competed by the Melbourne Football Club. The team was founded in 1858, and was fundamental in developing the rules of Australian rules football and organizing the first competitions. Melbourne was a founding member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877, which, alongside the South Australian Football Association (SAFA), were the first ever Australian rules football associations. In 1897, Melbourne was a founding member of the breakaway Victorian Football League (VFL) – renamed the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990 – which they have remained in ever since.