Editing Melbourne Cricket Ground (section)

===MCG and the VFL/AFL===
For many years the VFL had an uneasy relationship with the MCG trustees and the Melbourne Cricket Club. Both needed the other, but resented the dependence. The VFL made the first move which brought things to a head by beginning the development of [[VFL Park]] at [[Mulgrave, Victoria|Mulgrave]] in the 1960s as its own home ground and as a potential venue for future grand finals. Then in 1983, president of the VFL, [[Allen Aylett]] started to pressure the MCG Trust to give the VFL a greater share of the money it made from using the ground for football.

After negotiations with the MCC in 1964, {{AFL Ric}} joined Melbourne playing their home games at the MCG from [[1965 VFL season|1965]].

In March 1983 the MCG trustees met to consider a submission from Aylett. Aylett said he wanted the Melbourne Cricket Club's share of revenue cut from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. He threatened to take the following day's opening game of the season, Collingwood vs Melbourne, away from the MCG. The money was held aside until an agreement could be reached.

Different deals, half deals and possible deals were done over the years, with the [[Premier of Victoria]], [[John Cain II|John Cain, Jr.]], even becoming involved. Cain was said to have promised the VFL it could use the MCG for six months of the year and then hand it back to the MCC, but this never eventuated, as the MCG Trust did not approve it. In the mid-1980s, a deal was done where the VFL was given its own members area in the Southern Stand.

Against this background of political maneuvering, in 1985 {{AFL NM}} became the third club to make the MCG its home ground. In the same year, North played in the first night football match at the MCG for almost 110 years, against Collingwood on 29 March 1985.

In 1986, only a month after [[Ross Oakley]] had taken over as VFL Commissioner, VFL executives met with the MCC and took a big step towards resolving their differences. Changes in the personnel at the MCC also helped. In 1983 [[John Lill (cricketer)|John Lill]] was appointed secretary and [[Don Cordner]] its president.

Shortly after the Southern Stand opened in 1992, the Australian Football League moved its headquarters into the complex. The AFL assisted with financing the new stand and came to an agreement that ensures at least 45 AFL games are played at the MCG each year, including the Grand Final in September. Another 45 days of cricket are also played there each year and more than 3.5&nbsp;million spectators come to watch every year. Also in 1992, {{AFL Ess}} became the fourth AFL club to call the MCG home with {{AFL Col}} staging the majority of their home games at the MCG from 1994 onwards before fully moving from [[Victoria Park, Melbourne|Victoria Park]] to the MCG in 2000. {{AFL Car}} have also used the ground for up to five home games a year since 1992.

After the closure of [[Waverley Park]], {{AFL Haw}} moved their home games to the MCG in 2000.

As of the end of 2011, [[Matthew Richardson (Australian rules footballer)|Matthew Richardson]] holds the records for having scored the most goals on the MCG and as of 2021 [[Scott Pendlebury]] holds the record for playing the most matches. Two players have scored 14 goals for an AFL or VFL game in one match at the MCG, [[Gary Ablett Sr.]] in 1989 and 1993 and [[John Longmire]] in 1990.

Before an AFL match between {{AFL Ric}} and {{AFL Car}} on 27 August 1999, the city end scoreboard caught on fire due to an electrical fault, causing the start of play to be delayed by half an hour.

{{wide image|MCG Panorama.JPG|1000px|align-cap=center|A panoramic view of the Melbourne Cricket Ground from level 4 of the Northern Stand, First game of the 2010 AFL Season between Richmond and Carlton}}