The council was a body of delegates representing each of the sport’s individual state leagues which controlled football in their states. The council was the owner of the laws of the game and managed interstate administrative and football matters.
The council underwent several name changes during its existence, and at different times it was also known as: the Australasian Football Council (1906–1919), the Australian Football Council (1920–1927 and 1973–1975), the National Football League (1975–1989) and the National Australian Football Council (1989–1995).
In 1993, three years after the VFL was rebranded as the AFL, the AFL Commission pushed for the NAFC to be disbanded. The league argued that the council had become less relevant due to its increasingly successful national club competition. A memorandum of understanding was signed which effectively increased the league’s power and allowed the AFL to gain control of the Laws of the Game.
