place_of_birth jesse w. smith
The AFL Commission is the official governing body ___MASK46___ Australian rules football and the Australian Football League ( AFL ), the sport ' s elite national competition . The Australian Football League ( AFL ) is the pre - eminent professional competition in the sport ___MASK46___ Australian rules football . Through the AFL Commission , the AFL also serves as the sport ' s governing body , and is responsible for controlling the laws ___MASK46___ the game . The league was founded as the Victorian Football League ( VFL ) as a breakaway from the previous Victorian Football Association ( VFA ), with its inaugural season commencing in 1897 . Originally comprising only teams based in the Australian state ___MASK46___ ___MASK8___ , the competition ' s name was changed to the Australian Football League for the 1990 season , after expanding to other states throughout the 1980s . For the member ___MASK46___ President Warren G . Harding ' s Ohio Gang see Jess Smith Jesse W . Smith ( born 29 September 1986 ) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League ( AFL ) . He is the son ___MASK46___ former North Melbourne player , Ross Smith . Formerly playing for North Melbourne , he was drafted to play for St Kilda in 2010 , and retired at the end ___MASK46___ 2010 . The Victorian Football League ( VFL ) is the major state - level Australian rules football league in ___MASK8___ . The league evolved from the former Victorian Football Association ( VFA ), and has been known by its current name since 1996 . For historical purposes , the present VFL is sometimes referred to as the VFA / VFL , to distinguish it from the present day Australian Football League , which was known until 1990 as the Victorian Football League and is sometimes referred to as the VFL / AFL . Australian rules football , officially known as Australian football , but also called Aussie rules , football or footy ( and in some regions marketed as AFL after the Australian Football League ), is a contact sport played between two teams ___MASK46___ eighteen players on an oval - shaped field , often a modified cricket ground .