GEELONG has lost its bid to change the VFL-AFL premiership tallies to include VFA flags won before 1897.

But the AFL Commission has granted the league’s foundation clubs permission to decide how they recognise their own histories through the VFA, VFL and AFL periods.

In response to a submission lodged by Cats president Colin Carter to recognise VFA flags won between 1877 and 1896 - a period in which his club won seven titles - the AFL Commission consulted with some of the game’s leading historians before ruling on the matter.

They moved to “endorse the recognition of premierships and player statistics for the period 1870-1896, subject to them being delineated between the major competitions of the VFA and VFL.”

But AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said yesterday it would not alter the current ladder of VFL-AFL premierships won.

“The VFL/AFL has its own discreet history from 1897 to 1990 when the name of the competition changed to the AFL but it has been the one organisation since its establishment until the VFL was used as the foundation to establish our national competition,” Fitzpatrick said.

“All player records and major awards including the Brownlow Medal, John Coleman Medal and Norm Smith Medal were retained when the competition expanded nationally.”

Instead, the AFL has ruled that each of the club has the option of recognising its VFA or state league premierships as it sees fit.

So, for example, Fitzpatrick said the Cats could now choose to recognise its history as seven VFA premierships (1878, 1879, 1880, 1882, 1883, 1884 and 1886), six VFL premierships (1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, and 1963) and three AFL premierships (2007, 2009, 2011).

Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne formed the VFL competition at the end of the 1896 season, forming a breakaway league, which kicked off in 1897.

Carter wrote to the AFL Commission in an effort to have the 20 seasons of VFA competition (1877-1896) incorporated as part of the game’s history

Club VFA premierships 1877-96 Geelong 1878, 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 86 Essendon 1891, 92, 93, 94 South Melbourne 1881, 85, 88, 89 Carlton 1877, 87 Fitzroy 1895 Collingwood 1896

AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said: “The VFL/AFL has its own discreet history from 1897 to 1990 when the name of the competition changed to the AFL but it has been the one organisation since its establishment until the VFL was used as the foundation to establish our national competition.”

“All player records and major awards including the Brownlow Medal, John Coleman Medal and Norm Smith Medal were retained when the competition expanded nationally.”

Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne formed the VFL competition at the end of the 1896 season, forming a breakaway league, which kicked off in 1897.

So, for example, Fitzpatrick stated the Cats could now choose to recognise its history as seven VFA premierships, six VFL premierships (1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, and 1963) and three AFL premierships (2007, 2009, 2011).

Each other club would also be able to determine how it would recognise its VFA premierships.